Has your refrigerator conked out? Mattress getting worn? Sofa not even fit for the dog to lie on anymore?

Get ready to pay a fee.

Beginning today, bulk refuse pickup services in Suffolk will require payment of $20-$100. Collections up to eight cubic yards will cost $20; 9-16 cubic yards will cost $50; and evictions will cost $100.

A customer service brochure published by the Department of Public Works provides information residents need to know about the new procedure. The brochure may be picked up at the department, 441 Market St., or by visiting www.suffolk.va.us/Solid%20Waste%20Bulk%20Pickup%20Brochure.pdf.

According to the brochure, eight cubic yards is approximately the amount that will fit into the bed of a standard pickup truck and extend four feet above the top of the truck bed.

People desiring the service will have to pay at least two days in advance of their regular trash pickup day at the treasurer’s office, by phone, or by mailing the payment in.

Those hoping to pay in person can visit one of the city treasurer’s offices (441 Market St. or the North Suffolk Library); call the office at 514-4275 and pay a convenience fee of $3-$7 to use a credit or debit card; or mail payment to P.O. Box 1583, Suffolk, VA 23439. They also should call the sanitation office at 514-7630 to schedule the pickup.

As an alternative to paying for the service, residents can haul the material to the landfill themselves, dispose of furniture or appliances through donations to charitable organizations or compost vegetative items. Those who have a large amount of items also can lease containers from the city for a one-time fee of $50 per container and put their waste there.

The city voted to institute the new bulk trash fees as part of the budget process. Not charging the fees would have left a $616,000 hole in the budget, the equivalent of about 14 employees’ salaries, according to City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn.

For questions regarding the new procedure, call 514-7630.