Houston is the most populous city in Texas, and its inner loop, Interstate 610, encloses 97 square miles. Montrose sits in west-central Houston, Midtown lies west-southwest of Downtown Houston, and the Museum District borders Hermann Park, while the Houston Heights sits northwest of downtown. When Zelbi opens in Houston, one photo becomes the whole listing.
Skip the donation drop-off in Houston
The city's drop-off centers take furniture, with a limit of two large items such as couches. They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and residents can visit up to four times a month. Bring proof of address.
For eligible addresses, heavy trash is collected every other month, in even-numbered months. Items can go out from 6 p.m. the Friday before and must be out by 7 a.m. on the scheduled day. Zelbi works differently: one photo starts the listing, and you pick the day and time.
Free furniture pickup in Houston
Heavy trash takes household furniture such as couches, tables and dressers, plus mattresses, but not roofing, shingles or demolition debris. On Zelbi, you choose the time, then meet the claimer or leave the item outside.
Houston is a flat, marshy area with an elevation of 105 feet, and the May 2015 flood killed seven people after 12 inches of rain fell in 10 hours. For a curbside handoff, the giver sets the set-out time, and the claimer confirms it in the app.
Free stuff near you in Houston
People in the Houston metro search for "donation centers near me" and "free things near me", each 1K-10K times a month. Zelbi's map shows an approximate area, never an exact address, so a lamp listed in Rice Village would show that area rather than the giver's home.
When Zelbi opens in Houston, listings could come from Montrose, or from the Houston Heights, which sits 23 feet higher than Houston. Rice Village has more than 300 shops in a 16-block area.
Items on Zelbi are free. The only charge is a $2 platform fee, paid by the person who claims an item; giving something away costs nothing.
A simpler alternative to Craigslist free, Freecycle, Buy Nothing and Trash Nothing
Houston already has free-stuff groups on Facebook: one covering the Houston Heights and Montrose counts thousands of members, and a Buy Nothing group for Houston has thousands too. On Zelbi, a claimer can cancel for free until two hours before pickup, and a later cancellation costs the claimer $2.
One photo, full listing
Zelbi writes the description from the picture and posts it for people nearby to see.
Accounts behind claims
Every claim sits behind a Zelbi account and an authorized payment. Your exact address reaches only the person who claimed.
Times you set
You pick the day and time, and the claimer confirms the curbside time in the app.
Zelbi is an independent app. It is not affiliated with Craigslist, The Freecycle Network, the Buy Nothing Project or Trash Nothing. Their names belong to their owners.
Moving or decluttering in Houston?
Houston counted 2,304,580 people in the 2020 census and an estimated 2,397,315 in 2025. Midtown's count rose from 7,441 in 2010 to 10,820 in 2020.
About 2,200 multi-family units opened in Midtown during the 1990s. Once Zelbi opens in Houston, photograph each piece before you move, then set the day and time that suits you for each claim.
Bring Zelbi to Houston
When Zelbi opens in Houston, the things you no longer need can find a new home nearby, from Montrose to East Downtown.
Join the waitlist