WHAT IS THE AVERAGE COST OF JUNK REMOVAL?

When you need to toss a lot of old junk, you basically have two options: pay for professionals to haul it away, or rent a dumpster and fill it yourself. Both options have their own unique benefits and drawbacks, and prices differ depending on where you live and how much you’re throwing away.

Since the prices for both services depend so much on your specific situation, it’s impossible to give an accurate price, but we’ve found that the average price for full-service junk removal can range from $100 to almost $800. For dumpster rental, prices can be anywhere between $300 and $525 per week.

Full-service junk removal             Dumpster rental

Price range          $100–$800/load               $300–$525/week

National average              $234/load1         $402/week2

If you don’t have time or energy to haul your junk yourself, then a full junk removal service is probably right for you. However, if you need to keep chucking junk for a few days and you’re willing to put in a little elbow grease, then a dumpster rental might be better for your situation.

Keep reading to learn more about junk removal options and prices.

What is the average cost of junk removal services?

Lots of factors go into the pricing of junk removal services, and there’s a ton of local and national companies with widely variable rates. Because of this, it’s tricky to nail down exact rates for both full-service junk removal and dumpster rentals.

Plus, most junk removal companies don’t provide online estimates. Instead, they’ll only offer pricing after one of their employees does an onsite evaluation of your junk removal job. This means you won’t get inaccurate pricing information, but it makes it harder to shop around and compare rates when you’re in a hurry.

That said, we know what factors influence prices, and we’ve gathered data to help you find a rough estimate of what your junk removal job might cost.

What goes into junk removal pricing?

Pricing for junk removal depends greatly on where you are. Some companies don’t even service certain areas—and  fewer options may mean higher prices.

In addition to location, the following factors affect pricing for both full-service and dumpster rental options:

• Seasonality and demand
• Gas prices
• Local disposal fees
• How much time a job takes

The last (and most obvious) pricing factor specific to full-service junk removal is how much you’re throwing away. If you’re only chucking half a truck’s worth of renovation debris, you won’t be charged the same amount as someone who’s tossing a truck filled with old fridges, sofas, and mattresses.

This doesn’t apply to dumpster rentals, however. If you rent a dumpster, you’ll be charged the same amount no matter how much of the dumpster you fill (though you may be charged extra for overfilling), so be sure you rent a dumpster that’s the right size for your job.

Should I pay for full-service junk removal?

Several factors make full-service removal preferable for anyone with lots of stuff to throw away. The convenience of being able to relax or go about your typical day-to-day routine while the heavy-lifting goes on is worth the price for many people.

Access to proper equipment also matters. Wheelbarrows, dollies, and carts can all turn difficult junk removal jobs into a breeze, but without them, you’ll be left dragging that old fridge or busted cabinet up your stairs or across your lawn.

The bottom line is that if you don’t have the time, equipment, or extra help to get rid of your stuff, then full-service junk removal can make your life much easier despite the price.

JUNK REMOVAL / JUNK REMOVAL COSTS TUCSON

It’s easy to accumulate clutter. The same can’t be said for getting rid of it. Hiring a junk hauling company is a convenient option. Doing the junk or debris removal yourself is another option that may work well for some people. We’ll go over the costs of each option and provide tips to get the job done in the most cost-efficient manner.

Cost factors

Several things influence the cost of junk removal. Here are a few of the biggest:

• Location
• Size and complexity of the job
• Type of waste, junk, or debris

The cost to haul junk varies by location. For example, customers in Los Angeles or Tucson can expect to pay more than someone in Fort Wayne, Indiana would pay for the same size junk removal job. Get estimates from several junk haulers to find the best deal.

The scale of the cleanup is a big cost factor, too. For larger cleanups, it takes a bigger truck or container loading capacity, as well as more labor hours, to complete the job.

The same is true for complex cleanups, such as having to carry the junk or debris down 10 flights of stairs or removing an old heavy piano that needs to be disassembled in order to remove it from the house, and other situations that take more time and/or manpower.

Certain types of waste, junk, and debris cost more to dispose of than others. For example, hazardous materials cost more due to environmental laws, safety concerns, and disposal requirements. Hazardous materials include oil and other flammable liquids, paint, aerosols, asbestos, moldy building materials, car tires, and e-waste.

Costs of hiring a junk removal company

When hiring a junk removal service, expect to pay anywhere from $75 up to $1,000+ for medium-to-large cleanups. What’s an example of a small job vs. a large cleanup?

Small cleanup: Sofa, couch and chair removal — $45 – $125

Large cleanups: Home renovation cleanup, or whole-home cleanout — $2,000+

Average junk removal cost broken down by size of the project:

Size of the job | Average Cost | Example project

Small

$50 – $200

1 – 2 pieces of furniture or appliances

Medium

$400 – $800

Remove all furniture and appliances from the house. Foreclosure, hoarding or eviction cleanups.

Large

$1,000 – $5,000 (or more)

Debris removal from garage demolition. Commercial building cleanouts.

HOW MUCH DOES JUNK REMOVAL COST?

Do you feel like you are drowning in junk? If so, hiring a junk removal service can be a life-changing move. Junk removal services are available for almost any circumstance. Call for pro help after you have cleaned out your garage or shed, when you have moved in with your significant other and need to get rid of extra furniture, after you have emptied out the house of a relative who has passed away, or even just after an especially vigorous spring cleaning. Junk removal pros are equipped to handle any situation — big or small, hazardous or not — and do so without passing judgment, because accumulating a lot of junk can cause major stress. Junk removal is available for more than just hauling away concrete blocks from construction sites or removing trash. Apartment dwellers, homeowners, property investors, small-business owners, general contractors and many more types of customers call for help from junk removal services — whether you have a truckload of waste to remove or just a few boxes or bags.

When you call a junk removal service, they may ask for photos of the items you want removed, or may do a site visit to provide you with a quote for services. Once they have determined the type and size of the junk you need taken away, they can quote you cost and time frame. On the designated day of the cleanup, the junk removal pros will arrive wearing any necessary protective gear, such as gloves and eye protection, and will bring any heavy equipment required to move the junk out. Sometimes they will need a mini excavator or skid-steer loader like a Bobcat to remove debris from your property. Other times junk can be hand-tossed into the back of their truck or trailer. Depending on how much junk you have, they may arrive with a pickup truck, a trailer, a dump truck or a flatbed trailer to get your junk out of the way. What you are disposing of will affect your junk removal costs, because after the pros take it off your hands, they will properly dispose of it in the appropriate landfill or government regulated depository. There is often a disposal fee for dumping materials, so the weight and bulk of your junk and the cost the pro must pay to dump it will be factored into the junk removal pricing.

What you can have a junk removal specialist help you with? The sky’s the limit. You can dispose of furniture, refrigerators, TVs, scrap metal, computers, air conditioners, construction debris, mattresses, yard debris, decrepit car parts, miscellaneous trash removal, boxes full of old belongings, and often even hazardous waste. Junk can be hauled away from homes, multiunit properties, offices, undeveloped property, commercial sites, construction sites and almost anywhere else. Many companies charge per cubic yard; the price generally varies depending on what is being removed.

If you are ready to free up space in your home, yard, or business, here are the factors that affect average junk removal prices.

Type of junk

Not all junk is created equal. Danger, weight and size will all contribute to your junk removal bill. The amount of physical labor and the time to remove the junk will also affect cost. In general, the lighter the items to be disposed of, the lower the cost per cubic yard. It generally costs less per cubic yard to haul away tree branches, shrubs and other yard refuse than other types of junk. Items that you’d toss from your garage (broken lamps, moldy boxes of books, etc.) will cost more than yard waste but less than construction debris. Construction junk or other unusually heavy material will have the highest cost per cubic yard, which accounts for the added cost of loading and transporting it, as well as higher dump fees. 

• Yard debris and tree waste: $18 per cubic yard
• Home goods, trash and debris: $22 per cubic yard
• Concrete, rock and other heavy material: $95 per cubic yard