Pricing
How junk removal pricing works
Straight answer
What the ‘from’ prices actually mean
They are starting prices — the floor for each load size, not a quote. Plenty of jobs land at them. Plenty land above, and this page sets out exactly what pushes them there.
The reason it is a starting price rather than a fixed rate card is that disposal is priced locally. Landfill tipping fees, recycling rates, facility availability and labor costs vary substantially between metro areas, so the same half-truck load genuinely costs a different amount to handle in different cities — sometimes by a wide margin.
So use the starting prices to size up your job, then request a quote against your actual load and market for the number you will pay. Either way the crew confirms it with you on site before anything goes on the truck.
Load sizes
Priced by how much of the truck it fills
Single Item
One item, curbside or inside
One piece that needs two people and a truck. Priced as a single item rather than as a share of a full load.
Typical jobs
- A sofa, recliner or mattress
- One appliance being replaced
- A treadmill or exercise machine
- A single television
from $99
Minimum Load
Roughly an eighth of the truck
The smallest multi-item job. A handful of pieces from one room, or a small pile from a garage.
Typical jobs
- A bedroom set
- A few boxes and a chair
- Small apartment clear-out
- One room of office furniture
from $149
Quarter Load
About a quarter of the truck
A meaningful clear-out of one space — the volume of a small pickup bed piled high.
Typical jobs
- A single-car garage tidy
- Small shed contents
- Post-renovation packaging and offcuts
- One room cleared completely
from $229
- Most common
Half Truck
Half the truck
The most common cleanout size. Multiple rooms, or one thoroughly full garage or basement.
Typical jobs
- A packed two-car garage
- Basement cleanout
- Apartment turn with furniture
- Small office relocation
from $379
Full Truck
The full truck
A whole property's worth of material, or a large commercial clear-out in one visit.
Typical jobs
- Whole-home cleanout
- Estate or foreclosure clear-out
- Retail fixture removal
- Multi-room office cleanout
from $549
Custom Cleanout
Multiple loads, scoped as a project
Jobs too large for one truck, recurring commercial schedules, and anything needing a walkthrough before it can be priced honestly.
Typical jobs
- Multi-day estate cleanouts
- Warehouse and industrial clear-outs
- Property management portfolios
- Ongoing construction site removal
Quoted on site
Heavy materials are the exception. Concrete, tile, soil, sod, plaster and roofing debris are priced by weight, because they reach a truck’s legal weight limit long before they fill it — a half-loaded truck of demolition debris can already be at capacity.
What changes the number
Six things that move the price
Volume
How much room the load takes up in the truck. This is the primary driver on most jobs, which is why pricing is described in fractions of a truck rather than per item.
Weight and material type
Concrete, tile, soil, sod, plaster and roofing are dense enough that a truck reaches its legal weight limit long before it looks full. These are priced by weight instead of volume.
Labor and access
A garage the truck can back up to is a different job from a fourth-floor walk-up or a back yard reachable only through the house. Stairs, carry distance, elevators and disassembly all add time.
Items with separate fees
Some items carry a per-unit facility charge that is passed through: mattresses, refrigerant appliances, televisions and tires are the common ones. These are set locally and vary widely.
Disposal requirements
Where a load can go changes what it costs. Clean, separated material with a recycling route is cheaper to handle than mixed debris that has only one destination.
Your market
Landfill tipping fees, recycling rates, labor costs and facility availability differ significantly between metro areas. The same load genuinely costs different amounts in different cities.
What you're paying for
Included in the price, and what isn't
Included in your quote
- All labor — the crew does the carrying
- Loading and truck time
- Transport to the disposal or recycling facility
- Standard disposal fees for the load
- Sorting for donation and recycling
- Sweeping the area the crew cleared
Priced separately or not offered
- Per-unit facility fees for mattresses, refrigerant appliances, televisions and tires
- Licensed trades — plumbing, gas or electrical disconnection
- Asbestos or lead abatement, which requires a licensed contractor
- Household hazardous waste disposal
- Cleaning, patching or painting after removal
- Moving items between addresses
FAQ
Pricing questions
Why are the prices shown as 'from'?
Because a starting price is the only number that is honest before anyone has seen the job. What you actually pay depends on how much of the truck the load fills, whether the material is heavy enough to be priced by weight instead, how far the crew has to carry it, and what your local facility charges to take it. The 'from' figure is the floor for that load size — the quote is the real number, and the crew confirms it on site before anything is loaded.
How is junk removal usually priced?
By volume — how much space the load takes in the truck — for most household and office jobs. Heavy materials such as concrete, tile, soil and roofing debris are priced by weight instead, because they hit a truck's legal weight limit long before they fill it.
Do I pay before or after the job?
The crew confirms the scope and the price with you on site before anything is loaded. You approve the number first, and the work starts after that.
What if the job is bigger than I described?
The crew tells you on site and re-quotes before loading, rather than adding to the bill afterwards. If the revised number does not work for you, you are free to reduce the scope or not proceed.
Is there a minimum charge?
Most markets have a minimum, because sending a truck and crew has a fixed cost regardless of how little is on the load. A single item is priced as a single item and not as a full load, but it will not be free.
Are there hidden fees?
The items that carry separate facility fees — mattresses, refrigerant appliances, televisions and tires — should be identified in your quote rather than discovered later. If you know you have any of these, mention them when you request the quote so the number is complete from the start.
Is a quote free?
Requesting a quote costs nothing and does not commit you to booking. For large or complex jobs, an on-site walkthrough is often the more accurate route and is arranged through the local crew.
Do you price-match?
Junk Koala prices against the actual job — volume, weight, access and local disposal cost. If a quote you have received elsewhere is materially lower, it is usually worth checking what it includes: disposal fees, stair carries and per-item charges are the usual difference.
Get started
Get a price for your job
Send us the details and a photo or two, and we'll come back with a number that reflects the actual work.
