Disposal
Where your junk actually goes
Straight answer
Why there's no recycling percentage on this page
Junk removal companies routinely advertise a diversion figure — some percentage of everything they collect that supposedly avoids landfill. Junk Koala does not publish one, because a single national number would not be a real measurement.
What can actually be recovered depends almost entirely on two things: what is in the specific load, and what facilities exist in that market. A truckload of appliances is nearly all recoverable steel. A truckload of mixed household clutter from an attic is mostly not. Mattress recycling is routine in some metros and impossible in others, because the facility simply isn’t within range.
Averaging those into one headline figure produces a number that is true of no individual job. What we will do instead is describe exactly how loads are handled, and tell you where your load went if you ask.
Where things go
Six destinations, not one
Donation
Furniture, household goods, clothing, books and usable office furniture are offered to local donation partners. Receiving standards are genuinely strict — particularly for upholstery — so this is assessed item by item rather than assumed.
Metal recycling
Appliances, shelving, racking, bed frames, scrap and fencing are predominantly steel. Metal recyclers take these readily, which is why appliances rarely need to reach a landfill at all.
Electronics recycling
Televisions, computers, monitors and networking equipment are routed to e-waste processors. Many states prohibit these from landfill outright, and the recoverable materials inside them are worth the separate handling.
Green waste and composting
Clean brush, branches, leaves, grass and sod go to composting and mulching facilities where the local market has one. A load has to stay clean to qualify — a few plastic pots can disqualify the whole thing.
Construction and aggregate recycling
Clean wood, metal, concrete, brick and cardboard have recovery routes that mixed debris does not. Keeping streams separate on site is the single biggest lever on both diversion and disposal cost.
Certified refrigerant recovery
Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers go to facilities that recover refrigerant under EPA Section 608 before the metal is processed. This is a legal requirement, not an optional extra.
Regulated materials
The parts that are not optional
Some handling is required by law rather than chosen. Refrigerant appliances — refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers — must have their refrigerant recovered by a certified technician under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act before the appliance can be disposed of. It cannot legally be vented, and a scrapyard will refuse a unit that has not been evacuated.
Electronics are prohibited from landfill in many states, which is why televisions, monitors and computers are routed to e-waste processors and carry a separate handling fee.
And some materials are outside junk removal entirely. Asbestos and lead abatement are licensed trades. Biohazard remediation requires containment controls a junk crew does not have. If a crew suspects either on a job, they stop and tell you rather than loading it.
What helps
Four things that change the outcome
Keep streams separate on site
Clean wood in one pile, metal in another, green waste in a third. Separated material has recovery routes that mixed debris does not, and it usually costs less to dispose of.
Don't contaminate green waste
Plastic pots, bags, wire and netting mixed into brush can disqualify a whole load from composting. It is the easiest diversion to win and the easiest to lose.
Flag anything donation-worthy
If a piece is clean, sound and odor-free, say so when you book. It changes where the crew routes it, and donation partners will not take what has been mixed into a debris load.
Handle hazardous waste separately
Paint, fuel, chemicals and batteries need a household hazardous waste program. Pulling them out before the crew arrives keeps the rest of the load clean.
Get started
Book a pickup that gets sorted
Tell us what's in the load and we'll route it properly — donation, recycling, or disposal where there's genuinely no alternative.