Society is a tough thing to keep running cleanly and smoothly. People are constantly working on the power grid to keep the lights on, just like they’re constantly in water treatment plants to get you fresh, clean water. The same goes for people who haul trash away from outside of your house. Without these basic services, our societies would collapse.
Though sometimes the public trash pickup doesn’t get it all, and you need some private junk removal, like that offered by companies like TheJunkRemovalMovement.ca. When you hire one of these companies, how much money are you actually going to spend on garbage removal?
The Average Price of Garbage Removal
Every company and every individual is going to be different. What a company charges and what sort of junk you have, and how much of it you have, are all things to consider. On average, people spend about $100 per pickup. Keep in mind that these pickups aren’t frequent. They happen for the individual on the rare occasion they have accumulated so much junk.
Factors That Go Into the Pricing
1: The Size of the Load
As mentioned above, the best we can do is give you an average for the industry standard. There are a lot of variables that will go into your individual price tag, as we’ll mention below, but a per-load rate is pretty standard for standard junk. So, you could be looking at anywhere from $70 per pickup for a minimum load (1/6 truck) up to around $400 for a full load.
Keep in mind here that we’re talking about some pretty big trucks that these companies use, roughly the same size as the public trucks. So it’s not as if you’re dealing with a pickup truck. 1/6th of a load is more than likely as much trash as you could produce in a year in bags. So, there’s a lot of room back there.
2: The Type of Junk
A lot of junk removal is the actual type of junk you have. Do you just have some old items from a DIY house remodel, such as sofas, chairs, shower curtains and other stuff the municipality won’t take? Maybe you have some old microwave and a washer/dryer combo to get rid of. This is a type of junk that’s very common, and that may get you a flat rate.
On the other hand, some people have some pretty nasty junk. They want shards of glass, scrap metal, old batteries, etc., hauled away for them. It’s not that these companies won’t still show up to do that job; it’s just that they’re likely going to charge you differently based on the type of junk you have.
3: The Pickup Area
Do you live relatively close to the company you’re seeking to hire? Or do you live away out in the sticks somewhere, to the point where you’re not even covered by your municipalities public pickups? As you might imagine, you’re going to have to pay a different rate based on your location once you pass a certain threshold.
Think of it as pizza delivery. The location will deliver to any place that’s actually in town. Once you cross those limits, however, they’re going to tack on an extra charge to get there. The same principle applies here. These companies are burning a lot more of their expensive fuel if they have to drive a long distance. They have to also go back, don’t forget.
4: The State of the Junk
What state is your garbage in? You might end up having to pay a different rate for individual items that you have shoved down into bins vs. items that you have neatly bagged and ready for removal. Just like you’re likely going to pay a different rate for a neat pile of junk vs. junk that you just have strewn about over a general area.
Keep in mind here that a garbage removal company is there to do just that: Remove your garbage. They’re not showing up to arrange and bag your trash, nor to keep your yard looking decent. They just want to toss your garbage into their truck(s) and move on to the next job.
5: The Individual Items
Per-item pickups aren’t the case with every single garbage removal company, and they certainly aren’t the industry standard. However, you can find some companies that will show up just to grab a bulk item that your local municipality isn’t going to take away for you. Something like a sofa, a refrigerator, an oven/stove, etc. Per-item prices range a lot based on size and weight, and material type. For instance, you might be charged more for a single sofa than you would be charged for a fridge and an air conditioner. Even though the latter is two items, the company may charge less for them.
Why would this be the case? More likely than not, the garbage removal company will make a little bit of extra money by having the materials made of metal appliances recycled. With furniture, there are typically no such avenues open, and they will have to be disposed of in different ways. Different methods equate to different price tags for you.
6: The Company You Choose
Competitive industries price their services in a way that seems counter-intuitive to a lot of people. For instance, if you’re buying a piece of jewelry, you will spend more money on a better piece that has high-quality gems, solid gold, etc. Competitive industries that operate on parity don’t necessarily work that way, however. The reason is that good business do a lot of business, so they don’t have to charge you a whole arm and a leg just to come pick up your stuff.
What a good business does is that it charges competitively. It will be a little more than some of the other companies out there, but not so much more that you pass them over when comparing prices. So, this is just something to keep in mind. The company you choose to go with will likely charge you different rates for per-load and per-item pickups. That’s just something you will find standard in this sort of industry.
Keep in mind here that you want your junk removed the proper way. You don’t want a bunch of people ripping bags and slinging bits of garbage shrapnel all over the place. So you definitely want to find the right company to hire to handle your garbage removal needs.