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Junk removal cost breakdown: truck volume, labor and disposal
A half truckload of junk runs $412–$430 on local price cards checked in October 2026: Clear Waste Solutions lists $412 in South Florida and Orange Crew $430 in Chicagoland. A full truck is $649–$650, a quarter is $280–$314, and Clear's minimum is $144 per visit. Ask what fits in the truck and what costs extra; Orange Crew adds $50 per mattress.
What do published prices include?
| Job, size or area | Published price | Included work and extras | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter load, 80–120 cu ft (US guide) | $100–$150 per load | Household junk. Published May 2024, the oldest figures in this table. | HomeGuide: junk removal prices · Published · Checked |
| Half load, 180–240 cu ft (US guide) | $200–$300 per load | Household junk, from the same May 2024 table. | HomeGuide: junk removal prices · Published · Checked |
| Full load, 420–480 cu ft (US guide) | $400–$450 per load | Household junk, from the same May 2024 table. | HomeGuide: junk removal prices · Published · Checked |
| Half truck, South Florida | $412 per half truck | Half of this company’s truck; special items cost extra. | Clear Waste Solutions: South Florida load prices · Checked |
| Full truck, South Florida | $649 per full truck | This company’s full truck; special items cost extra. | Clear Waste Solutions: South Florida load prices · Checked |
| Half truck, Chicagoland | $430 per half truck | Labor, hauling, recycling and standard disposal; mattresses add $50 each. | Orange Crew: Chicagoland truck-load prices · Checked |
| Full truck, Chicagoland | $650 per full truck | Labor, hauling, recycling and standard disposal; mattresses add $50 each. | Orange Crew: Chicagoland truck-load prices · Checked |
| Minimum pickup, South Florida | $144 per visit | The smallest job they book; bigger piles move up to the load prices. | Clear Waste Solutions: South Florida load prices · Checked |
| Quarter truck, South Florida | $314 per quarter truck | A quarter of this company’s truck; special items cost extra. | Clear Waste Solutions: South Florida load prices · Checked |
| Quarter truck, Chicagoland | $280 per quarter truck | Labor, hauling, recycling and standard disposal; mattresses add $50 each. | Orange Crew: Chicagoland truck-load prices · Checked |
| Quarter load, 3–4.5 cubic yards (US guide) | $125–$200 per load | About the same size as an 80–120 cu ft quarter load; hard access and special items add labor. | Angi: junk removal prices by load volume · Published · Checked |
| Half load, 4.5–11 cubic yards (US guide) | $200–$400 per load | A wider size band than the 180–240 cu ft half load; hard access and special items add labor. | Angi: junk removal prices by load volume · Published · Checked |
| Full load, 13–17 cubic yards (US guide) | $600–$800 per load | Removal by load volume; difficult access and special items can add labor. | Angi: junk removal prices by load volume · Published · Checked |
Prices are in US dollars. Each row keeps the provider's unit and service area.
How much junk fits in a half truckload?
Half of that hauler's truck, so ask how big the truck is. HomeGuide's bands put a half load at 180–240 cubic feet and a full load at 420–480. Angi's half load spans 4.5–11 cubic yards; at 27 cubic feet to the yard, that is about 122–297 cubic feet. A quote from photos is an estimate until the crew sees how much of the truck your pile fills.
Bulky pieces take more room than their size suggests: a sofa or a dresser leaves gaps around it, while bags and boxes pack tight. Taking apart a bed frame or a table before the crew arrives can drop you a tier. Send photos of the whole pile, including what sits behind the big pieces.
What does a junk removal price include?
On a load price, the crew's labor to carry and load, the haul, and standard dump and recycling fees. Orange Crew's Chicagoland card spells that out. Special items and hard access cost extra: Orange Crew adds $50 per mattress or box spring, and Clear Waste Solutions prices special items on top of its truck tiers. Ask whether the crew sweeps up where the pile stood.
Name the heavy and odd items when you ask for the quote: mattresses, tires, refrigerators and freezers, TVs and electronics, paint, concrete, dirt and roofing shingles. Heavy debris can hit a weight limit before it fills the truck, and some items cost the hauler extra to dump.
How do national price guides compare with local truck prices?
HomeGuide's bands date from May 2024: $200–$300 for a half load and $400–$450 for a full one. Angi's guide, published September 2026, lists $200–$400 for a half and $600–$800 for a full load. Budget from Angi and the local cards in the table, and treat the 2024 figures as the low end.
Going from a half to a full truck adds $237 at Clear Waste Solutions and $220 at Orange Crew. If the crew says your pile runs just over half, ask for both prices: the full truck, and the half load without the items you could donate or set out for your city's bulk trash pickup.
What should I ask before the crew arrives?
Send this with photos: Please quote removing the items in these photos from [the basement, garage or backyard], with [stairs, a long carry, tight parking]. The pile includes [a mattress, a fridge, paint cans, construction debris]. Does the price include loading, hauling and disposal? What do the special items add? Please confirm the price before you load.
If the on-site price differs from the photo estimate, ask which items or access changed it. You can still hold things back before loading starts.
Frequently asked questions
Is junk removal charged by weight or volume?
By volume on every price card in the table: how much of the truck the pile fills. If your pile is mostly concrete, dirt or shingles, ask about weight limits before booking.
Can I lower the cost by moving junk to the driveway?
Often, because it cuts carrying time, so ask for both prices. The minimum still applies, and so does the truck tier your pile fills.
Will junk haulers take paint and chemicals?
Ask before booking. Wet paint, chemicals, propane tanks and car batteries need special handling and some haulers will not take them; your county's household hazardous waste drop-off is the usual place for those.
Sources
- HomeGuide: junk removal prices · Published · Checked
Household junk removal by load volume: quarter 80–120 cu ft, half 180–240 cu ft and full 420–480 cu ft.
- Clear Waste Solutions: South Florida load prices · Checked
South Florida truck-load pickup, from a $144 minimum to a full truck. Pickup-bed service has a separate price card.
- Orange Crew: Chicagoland truck-load prices · Checked
Chicagoland labor, hauling, recycling and standard disposal. Mattress and box-spring handling adds $50 per item to the load price.
- Angi: junk removal prices by load volume · Published · Checked
Truck-load removal by volume: quarter 3–4.5 cubic yards, half 4.5–11 cubic yards and full 13–17 cubic yards.
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