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Junk removal minimum charge: what to set for small pickups
Set a minimum that pays for one trip with a small load, about $120 at the companies here. Across 18 junk removal price lists the middle half charge $99–$145, from $69 for one curbside item in Cleveland to $179 in Stamford and northern New Jersey. Clear Waste Solutions in South Florida sets $144.
Calculate a price
Starting point: $700.00 per load. Full load, 13–17 cubic yards (US guide): $600.00–$800.00 per load. Our midpoint of that range, rounded to cents. Removal by load volume; difficult access and special items can add labor. Angi: junk removal prices by load volume, checked 2026-10-15.
Extras, travel and minimum
Use 0.25 for a quarter load and 0.5 for half. Enter your full-truck rate and state the truck's capacity in the quote. Account for heavy items separately.
Enter truck-load fraction.
Junk removal minimum charge: published rates
| Job or unit | Published price | What the price covers | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| One item at the curb (Cleveland, OH) | from $69 per visit | Curbside prices; sofa beds, treadmills and large TVs may cost extra. A notice dated April 2023 says prices are rising, so these may be low. | Junk Gone Today: Cleveland, OH prices · Checked |
| Minimum pickup (Canton, GA) | $85 per visit | Labor, haul-off, disposal and taxes included, with no mattress or appliance surcharge; stairs and basements add $50 per quarter truck. | Your Junk Guys: Canton, GA prices · Checked |
| Minimum, 1 to 2 small items (Denver, CO) | $99 per load | Labor, loading, driving, dump fees and recycling included; prices reviewed August 2026. | Junk Same Day: Denver, CO prices · Checked |
| Minimum dispatch (Temple, TX) | $120 per visit | Partial loads prorated by how full; refrigerators need the Freon removed by a certified technician first. | Moore Junk Removal & Recycling: Temple, TX prices · Checked |
| Minimum, up to 2.5 cubic yards (Philadelphia, PA) | $120 per load | All labor, sorting, loading and hauling included; serves Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties. | Junk Removal Taxi: Philadelphia, PA prices · Checked |
| Minimum charge (Portland, OR) | $125 per visit | Priced by the cubic yard with a $125 minimum; stairs, oversized items and special disposal can add. | Junk Hubris: Portland, OR prices · Checked |
| Minimum, about one kitchen stove (Tulsa, OK) | $128 per visit | Loading, hauling, dump fees and taxes included, confirmed on site with the truck backed up to the pile. | Swift Junk Removal: Tulsa, OK prices · Checked |
| Minimum, first 2 cubic yards (Knoxville, TN) | $150 per visit | Full-service pickup from anywhere on the property; heavy jobs get a larger crew. | Junk Galaxy: Knoxville, TN prices · Checked |
| Minimum tier (Stamford, CT) | $179 per load | Thirteen load tiers from $179 to $979 across its Connecticut service area, with no stair, weekend or same-day surcharge. | Grizzly Junk Pros: Stamford, CT prices · Checked |
| Minimum charge (northern NJ) | $179 per load | Labor, sorting, fuel and dump fees included, sales tax added; tires, mattresses, safes, pianos and hot tubs may carry recycling or weight fees. | In and Out Junk Removal: Northern New Jersey, NJ prices · Checked |
What minimum do junk removal companies set?
The median is $120 across 18 companies. Moore Junk Removal in Temple, Texas, and Junk Removal Taxi in Philadelphia set $120; Junk Hubris in Portland $125; Swift in Tulsa $128; Junk Galaxy in Knoxville $150. Grizzly Junk Pros and In and Out Junk Removal sit at the top at $179.
A minimum near the median covers the truck, two people for a short stop and a dump fee. Below about $100, the job pays only if it is on the way to another one.
What should the minimum cover?
Tie it to a volume, not a count of items. Junk Galaxy’s minimum covers the first 2 cubic yards, Junk Removal Taxi’s up to 2.5, Family Cleanout’s anything under an eighth of a truck, and Swift’s about the space of one kitchen stove.
A volume rule answers the customer who asks whether a recliner and three boxes still count as the minimum. Write it on the price list and on the quote.
How do you work out your own minimum?
Add up a stop with almost nothing on the truck: drive time both ways, two people for half an hour, fuel and the smallest dump or transfer-station charge. The BLS May 2024 median wage for refuse and recyclable material collectors was $23.24 an hour; payroll costs, the truck and your margin sit on top of that.
Then compare with the published minimums nearby. If your cost floor lands well under $100, check the hours; if it lands above $150, your minimum can be higher too.
Should curbside pickups cost less?
Yes, and most companies say so. Moore charges $72 for a curbside minimum against a $120 dispatch minimum, Fred’s Junk Removal in San Diego $69 for one item at the curb against $130 to carry it out, and Tex Mex Junk Removal in Houston takes $25 off when items are at the curb.
Put both prices on your list. Customers who can drag a couch to the driveway will, and you save the time and the risk of carrying it through a house.
Three worked prices
Each price is a company’s published single-item or minimum price.
One item at the curb. Fred’s Junk Removal’s curbside price for a single item under 200 lbs.
Single item, curbside: 1 item × $69 = $69.
Example total: $69. Rate source: Fred's Junk Removal: San Diego, CA prices, checked 2026-10-15.
The same item carried out of the house. Fred’s full-service price for one item carried from inside.
Single item, full-service: 1 item × $130 = $130.
Example total: $130. Rate source: Fred's Junk Removal: San Diego, CA prices, checked 2026-10-15.
A curbside pickup at the minimum. Moore Junk Removal’s curbside minimum, against its $120 minimum when the crew comes to the house.
Curbside pickup, minimum: 1 visit × $72 = $72.
Example total: $72. Rate source: Moore Junk Removal & Recycling: Temple, TX prices, checked 2026-10-15.
Frequently asked questions
Is a minimum charge the same as a trip fee?
No. A trip fee is added on top; a minimum is the least a pickup costs with the haul-away included. The companies here publish minimums, not trip fees.
Should the minimum include disposal?
Yes. Customers read the minimum as the whole price for a small pickup. If a mattress or appliance carries a fee, list it beside the minimum.
What if the customer adds items when the truck arrives?
Price by volume from the minimum up: the minimum covers its stated volume, and anything beyond moves to your quarter-load price.
Sources
- Clear Waste Solutions: South Florida load prices · Checked
- BLS OEWS: May 2024 employee wages · Published · Checked
- Junk Gone Today: Cleveland, OH prices · Checked
- Your Junk Guys: Canton, GA prices · Checked
- Junk Same Day: Denver, CO prices · Checked
- Moore Junk Removal & Recycling: Temple, TX prices · Checked
- Junk Removal Taxi: Philadelphia, PA prices · Checked
- Junk Hubris: Portland, OR prices · Checked
- Swift Junk Removal: Tulsa, OK prices · Checked
- Junk Galaxy: Knoxville, TN prices · Checked
- Grizzly Junk Pros: Stamford, CT prices · Checked
- In and Out Junk Removal: Northern New Jersey, NJ prices · Checked
- Fred's Junk Removal: San Diego, CA prices · Checked
- Tex Mex Junk Removal: Houston, TX prices · Checked
- Family Cleanout LLC: Norwich, CT prices · Checked