· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Junk Removal
We price junk removal by the share of the truck your things take up, not by their weight or by the hour. Once you know that, most of what looks arbitrary about a quote starts to make sense, and so do the few items that cost more than their size would suggest.
How does pricing by truck volume work?
Our quotes are in fractions of a truck: a quarter load, a half, a full one. The price moves in those steps rather than climbing smoothly, so a pile that runs a little past the halfway mark is priced at the next step, the same as one that nearly fills it.
That is why taking things apart before we arrive saves money. A bed frame in pieces and a bundle of flattened boxes sit in a fraction of the space they took whole, and sometimes that is the difference of a full step. Our post on getting ready for a junk removal visit covers what else is worth doing the day before.
What adds to it
Weight matters for a handful of materials. Concrete, soil, brick and roofing tear-off fill little of the truck for what they weigh, and landfill charges in this state are figured by weight: TDEC’s 2025-2035 State Solid Waste Management Plan describes Tennessee’s landfill tipping fee surcharge as a charge per ton disposed of. So we price heavy material separately from the volume, and the quote says which is which.
Some household items have their own disposal rules. Whole tires are one: according to TDEC’s waste tire page, whole, unshredded tires may not be landfilled in Tennessee, they have to go to a permitted processing facility or a county waste tire collection site, and anyone who hauls waste tires commercially in the state must register every year. Refrigerators, freezers and window air conditioners are another. EPA’s safe disposal requirements for refrigeration equipment make the last party in the disposal chain, such as a scrap metal recycler or a landfill, responsible for making sure the refrigerant is recovered before the appliance is finally disposed of, and for keeping a signed statement naming who recovered it and when. Ask whether your quote names these items.
A mattress mostly costs what its size costs. EPA counts mattresses with furniture in its durable goods data and notes that people who run municipal waste facilities often call durable goods oversized and bulky, and on a truck priced by space a mattress takes a lot of room for what it weighs. Our post on getting rid of a mattress, fridge or TV goes through each of those three in more detail.
Then there is the carry. A basement, an upper floor or a long walk from the back of the house to the truck adds labor, so mention it when you send photos.
- Priced by the share of the truck, in steps
- Break down furniture before we arrive
- Heavy materials priced separately from volume
- Tires and refrigerant appliances have their own disposal rules
- Stairs and long carries add labor
Getting a useful quote
Photographs get you an estimate from us, and we confirm the price on site before anything is loaded. If the photos showed the whole pile, from the side as well as the front, the number should not move much.
Ask whether a quote includes carrying items out from inside the house or covers only what is waiting at the curb. With our furniture and appliance removal, the lifting and carrying are ours from wherever the piece is.
When is a dumpster the better choice?
For a renovation that turns out waste over days or weeks, we usually point people to a roll-off from our dumpster rental service, which sits on site and fills as the work goes instead of bringing a truck back again and again. If you are not sure which works out better for your job, ask us to price both.
Junk removal suits a single clear-out, anything that has to be carried out of the house, and a driveway that cannot give up space to a container for two weeks. Send a few photos and we will give you a free estimate.
Sources
- TDEC, 2025-2035 State Solid Waste Management Plan — Tennessee landfill tipping fee surcharges are charged per ton disposed of (figures from the plan’s 2015-2020 review)
- TDEC, Waste Tire — Whole, unshredded tires may not be landfilled in Tennessee; disposal at a permitted processor or county collection site; commercial tire haulers register each year
- U.S. EPA, Stationary Refrigeration Safe Disposal Requirements — Final party in the disposal chain must ensure refrigerant is recovered before disposal and keep a signed statement of who recovered it and when
- U.S. EPA, Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data — Mattresses counted with furniture and furnishings; facility managers often call durable goods oversized and bulky (2018 data)
FAQ
How Junk Removal Is Actually Priced — questions
How is junk removal priced?
We price by how much of the truck your things fill, a quarter, half or full load, rather than by weight or by the hour. The price moves in steps at those points, so a load a little over one costs the same as a load well over it. Heavy materials such as concrete and soil are priced separately. Taking furniture apart before we arrive takes up less room and can bring the price down a step.
Is a dumpster cheaper than junk removal?
It depends on the job, so ask for both prices. For a renovation that produces waste over days or weeks, a roll-off that fills as the work goes is usually the better fit. Junk removal suits a single clear-out, anything that has to be carried out of the house, and a driveway that cannot hold a container for two weeks.
Why do mattresses cost extra?
Mostly because of their size. A mattress is bulky and takes up a lot of truck space for what it weighs, and space is what we price. Tires and refrigerators are different: whole tires cannot go in a Tennessee landfill and must go to a permitted processor or a county tire collection site, and a refrigerator has to have its refrigerant recovered before it is finally disposed of.
How does junk removal work?
You send photos of the pile, from the side as well as the front, and we estimate by how much of the truck it will fill. The price is confirmed on site before anything is loaded, and with our furniture and appliance removal the crew does the lifting and carrying from wherever each piece sits.