What we take, what costs extra, and what can't ride in the truck
Most things in a house, a garage or a yard can go on the truck. A few cost extra because the landfill or a recycler charges for them. A handful cannot ride with any honest hauler, and knowing which before the crew arrives saves everyone a wasted trip.
Rides as ordinary junk
Furniture of every kind. Washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, microwaves and water heaters, drained. Boxes, bags, clothing, books, toys, kitchenware. Carpet and pad, flooring, drywall, lumber, cabinets, countertops, doors, windows, fixtures, sinks and toilets. Patio furniture, grills without the tank, fire pits, trampolines, swing sets, sheds taken down. Bikes, exercise equipment, lawnmowers drained of fuel. Yard waste, brush, slash, logs, old fence boards, firewood. Soil, sod, rock, concrete and brick, as heavy debris by weight. Office furniture, cubicles, shelving, display fixtures.
Rides with a surcharge
| Item | Why it costs extra | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Mattresses and box springs | Per-unit landfill fee; they don't compact | Landfill |
| Tires | Per-tire fee; banned from ordinary landfill disposal | Tire recycler |
| Televisions and monitors | Per-unit recycling fee; tube sets cost more | Electronics recycler |
| Computers, printers, small electronics | Per-unit or per-box recycling fee | Electronics recycler |
| Refrigerators, freezers, window ACs, dehumidifiers | Refrigerant must be recovered by a licensed hazardous-waste handler first | Handler, then scrap |
Cannot ride at all
Paint and stain, solvents and thinners, motor oil and antifreeze, gasoline and fuel in cans, pesticides, herbicides and fertiliser, pool chemicals, propane and other pressurised tanks, fire extinguishers, car batteries in bulk, fluorescent tubes in bulk, asbestos-containing material, medical and biological waste, ammunition and fireworks. These need a hazardous-waste route. The crew sets them aside, tells you where they can go, and does not load them. Anyone who offers to take paint on a hauling truck is going to do something with it that you would rather not know about.
Judgment calls
- A fridge full of spoiled food. Empty it first. The scrap yard will refuse it full.
- A mattress with bed bugs. Yes, bagged in the room before it moves. Say so when you book.
- Pre-1980s building material. Floor tile, pipe wrap, ceiling texture and old drywall compound can contain asbestos. Tested first, or it stays.
- A dead vehicle, trailer or boat. Call and ask. Sometimes yes, sometimes we tell you who can.
- Hay, manure, animal waste. Usually not ours. We'll say.
- A gun safe, a piano, a pool table. Yes, quoted on sight by weight and crew.
Why we are strict about this
Two reasons. The landfill and the recyclers set the rules and charge the fees, and we would rather pass those through by name than fold them into a round number. And a truck that takes everything, including the things it shouldn't, is a truck whose owner is dumping somewhere they shouldn't. We'd rather turn down the paint.
Asked often
Can you take paint if the cans are dry?
Fully dried latex paint, solid in the can, is usually fine as ordinary trash. Liquid paint of any kind is not, and the crew will check.
Why does a fridge cost more than a washer?
The refrigerant. It has to be recovered by a licensed handler before the unit is scrapped, and that's a real cost we pass through.
What about the propane tank on the grill?
Take it off and return it to a tank exchange or the retailer. The grill rides without it.
Do you take car batteries?
A few, upright, to recycling. A pile of them is a hazardous-waste question.
I don't know what's in the shed. What then?
The crew looks, loads what rides, sets aside what doesn't and tells you where it goes. That's a normal cleanout.
Also read: Electronics and odd items · Appliances · Cost guide