Junk Removal Pricing The Price We Quote Is the Price You Pay
We give you a firm price in person before we start. It doesn't go up unless you add to the job, and there are no hidden fees.
What It Costs
We price by volume, meaning the space your load takes up in the truck. There are only two numbers to know: what the smallest job costs, and what a cubic yard costs. Your exact price is set in person before we start, and once you agree to it, it does not go up.
This is the price of a small pickup of one or two items, and the labor and hauling are included. For a very small job close to our Salem base we can sometimes bring the minimum down to $80 to $100, so it is worth asking. The minimum can also be higher for a job well outside our normal routes.
For Example
- 1 loveseat or armchair
- A few bags or boxes
You pay for the space your load takes up, not for someone's hour. If the load is light and we can walk straight to it, the rate drops to about $70 a yard. A long or awkward carry pushes it the other way, and heavy material like tile or concrete is priced by weight.
What's Included
- Labor, hauling & dump fees
- Donation and recycling drop-offs
- A free, firm quote in person before we start
What a Cubic Yard Looks Like
A cubic yard is a cube three feet on every side. Nobody thinks in yards, so here are a few things you can picture instead.
One Cubic Yard
A cube three feet wide, three feet deep and three feet high, packed full. That is twenty-seven cubic feet of space, about waist high on most people.
A Pickup Bed
We count a full-size pickup bed, loaded level with the sides, as about two and a half cubic yards. That is our own rough measure, not a published figure.
The Whole Truck
The truck takes 20 cubic yards, which by that count is about eight pickup truck beds. Everything on this page is priced by how much of that space your load takes up.
People ask me what a couch or a full garage works out to in yards. I do not print those figures, because mine vary too much from job to job to average honestly. These are rough pictures rather than measurements, and we work the real volume out when we see it.
Our Price Promise
Your price is set in person before we start, and once you agree to it, it does not go up. We won't come back at the end and surprise you with extras. The only time a price would ever adjust is if you add items that were not part of the job we priced.
Items priced separately: paint, chemicals, motor oil, tires, car batteries and propane tanks all need special handling, so they are priced on their own, and we'll always disclose that upfront, before any work begins. Mattresses, box springs, old tube (CRT) TVs and appliances holding refrigerant are disposal-banned in Massachusetts and go to a recycler that charges per item, and flat-screen TVs and monitors go to an e-waste recycler that charges per screen. Each of those charges comes on top of the minimum or the volume price. These recycler charges are why those items cost extra, and part of why prices here run above the national averages you find online.
What Affects Your Final Quote
We're always honest about what goes into your price. Here's exactly what we look at when we assess your job, so there are no surprises on either side:
Distance
The minimum can be higher for a job well outside our normal routes. Every town on our service-area page is on the same price list.
Only a job well outside our normal routes can raise the minimum.
Ease of Access
Can we walk straight to the junk, or does it involve tight hallways, narrow doors, or awkward spaces? More effort means more labor time.
Tight hallways or awkward layouts add labor time.
Parking
How close can we park our truck to your junk? The farther we have to carry things, the longer the job takes.
Farther carry distance means a longer job.
Stairs
Basement haul-outs, attic cleanouts, or multi-story removals take significantly more time and effort, and that is already in the number we give you.
Basement, attic & multi-floor jobs take more effort.
Tight Corners
Navigating narrow staircases, hallways, or doorways with bulky items adds time. We plan for this so there are no surprises.
Narrow spaces with bulky items add time.
Item Type
Paint, chemicals, motor oil, tires, car batteries and propane tanks need special handling, so they are priced separately. Mattresses, box springs, TVs, monitors and appliances holding refrigerant go to a recycler that charges for them, and concrete is priced by weight.
Items that need special handling or a recycler are priced separately.
The quote form asks what you're hauling, how much there is, where it is and when works for you. A note about stairs, parking or tight corners in the box for anything we should know covers the rest, and that's usually enough for us to price the job.
Payment Methods Accepted
- Cash
- Card
- Check
- Venmo
- Zelle
- Cash App
- Free estimates
- No hidden fees
- No deposit on standard jobs
- Priced by volume or weight
Pricing FAQ
Here's everything we get asked about pricing, answered straight.
How is the price determined?
We price by volume, measured as the space your items take up in our truck, at roughly $70 to $100 a cubic yard with a $120 minimum. Light items with easy access land at the low end of that, and heavy material like concrete or tile is priced by weight instead, because a small pile of it is a full load in practice. We always give you a free, firm quote on site before any work begins.
Are there any hidden fees?
No. The firm number we give you in person is the number you pay. Labor, hauling, fuel, dump fees and the donation and recycling drop-offs for the load are all inside it. The items that need special handling or a specific recycler are priced on their own instead of being folded into the load, and we give you that number before we start, not after.
Do I pay before or after the job?
For most jobs, payment is due after the work is finished, once the truck is loaded and you're happy with the cleanup. The only exception is large cleanouts (like full estates or hoarder homes), where we may ask for a small deposit to lock in the schedule, and only after you've accepted the quote.
What payment methods do you accept?
We take cash, card, check, Venmo, Zelle and Cash App, so use whichever is easiest for you.
Can I get an estimate over the phone?
Yes, call or text us at 978-915-3399 and send a few photos of your items. We can usually give you a solid estimate within a few minutes during the day. Final pricing is always confirmed on-site before we start.
Is there a minimum charge?
Yes. The minimum is $120, which covers a small pickup of one or two items. For a very small job close to our Salem base we can sometimes bring the minimum down to $80 to $100, so it is worth asking. The minimum can also be higher for a job well outside our normal routes. Anything larger is priced by volume, at about $70 to $100 per cubic yard.
What if I have more (or less) than I expected?
That's fine. Once we arrive and see everything, we'll give you the real number on the spot, up or down, based on the actual volume. You're never locked into the phone estimate. Once you agree to the new number, it does not go up.
Would renting a dumpster be cheaper?
Sometimes, and I would rather say so than pretend otherwise. A container rate buys the drop-off, the pickup and disposal up to a weight limit. It does not buy anybody to load it, and that weight allowance is where the savings usually go. I put the published container prices and the fees that come with them next to what we charge, including the jobs where the dumpster is the right call.
Why It Costs More in Massachusetts
If you have read the national price guides, our numbers look high next to them. Here is what pushes the price up in Massachusetts.
Disposal Is Sold by the Ton
Every load we bring in is weighed at the facility and we pay by weight. Depending on which facility we are at and what is in the load, that runs between $185 and $300 a ton.
The State Bans Some Items From the Trash
Mattresses and box springs, old tube (CRT) TVs and monitors, whole tires and appliances holding refrigerant cannot go in with a regular load. They go to a specific recycler that charges for them. Salem's own website, which we checked in October 2026, says residents pay UTEC, the nonprofit that recycles them, $40 an item to pick a mattress up at the curb, which gives you the scale of it. That is the city's fee, not ours.
The Truck and the Crew
The truck, the crew and the trip to the disposal site cost the same whether we are picking up one couch or six. That is the reason there is a minimum at all.
I wrote the whole thing out with the sources and five ways to pay less: how much junk removal costs in Massachusetts.
What the Quote Does Not Cover
The load price on this page covers labor, hauling, dump fees and the donation and recycling drop-offs. These are the parts that sit outside it, so you know before you call.
The Three Things We Turn Down
We turn down asbestos, which needs a licensed abatement contractor, medical and biohazard waste, and anything leaking or still smoldering. That is the whole list.
Quoted Separately
We take paint, chemicals, motor oil, tires, car batteries and propane tanks, and all of them need special handling, so they are priced on their own instead of folded into the load. We give you that number before we start, not after.
Disconnects and Moving
We do not disconnect wiring or plumbing. A hardwired appliance or a fixture on a live line needs an electrician or a plumber first. And we haul only. We do not carry items to a new address.
If you are unsure about something, describe it when you call rather than guessing. The full list of what we take is on its own page.
We do this by the book. We carry $2M in general liability, a $1M umbrella policy and $1M in commercial auto coverage. We are USDOT registered (USDOT 8843043), our drivers hold DOT medical cards, and we hold commercial accounts at the disposal facilities we use, so every load ends up where it is supposed to. Call or text in English or Portuguese.
Text Us a Photo
A photo tells us most of what we need, so you can have a number without waiting on a visit. Text it to 978-915-3399, the same line you would call.
What to Send
Stand back far enough to get the whole pile in one frame. If it is spread across a few rooms, send a shot of each one, and point out the heavy pieces.
What to Say With It
Tell us what floor it is on and where we can park. Access is the thing a photo hides, and it is most of what makes one job longer than another.
What Happens Next
We come back with an estimate off the photo, usually within a few minutes during the day. We confirm the real number in person before anything moves, up or down depending on what is actually there, and once you agree to it, it does not go up.
Tell Us What Needs to Go
Open 24/7, and we often get out the same day. We serve Salem, Swampscott and 39 more towns on the North Shore and in Middlesex and Suffolk counties.
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