Junk Removal 101: Complete Guide to Staying Clean

Proper disposal of junk is a must for a healthy and clean lifestyle. After construction work or moving, it is often cheaper and more effective to hire a junk removal company. They save time and energy by sorting recyclable items and properly disposing of the rest. Rubbish removal companies are a reliable way to safely get rid of the unappealing waste without too much hassle.

What to Know Before Hiring a Junk Removal Service

Whether you are in need of a junk disposal company for a one-time cleaning or for frequent garbage pick-up, you have to find a reliable service. Availability, environmental responsibility, and price are all important. However, the type of waste you want to dispose of (hazardous or non-hazardous) can greatly increase costs. We’re going to talk about hazardous wastes a bit later, let’s focus on your typical domestic junk removal services for now:

What they pick up

Construction waste.
Appliances, furniture, decorative items, etc.
Trash.
Electronic waste.
Some will pick up hazardous waste.

Before choosing a junk removal company, think about other services you might need. Some companies can offer additional solutions, like:

Cleaning out garages or storage units.
Hot tub or Jacuzzi removal.
Fence or deck removal.
Dumpster rental.

What to look for in a rubbish removal company

Eco-responsible, authorized by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Will take anything you don’t need, no matter its size or weight.
Good price.

Junk Removal for Households

Most households have their city’s waste management system at their service for everyday rubbish removal. This implies daily or regular removal of non-hazardous items that have been packed accordingly and do not exceed weight and size limitations. Hazardous and bulky items can be picked up on a weekly or monthly basis, but this is not compulsory. Therefore, citizens might need to find a private contractor to remove unusable items or debris.

Junk Removal for Businesses

Having a business automatically means producing waste. The costs of a rubbish removal service for your business are determined by the quantity, type of waste, and pick-up frequency. If you have a repair shop or a small factory which is likely to produce more hazardous waste, prices will automatically increase.

Hazardous Waste Management

A liquid, gas, or solid substance is considered hazardous waste if it easily ignites, reacts, corrodes, or is toxic in any other way – like medical waste. There are strict federal regulations about handling and discarding of such wastes and states can also impose stern practices to protect the local environment and wildlife.

A hazardous junk removal service must have a specific permit from Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to properly handle, manage, and track dangerous waste.

In your household, hazardous wastes are:

Paints or solvents.
Car waste: motor oil, antifreeze liquid, etc.
Pesticides.
Caustic cleaning products.
Items containing mercury: thermometers, fluorescent tubes or bulbs, etc.
Electronics.
Aerosols: any pressurized spray.
Appliances that contain refrigerants: fridge, AC, etc.
Certain batteries containing lithium or nickel cadmium and cell batteries.
Ammunition.
Items containing radioactive substances: some smoke detectors.
Asbestos.
Oil drums & tanks.
Junk cars.

Tips for Finding a Good Junk Removal Service

Although you can ask your friends and family for recommendations, the best way to find a good junk removal tool is on the web. An acquaintance’s experience with a service is relevant, but when hundreds of people guarantee for a company, you know you can’t go wrong with choosing their services. A quick Google search will turn out many junk removal businesses in the US, but many services only operate in certain cities or states. This is why it’s recommended to use specific location keywords when searching the web.

After finding a few companies that seem reliable, call or surf their website to find out whether they can properly fit your needs:

Look for a company that owns scaled trucks to make sure you pay the fair price for their services and make sure your dumpster size is compatible with their infrastructure.
Find their Resource Conservation and Recovery Act certification and its type (non-hazardous or hazardous waste authorization).
Make sure they will remove every item before making an appointment: ask questions about weight or size limitations for your disposable items.
Ask about their recycling policies.
Enquire on their additional services and available equipment.

What Else Do You Need?

To protect the environment and make the removal process easier and faster, residents of the US are required to use a dumpster. You can rent or buy a dumpster from your junk removal company or other local businesses after analyzing your needs and expenses: one-time use makes rental convenient, while lengthy use means buying is the right choice.

Dumpster Sizes

If your city’s waste management service cannot pick up the junk from your home renovation or from your daily business activity, this junk removal tool will be needed to properly contain waste until it is removed by a private company.

There are several dumpster sizes you have to choose from, named after the volume (cubic yards) of material they can hold. Here are the main types, their approximate sizes, and how much debris they can hold when compared to a typical pickup truck load:

10-Yard Dumpster: 8 x 10 x 3.5 ft. / 3 pickup trucks.
15-Yard Dumpster: 8 x 14 x 4 ft. / 4.5 pickup trucks.
20-Yard Dumpster: 8 x 20 x 3.5 ft. / 6 pickup trucks.
30-Yard Dumpster: 8 x 20 x 5.25 ft. / 9 pickup trucks.
40-Yard Dumpster: 8 x 20 x 7 ft. / 12 pickup trucks.

Preparing for Rubbish Removal Services

Although a pretty straight-forward service, you still need to consider a few aspects when storing rubbish that is about to be removed by a specialized company:

Separate hazardous from non-hazardous junk.
Sort your recyclable items.
Place caps on containers with volatile substances.
Mark your heavier items accordingly.
Cover the dumpster if it contains volatile liquids or bags of dust that have not been contained.

Producing rubbish is unavoidable no matter how eco-friendly and frugal your household or business is. However, there are easy and fast ways to get rid of unwanted items or debris: Junk removal services do the dirty work for you and many others.

Image sources: 1, 2, 3.