NOT-FOR-PROFIT JUNK REMOVAL

1-844-JUNK-4-GOOD
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What Is Junk Removal?

What is junk removal and how does it work?

We all experience it, the slow creep of items accumulating around our homes and workplaces. It becomes stressful and overwhelming when these items begin crowding your daily life. But what do you do when you need the items cleared out of your way? You can always work hard to load and dispose of the items yourself, or you can call for some outside assistance. This is where junk removal comes to the rescue!

Junk removal is an all-inclusive service that assists you in reducing clutter. We remove and dispose of household and commercial items, and commonly offer donation and recycling services. You don’t have to lift a finger!

Junk removal providers come in a variety of forms, ranging from small “ma and pa” outfits to world-wide franchises, and everything in between. Each one may have a different method of removal, a different way of charging and may or may not offer donation drop-offs and recycling services. This means that some companies may be able to remove certain items that others won’t be able to offer.

What do junk removal companies take?

Typically, items that can be taken for removal will be somewhat standardized from city to city. These commonalities are in place because of the recycling facilities, or landfill and transfer stations accessible to each removal company within the city. Items that most junk removal companies will be able to remove may include:

Have an item that’s not on this list? Give us a call at 780-761-9636, or email us at [email protected] and ask if Junk 4 Good can take it! Our teams can often remove anything that two people can lift and carry.

Junk removal staff take items out of customers home.

What do junk removal companies not take?

There are certain items that junk removal companies can often not take for removal. Many of these items require special licensing, transportation certificates and/or special disposal facilities in order to remove. These items can include:

  • Asbestos
  • Railroad ties
  • Commercial chemicals
  • Ammunition and/or firearms
  • Commercial fuels & oils
  • Vehicles
  • Hazardous materials & waste

Junk 4 Good is often able to take some residential items that other companies aren’t willing to take. This is because we make sure to be very intentional about separating and sorting items manually, depositing them appropriately at the transfer/recycling sites. Although this may require some additional time and labour, we believe that it is worth it and a valuable service to our customers to dispose of your junk properly. Some of these items may be recyclable and may often be subject to additional recycling fees. These may include residential items such as:

  • Fluorescent light bulbs
  • Household paints
  • Oil (residential bottles only)
  • Aerosol cans
  • Batteries
  • Propane tanks

 

How much does junk removal cost?

The majority of junk removal companies, including Junk 4 Good, use a “volume based” pricing structure. This means that depending on how much space your items take up in the truck, you would pay a fee in relation to that amount. Most companies will achieve this by dividing their truck’s total capacity into smaller sections, 1/4 – 1/2 – 3/4 – Full truck, etc. This junk removal pricing model simplifies each job rather than guessing or measuring the weights of the items, or basing the fees on an hourly basis.

So whether you have a single couch, or an office full of desks, the price will vary depending on the volume of items being removed. Most companies will have a “minimum” fee that they charge. This price is to cover the cost of the truck and staff driving to your site. It also has to cover items like fuel, insurance, WCB and other operational costs. This is why when you’re having a single small item removed, it will often fall under a “minimum” pricing category. These “minimums” will often cost around the $100 price point.

As your items fill up more space in the truck, the price will climb accordingly, often with a “discount” to the cost, the more you fill up. The idea behind this discount is that the removal team can become more efficient when filling up more in the truck at a single stop before having to travel to the transfer station. On the other hand, if the same team has to travel to 5 stops to fill up a truck load, there are added costs to the drive time, fuel used, etc. Prices for full truck loads will vary depending on the truck size, but they typically can cost more than $600 for a professional removal company.

How to choose a junk removal company?

In a sea of junk removal companies showing up in your Google search or Facebook Marketplace, it can be overwhelming to select the one that will work best for you. Let us help you narrow down that list to choose the right junk removal company for YOU!

Does the junk removal company have insurance?

How brave are you? Right out of the gate, one of the first determining factors we’d suggest would be based on your risk tolerance. Some companies will offer more assurances and insurance than others. Because the service of offering junk removal isn’t “rocket science”, there aren’t many barriers to entry into the industry. This does however highlight the importance of “buyer beware” when vetting companies.

Many “ma an pa” type companies may offer a cut rate service by avoiding important costs like proper insurance and WCB. Depending on your willingness, you may be able to save a few bucks taking this route. But important questions need to be asked when thinking this through. What happens if your home is damaged during the removal? Who is liable if one of the staff members are injured while on your property? Worst of all, what if you or your family are injured?

A reputable junk removal company will have ample liability and vehicle insurance, as well as proper coverage with the Workers Compensation Board (WCB). These are critical when performing junk removal services, as there is a lot of heavy lifting and transporting of potentially dangerous items. So ask your junk removal company if they are properly covered (and to provide evidence if needed). Junk 4 Good is proud to be properly insured and covered with WCB.

Does the junk removal company recycle?

To us, this is a very important topic to be conscious of! Did you know that it can sometimes be more expensive for a junk removal to recycle items properly?! This is unfortunately the harsh reality, but not necessarily a bad thing.

When taking items to a landfill or transfer station, there will always be certain items that have a partial or full ban on them. A partial ban means that the station will accept the item, but there will be a fee associated with dropping the item off. A full ban means that the site won’t accept the item at all. As a junk removal company, being considerate of the environment often means that the staff will have to keep these things on their minds throughout the whole process. When recyclable items are discovered, the staff will have to manage these items within their truck, separating them from the rest of the “pile” so they can be sorted when arriving at the transfer station. This also means that the truck may have to travel to several different sites to properly recycle certain items like fridges, mattresses, paints and oils.

So, is your junk removal company willing to put in the extra work to ensure items are properly recycled? At Junk 4 Good, we care about the environment and will make sure to recycle whatever we are able!

Does the junk removal company donate?

At Junk 4 Good, we think it is important to save re-usable items when possible. That’s why we believe in donating items in good condition to local organizations for future use. But what about that other company? Well, we can’t speak for them, but we do know that each day we see so many usable items being dropped off at the landfill. Maybe this is because there can be an additional cost to donating items? Depending on what is loaded into the truck, sometimes stopping at a donation facility can add in an extra stop that may be out of the way of the transfer station. Is donating important to you? Be sure to ask your junk removal company about their donation policy!

Is the junk removal company reputable?

In our modern time, one of the greatest assets we have as customers is the use of our voice. The ability to have your voice heard through reviews and recommendations online on places like Google and Facebook is important to your experience as well as future customers. If there is one step you take in vetting you junk removal company, we recommend checking their online reviews. Hearing real customer experiences, good and bad, is important to knowing what you might be able to expect yourself. When we (yes we behind the scenes are real people!) seek out service providers, accommodations, restaurants, etc, we expect to read good and bad reviews. In fact, we think its a little weird if a company doesn’t have a bit of both, don’t you? Even the best company with the best people can slip up, but what’s really important is how they respond to make it right and improve! So read the reviews as well as the responses to reviews, then make your decision based on the company’s rating as whole.

Junk 4 Good is proud to maintain high online ratings, even though there are a few blemishes along the way. What’s important is that everyday, we learn how to communicate with our customer and our team a little bit better. We learn how to provide our customers with better and better services and we continue to work hard to put smiles on our customers faces.

Bonus: Do they have a greater mission?

Yeah yeah, we only brought this up because this really highlights Junk 4 Good over other competitors. But to us, this is maybe the most important criteria when choosing a junk removal company. At Junk 4 Good, you get more than excellent junk removal and customer service. There is more that happens after our teams leave! Junk 4 Good is a registered not-for-profit organization that re-invests is proceeds back into our local community. So not only will you receive the best junk removal service in Edmonton, but you will be supporting important social work, right in your backyard!

So we encourage you to do a bit of homework on which junk removal company will work best for you. But we are confident that at the end of the day, if will be Junk 4 Good. So call us at 780-761-9636 or book online to receive your excellent junk removal service in the greater Edmonton area!

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Posted on by Bretton