Trade guide
Junk Removal Business
You get paid at the driveway and you pay at the scale, and the second number is the one nobody checks first.
The numbers that matter
$150–$450 per load. $45–$125 per ton at the dump. $2,000 to start.
Price by how much of the trailer the job fills, then subtract the tipping fee before you decide whether the job was good. In some counties that fee is a rounding error and in the next one over it eats a third of the ticket.
How you know you priced the load wrong
You quoted from a photo.
Nobody mentioned the mattress.
The scale said 1.4 tons and you were sure it was under one.
The transfer station closest to the job takes commercial accounts only, and the one that took you was 26 minutes further each way.
Every one of those is the same mistake in a different shirt: you named a price before you knew what it costs to make the junk disappear.
Rates at a glance
| Job | Time | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Single item, curbside | 20–40 min | $85–$150 |
| Quarter load | 45–75 min | $150–$220 |
| Half load | 1.5–2.5 hr | $250–$320 |
| Three-quarter load | 2–3 hr | $320–$390 |
| Full load | 3–4.5 hr | $380–$450 |
| Appliance, per unit | 15–30 min | $75–$140 |
| Mattress, per unit | 10–20 min | $60–$110 |
| Hot tub removal | 3–5 hr | $400–$750 |
| Landfill tipping fee (your cost) | per ton | $45–$125 |
| Transfer station minimum (your cost) | per trip | $25–$60 |
How to hold a minimum and quote over the phone is in the pricing guide.
Two counties, one hour apart — Greenville, SC
Same garage cleanout, same trailer, 1.3 tons. Priced at $340 both times.
County A: $52 a ton and a $30 minimum. Tipping cost $68. Three hours twenty minutes door to door including the dump run. $81 an hour.
County B: $118 a ton, plus a $45 mattress surcharge. Tipping cost $198. Four hours with the longer drive. $36 an hour.
Same work. Less than half the money. He found out at the scale.
Call the transfer station before you buy the trailer
This takes eleven minutes and almost nobody does it.
Call the two nearest facilities and ask four things: your per-ton rate, your minimum charge, which items carry a surcharge, and whether I need a commercial account to unload.
Write all four answers on a card and keep it in the truck.
Now you can quote a load in the driveway and know your margin before the customer finishes pointing at the pile.
What you actually need to start
- A used dual-axle dump or utility trailer, 12 to 14 feet, with a working ramp gate.
- Commercial auto insurance — hauling for hire is usually outside a personal auto policy.
- General liability, because you are carrying heavy things through someone's hallway.
- An appliance dolly, a furniture dolly, four ratchet straps and a mesh tarp.
- Cut-resistant gloves, a respirator and a first aid kit that is actually in the truck.
- The tipping-fee card for both nearest transfer stations, including the surcharge list.
- A photo request in every phone call, so nothing on the pile surprises you at the door.
Some loads a landfill will simply refuse. Paint, solvents, tires, refrigerant appliances, televisions and treated construction debris get turned away or surcharged at ordinary sites, and you do not want to learn that with a full trailer and a closing time in twenty minutes. Ask the customer for photos, and say this before you commit: "I'll take everything in the photos. Paint, tires, chemicals and TVs I have to price separately because the dump charges me extra for those."
The hot tub that paid $137 an hour — Mesa, AZ
Quoted $625 after seeing three photos and confirming the tub was already unplugged and drained.
Four hours twenty minutes total: two hours cutting it into six sections with a reciprocating saw, forty minutes loading, and a fifty-minute round trip to the transfer station. Tipping cost $94 at 1.1 tons. Two blades at $22. Gas $14.
$495 net for four hours twenty. $114 an hour. He quotes hot tubs sight unseen now, but only after the customer sends a photo of the electrical disconnect.
Make the call before your next quote
Look up your two nearest transfer stations right now and get the per-ton rate, the minimum, and the surcharge list.
Then go back through the last five jobs you did and subtract what you actually paid to dump them.
Which one of those five did you do for free?
Common questions
How much should I charge for junk removal?
$150 to $450 per load, priced by how much of the trailer it fills — quarter load $150 to $220, half $250 to $320, full $380 to $450. Price by volume, then subtract the dump fee before you call it a good job.
How much are dump fees for junk removal?
Commonly $45 to $125 per ton, plus a $25 to $60 minimum per trip at county sites. Neighboring counties can differ by double. Call both nearest transfer stations and write the rates down before you quote.
What items cost extra to dump?
Mattresses, tires, refrigerant appliances, TVs and monitors, paint and construction debris. Surcharges of $15 to $60 an item are normal and some sites refuse them entirely. Get photos before you quote.
Do I need a license for a junk removal business?
Usually a general business license, but some states and cities require a solid waste hauler permit to transport waste for hire, and some stations need a commercial account. Rules vary by county — check your state solid waste agency and city clerk.
How much does it cost to start a junk removal business?
Roughly $2,000 to $6,500 with a pickup you already own: used trailer, dollies, straps, tarp, safety gear, and commercial auto plus general liability. The commercial auto policy is the cost most new operators miss.
Can you make money reselling what you haul?
Scrap metal, appliances and good furniture recover money and cut your tonnage, so they help twice. Treat it as a bonus, never as part of the quote — a load you counted on selling can sit in your garage until spring.
Ranges here are compiled public ranges for solo junk removal operators as of August 2026 — a starting point, not a quote or survey result. Tipping fees are set facility by facility and change often; confirm with your local transfer station.