The repurposing journey: how we keep junk away from the landfill
Wonder what happens to the junk after we haul it away? Here we explain the 3-step process that helps us dispose of your unwanted items responsibly.
One of the questions we get asked most often is what happens to the junk after we haul it away? It's a great question! That's why we're giving you a peek behind the curtain of our professional junk removal service to see how we give items a new life.
A closer look at where all the junk goes
If you have used our service before, you probably already know how it works. You go to our website or give us a call, enter your location, and book a job by choosing the time that works best for your availability. Our team of friendly, professional junk removers will arrive in a clean, shiny truck and do all the heavy lifting for you. We mean it when we say all you have to do is point!
Once all the items you want gone from your home are loaded into the truck, the real work begins. We call it the Repurposing Journey, but that's really just another way of saying we recycle the recyclables and donate the donatables.
The Repurposing Journey
As the world’s largest junk removal service, we have locations all over North America and even Australia! Every location has its own process for sorting items, however we are all committed to responsibly managing your unwanted items, keeping as much as possible out of the landfill.
Step 1: The Local Warehouse
Once we leave your home, our first step (and the most common across our approximately 150 locations) is separating each load at our local warehouse to identify the recyclables. This means separating the plastics, wood, metals and paper. This step helps us increase the amount of junk that we're able to put to good use somewhere else. Check out the full list of what we take here.
Step 2: The Transfer Station
The materials are then taken to a Transfer Station. Think of it as a meticulously organized pit stop on the recycling journey. There are so many different facilities and options around the country, and we're familiar with all of them! At the Transfer Station the materials get sorted, cleaned, and prepared for their next adventure.
A lot of what we collect gets recycled. Wood from furniture, metal from appliances, and even cardboard packing– these can be made into new things, and we love being part of that process!
Step 3: The Materials Recovery Facility
From the Transfer Station, many materials move on to the Materials Recovery Facility, or MRF. An MRF separates, processes, and consolidates recyclables so they can be shipped to places that make them into new things. In some places, there are also waste-to-energy facilities. These facilities use junk to heat boilers that can help generate electricity!
Did you know that some of the junk we collect isn't actually junk? So many items we see still have plenty of life left in them. Things like furniture, clothes, books and even toys get donated to people who can put them to good use. As you declutter and free up space in your home, enjoy peace of mind in knowing that the landfill is our last choice. We take more than junk!
And that's what happens to the junk. As you can see, we put a lot of care into making sure the junk ends up in the right place so you can get your space back and feel good about it too!
Don’t hold back! Get that junk out of your way today. (We do offer same-day service!)
Frequently asked questions
1-800-GOT-JUNK? is more affordable than you may think. Our junk removal prices are all-inclusive, which means you get:
- Professional, uniformed and insured crew members
- Junk removal from anywhere on the premises
- Loading, lifting and sorting
- Recycling, donating and disposing of items
- Transfer station tariffs and fees
- Gas and travel
We charge by the amount of space your items take up in the truck. We think it’s more fair to you to price by volume instead of the length of time it takes us to lift and load. The best part is we’re cheaper in bulk: the more stuff you have, the more value you get!
For materials with a heavy cubic weight, like dirt, concrete, and gravel, pricing is based on the total volume the material takes up in the truck, up to a maximum of one foot in height for a full truck.
Email us at business@1800gotjunk.com or call us at 1-888-475-3461
If you need service on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis, we offer bulk pricing discounts. This gives you better value compared to common alternatives, such as dumpsters or less-professional junk removal services.
Interested? Call our business account team at 1-866-916-5865 to discuss your needs as well as pricing options.
On the day of your appointment with us, our friendly, uniformed truck team members will give you a call 15-30 minutes before the start of your two-hour promise window. They’ll say hi, let you know what time they plan to arrive, and confirm any other details about your appointment if needed.
Whether your business has a single location or multiple locations, we can create a custom junk removal solution that works for you. We can coordinate pickups at multiple locations at a local, regional, and national level. Rather than work with dozens of regional or local companies, let 1-800-GOT-JUNK? handle the jobs across all your locations.
Absolutely! We take large items all the time. As long as it can be lifted and loaded into the truck by two people, we'll be happy to take it away for you!
We work with all types of businesses and can handle any type of job - cleanouts, bulk item removal, general junk removal and even specific items like cardboard or pallets. We can take pretty much anything as long as it's not toxic or hazardous. We can remove your items from wherever they’re located, whether it’s your office, store, site or anywhere else—all you have to do is point!
Yes, we're fully licensed, bonded and insured! We have insurance covering damages to both persons and property for every single booking.
While we don't quite service the entire map, we cover almost every greater metropolitan area across the US, Canada, and Australia. To see if we’re in your neighbourhood, you can start a booking by entering your postal code.
Our customer service center is open 24/7, so we’re here whenever you need us! While operating hours may vary in our franchise locations, we offer same-day and off-hours service, including weekends.
