Junk Removal near you

Most crews price a job by how much room your items take in the truck, with extra for very heavy or special items, so showing everything at once, in photos or during an on-site look, gives the clearest quote.

Household hazardous waste doesn't go in the truck with everything else. The City of Toronto describes it as products that are corrosive, flammable, explosive or poisonous, lists paint, motor oil, antifreeze and gas cylinders such as propane tanks among them, and says they must not go in the garbage, the recycling or organics bins, or down a drain; it accepts them free of charge at drop-off depots, at community environment days and through home pickup. Montreal accepts paint, cleaning products, used oil, aerosols, batteries and bulbs at its municipal drop-off centres year-round, in sealed containers of 20 litres or less.

Many junk removal companies won't take these products at all, while others handle some of them separately and deliver them to the right drop-off; either way, set them aside and ask before the crew arrives. Materials that may contain asbestos, such as old insulation or tiles from a renovation, are a different matter: Health Canada advises having them tested by a professional and removed by a qualified asbestos removal specialist, and Montreal's drop-off centres refuse asbestos.

Refrigerators, freezers, wine coolers, dehumidifiers and air conditioners contain refrigerants, a family of halocarbons that damage the ozone layer or add to climate change when released. In Quebec, the halocarbon regulation prohibits releasing them into the atmosphere, and only people who hold the environmental qualification for halocarbons may install, service, repair, modify, dismantle or refurbish refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. Other provinces have their own rules for recovering refrigerant.

In practice, the appliance has to reach a recycler or drop-off site that recovers the refrigerant before the unit is crushed, so ask the crew where it will go. Montreal's drop-off centres, for example, accept refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and wine coolers from residents, as long as they are empty. Never cut refrigerant lines or remove the compressor to make an appliance lighter to carry.

Televisions, computers, printers, phones and other electronics are covered by producer responsibility programs. In Quebec, the ARPE-Québec program, Recycler mes électroniques, lets individuals drop off electronics they no longer need free of charge at its official drop-off points, and reminds you that protecting your personal data before drop-off is your responsibility. In Ontario, the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulation, made under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, makes producers responsible for collecting and recycling information technology, telecommunications and audio-visual equipment, and the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority publishes a map of where to recycle it.

Before a crew takes a computer, phone or tablet, back it up, sign out of your accounts and erase it, or remove the hard drive and keep it. Ask the crew to confirm that electronics will go to an official drop-off point rather than into the general load.

A rented bin suits a project that produces waste over several days, such as a renovation, a roof tear-off or a long garage clean-out, when you have the time and the helpers to load it yourself. You need room on your driveway or a permit for the street, protection for the pavement underneath, and care not to overfill it or add materials the rental company refuses.

A crew suits a one-time clear-out, heavy or awkward items, stairs, or a home with no space for a bin. The workers do the lifting, the truck leaves the same day and nothing sits in front of the house. Some homeowners combine the two: a bin for renovation debris and a crew for the furniture and appliances.

A bin sitting entirely on your own driveway usually needs no street permit, but once it goes on the road, a boulevard, a sidewalk or a lane, the city generally wants to know. In Toronto, for example, a disposal bin in the roadway or a public laneway requires a Street Occupation Permit, as do moving containers. Other municipalities, including Quebec cities and boroughs that issue temporary permits to occupy the public domain, set their own rules, so check with yours or ask the rental company whether it handles the application.