Junk removal cost in Toronto

What junk removal costs in Toronto by load size

We price by the load, not by the hour. A load is measured in cubic yards of space in the truck, and a full load is about 16 cubic yards. There are six steps, from a $119 minimum for one or two items up to $599 for a full load. Every price is in Canadian dollars and before 13% HST.

The table puts our posted prices next to what GTA companies posted when we checked in October 2026. The market column only covers rates the companies published for their own loads. Truck fractions are not defined the same way everywhere, and some companies post prices with HST included, so treat the market column as a guide to the spread, not a like-for-like quote.

Weight allowances and what happens over them

Space sets the price, but every load also carries a weight allowance. The minimum includes 100 kg, a 1/4 load includes 250 kg, a 1/2 load includes 500 kg, and a full load includes 1,000 kg. Most household furniture, boxes and bagged garbage stay well inside those numbers.

Weight over the allowance is $250 per tonne, billed from the scale ticket. The scale is how the weight gets measured, so nobody has to guess. Dense material is what pushes a load over: wet carpet, tile, plaster, shingles and old books are heavy for the space they take.

Concrete, brick, soil and asphalt are priced separately, from $350 per cubic yard, because a small volume of them can weigh as much as a whole truck of furniture. If your job is mostly that kind of material, say so when you send photos. The City of Toronto does not take concrete, brick, asphalt, soil or sand at its depots either, so a private company is the route for those.

Single items: a sofa, a mattress or a fridge

Most people searching for a price have one or two big things to get rid of. Our minimum covers one or two items up to about 1 cubic yard for $119. A sofa often needs more space than that, so it can land on the 1/8 load. A single mattress or box spring pickup is $99.

For comparison, the GTA companies we checked in October 2026 posted flat single-item rates, and a national junk removal company published Canada-wide averages for 2025. The averages are Canada-wide, not Toronto prices, so use them as a rough guide only.

Surcharges: stairs, same-day, appliances and heavy material

These are the extra charges on our posted list. Everything else on a quote comes from the load size.

• Same-day service: plus $50.
• Fridge, freezer or air conditioner (refrigerant): plus $30 per unit.
• Weight over the allowance: $250 per tonne, from the scale ticket.
• Concrete, brick, soil, asphalt: from $350 per cu yd.
• Paint, propane, chemicals and asbestos are not taken at any price.

What moves the price of a Toronto pickup

Two jobs with the same number of items can land on different steps. These are the things that decide it.

• Volume. Loose boxes and bags take more truck space than the same items stacked. Breaking down a bookcase or bed frame before we arrive shrinks the load.
• Weight. Dense material reaches the allowance before the truck is full.
• Material type. Concrete, brick, soil and asphalt have their own rate.
• Appliances with refrigerant. Each fridge, freezer or air conditioner carries the unit charge.
• Timing. Same-day service adds a flat amount.
• Access. Stairs, long carries and condo elevator bookings are not separate lines on the posted list, but they belong in your photos so the volume estimate is honest.
• Hazardous items. Paint, propane, chemicals and asbestos are not part of any load, so pull them out first.

A worked example with HST

Say a basement cleanout comes to about a half load: old shelving, boxes, a broken chair and a bar fridge. You need it gone today. We build the price from the posted list.

A half load is $389. The fridge adds $30 for the refrigerant. Same-day service adds $50. That is $469 before tax. HST at 13% is $60.97, so the total is $529.97.

The weight allowance for a half load is 500 kg. A basement of shelving and boxes usually stays inside it. If the scale ticket showed more, the extra would be billed at $250 per tonne.

Ways to spend less, including City of Toronto options

Start with what the City of Toronto already provides. Houses get oversized and metal item collection at the curb with no booking: items go beside your garbage bin on your garbage day with 0.5 metres between them. The annual Oversized & Metal Items fee is $23.23 per house or multi-residential unit whether you use it or not. The City lists furniture, mattresses, box springs, appliances (with the doors removed), bikes and carpet in tied bundles no longer than four feet and no heavier than 20 kg. It does not collect construction, demolition or renovation waste at the curb.

If you would rather drive it yourself, City drop-off depots charge $189.86 per tonne for garbage and renovation waste. The minimum is $19, which covers the first 100 kg, and a deposit of at least $40 is taken before you unload. Scales round to the nearest 5 kg. Mattresses are accepted only at the Commissioners and Dufferin depots, at $142.40 per tonne. Household hazardous waste and electronics are free. Depots do not take concrete, brick, asphalt or soil, tires are not accepted until further notice, and clean drywall goes to only three of the seven depots.

Here is the arithmetic for a load the size of our half-load weight allowance. 500 kg at the depot rate of $1 per 5.27 kg or part thereof works out to $95. That figure is only the disposal fee. It leaves out the vehicle, the loading, the trip and the time at the scale.

• Put anything the City takes at the curb out on garbage day, and book a pickup for what it will not take.
• Send photos of every room or corner in one message so the quote covers the whole job.
• Break down bed frames, shelving and tables before we arrive to shrink the load.
• Take paint, propane and chemicals to a City depot yourself, since household hazardous waste is free there.
• Choose a day other than today when you can, since same-day adds a flat charge.