We always encourage the community to donate their old stuff instead of junking it.
If there’s still life left in used clothing, books, electronics, etc., there are many organizations in the Greater Toronto Area that will gladly take it off your hands and redistribute to others.
Please don’t treat these organizations as places to take junk off your hands. They are looking for gently used items that someone else can use.
But what can you do with your old stuff that is indeed junk?
You can:
- bring it to the curb on the appropriate day of the week for city garbage disposal; or
- If it’s too big to bring to the curb, you can hire a junk removal company to dispose of it for you.
Here are the top 5 things to look for when hiring a junk removal company.
1. Positive reviews
Check online to learn about the experiences of others. Sites such as Yelp, Homestar, and Angie’s List will have reviews and ratings of most junk removal companies in your neighbourhood. The Better Business Bureau also rates companies for their resolution of customer complaints – a low rating should be of concern to potential customers.
2. Efficiency
A good junk removal company will be able to arrange a pickup within a few days because who wants to sit around with their junk for weeks? They should also have the proper tools and labour to get the job done in an appropriate time frame.
3. Recycling
Good junk removal companies will have a combination of recycling services and donation relationships with local organization. Your junk can still be valuable to scrappers and can be diverted from landfills.
4. Full service
Your junk removal company should be able to remove all your junk without you having to bag and drag it to the curb. And the company should take ALL of your unwanted items but ask about their policy on hazardous items.
5. Quotes
Call around for a couple of quotes. Extremely high or extremely low pricing should be flagged. Junk removal companies will finalize the cost when the job is complete – with the final amount and weights. But a good company should be able to give you an estimate based on the approximate cubic metre of your junk. The estimate should also explain what is and what isn’t included in the pricing.
Resources
Ready to get started? Here are a couple of junk removal companies in the GTA:
