Toronto Junk Removal Company Reviews
New April 2020- COVID-19 Edition
When you search on Google, you will find hundreds of junk removal companies in the Greater Toronto Area.
Many junkers claim to donate good used items to charity. However, is this actually the case? We have found that when it comes to large items like furniture and homegoods, this simply does not happen.
The reality is that when you hire a junk removal company in Toronto, your good unwanted furniture may not end up going to a charity even if they claim it does. If you guaranteed way to have your furniture removed in Toronto that avoids filling up landfills, keeps reusable items in the community, get a great charity tax receipt, and support the costs of local charities operating you may want to re-consider choosing a junk removal service.
For those with junking needs we’ve gathered a list of the best junkers in Toronto we could find, and put them to a comparison on the costs of junk removal, each company’s COVID-19 processes, and the facts about their support for local charities.
Table of contents
We often help our donors who’ve hired us to remove their good furniture with their junking questions (the items that can’t be reused, repaired or repurposed) and we connect them to some of our preferred junk removal companies. But what if your items can be reused? Who to consider? What does it cost? How do they handle the COVID-19 challenge? Which junk removal services in Toronto actually donate to a charity?
This is an update and expansion of our normal reviews to provide the reader with some clarity on who is going to provide you with the best solution for your unwanted items- especially if you want to donate your furniture and homegoods to charities in Toronto rather than have it end up in a landfill.
Along with our regular criteria, this year we have added COVID-19 processes, whether or not the junk removal companies are supporting charities, and the average junk removal costs
The best options for junking your furniture are:
Protecting the public from the spread of COVID-19 is of utmost importance. But are Toronto’s top junk removal companies actually observing the appropriate precautions? We reviewed each company and took a look at how they are – or are not – taking measures to stop the spread of this deadly virus.
Some junkers care about your safety - some don't.
- Operating as normal. They still will go into homes but have followed social distancing guidelines of 6 feet apart and they will be wearing gloves and masks. Preference for contactless payment, and items outside of the home. (1-800-Got Junk?)
- Only handling curb or driveway removals. Highlighted that safety concerns are driving all decisions – going inside homes creates risk for everyone at this time (Rid-Of-It).
- Stopped servicing in-home; curbside/driveway pickup only. 100% Dumpster Bins. (Junk It)
- Still going inside homes - their removal team wears masks/gloves. (Just Junk)
- They are offering in-home / “touchless” pick up. Teams are equipped with masks/gloves. Prefer selling mini-dumpsters as the best way to avoid any contact. (Junk Works)
- They are offering in-home / “touchless” pick up. Teams are equipped with masks/gloves. Prefer selling mini-dumpsters as the best way to avoid any contact. (Junk Works)
- They are offering in-home / “touchless” pick up. Teams are equipped with masks/gloves. Prefer selling mini-dumpsters as the best way to avoid any contact. (Junk Works)
- Still going inside homes - their removal team wears masks / gloves. (Junk Removal Canada)
- No change in operations – still offering in-home service. No specific COVID processes in place other than gloves (Junk Hero)
- No change in operations – still offering in-home service. No specific COVID processes in place (Take My Junk)
- Crew members are being sprayed after each job with an antibacterial spray, and are also wearing gloves & masks during in-home pick-up. (We Haul)
We recognize the nature of our service model, to collect and redistribute home goods, which means we are a connection point for many people throughout our community. In the midst of this dynamic public health crisis, we are committed to our responsibility to reduce the potential spread of the virus by limiting contact #flattenthecurve and look for social distance based solutions for the future.
Junkers aren't so charitable
Every Toronto junk removal company we reviewed makes a commitment to donate your good used furniture to a local charity. Unfortunately, our experience in the Toronto area working with other charities is that this is far from the truth. Junkers only make profit when your items of junk get on and off their truck fast. This items will be tossed not placed Items won’t be tied down to avoid damage in transit. There is no time for extra stops and careful handling of items that could be reused. They need to be off to the next junk stop to make money.
We reviewed the websites of Toronto’s top junk removal companies and spoke with their sales teams. In the end, we got a pretty clear picture – junkers are not charitable with your furniture.
While most of these Toronto companies offer their furniture removal service with the claim to donate good used furniture to local charities, the reality is often different. If you live in Toronto and want your unwanted furnuture and home goods to do good – look for an organization that provides you a tax receipt and verification of the donation. Here is what our 2020 junk removal review of charitable giving found.
We did some mystery shopping in April 2020 to see if the staff at several junk removal companies in Toronto could provide any clarity as to how they handle good reuseable furniture and homegoods. Do they actually donate furniture to Toronto charities?
We provided each Toronto junker with the same information and furniture removal scenario, including a clear goal : we wanted to hire them to do the removal AND ensure the good items got to a local charity, as their websites promised. Here’s what we heard.
- “We are doing our best to donate to charity” (1-800-Got-Junk)
- “There is no donating- everything goes straight to the dump!” (Rid of it)
- “We stopped with donations – nothing is open” (Junk It)
- “Our website says we donate, trust us” (Just Junk)
- “We normally try but no donation centres are open” (Junk Works)
- “No, with COVID-19 we don’t donate” (We Haul)
- “Not happening, realistically assume its being dumped” (1-888-IAMJUNK)
- “Yes normally we try, but we don’t at this time” (JunkRemovalCanada)
- “We do our best, but no guarantees” (Junk Hero)
- “We do our best to donate” (Junk Chuckers)
The message is clear: “NO, NOT HAPPENING, DOING OUR BEST.” In 2020 when you hire a junk removal company, your good items of furniture are 100% ending up in the dump instead of going to charity – even if they claim otherwise.
How much do junkers cost? When it comes time when you have to part ways with your sofa, old dining table set, recliner, beds, bookcases. You can expect to pay $200 or more to get it hauled away by a junk removal company. The minimum fee for most junk removal companies in the Toronto averages $280. For jobs bigger than 3- 4 pieces of furniture, the costs will go up incrementally based on volume and top out in Toronto for over $730 a full truck load. For that price you furniture will be professionally rushed to local landfills.
Average
junk removal cost in Toronto
1/4 Truck
1/2 Truck
Full Truck
$249 + HST
$449 + HST
$700 + HST
$249 + HST
$399 + HST
$569+ HST
$249 + HST
$449 + HST
$700 + HST
$289 + HST
$439 + HST
$599+ HST
$279 + HST
$439 + HST
$639 + HST
$120 + HST
$220+ HST
$420+ HST
$228+ HST
$348 + HST
$528+ HST
$375+ HST
$750+ HST
$1000+ HST
$225+ HST
$315+ HST
$495+ HST
$225+ HST
$449 + HST
$899+ HST
$199+ HST
$389+ HST
n/a
The costs are pretty similar the but the outcomes are worlds apart!
At Furniture Bank, we operate our own furniture removal service with the well-being of the community being our top priority. In these difficult times, our goal is to preserve the jobs of all our employees, to furnish homes for those living in crisis, to extend the lives of our landfills, to keep our community safe and to do so at the highest standard of safety and COVID-19 compliance. Compare your costs of furniture removal and see the added benefits you get when you choose Furniture Bank.
Average Junker
- On Time / Year Round Service
- Removes Furniture & Home goods
- Full Service JUNK Removal
- Upfront Pricing
- Includes cost of dumping?
- You pay HST for Removal Costs?
- Charitable Receipt for Furniture Donation
- Supports homelessness programs
- Supports social employment programs?
- Verified Social Impact Reporting
- Saves local landfills
Furniture Bank
- On Time / Year Round Service
- Removes Furniture & Home goods
- Full Service JUNK Removal
- Upfront Pricing
- 100% of good furniture is reused
- NO HST for Removal Costs!
- Charitable Receipt for Furniture Donation
- Supports homelessness programs
- Supports social employment programs?
- Verified Social Impact Reporting
- Saves local landfills
* Furniture Bank’s are twice the size as a Junker – so this is price equivalent to the capacity of our trucks.
Before you decide, read what Furniture Bank offers:
We are operating our removal service in these difficult times to preserve all our employee jobs who wish to stay on the front lines working as part of Toronto’s homelessness response teams. Our mission to continue to furnish homes has only become harder but we have adapted our methods to keep our community safe and to do so at the highest standard of safety and Covid19 compliance.
ONLY a charity takes your precious belongings and puts them to use where they are needed without layering costs and profits. That means our pick up dollars move goods to our community, not to profits.
ONLY a charity will give you a charity receipt for the value of your goods.
ONLY a charity is exempt from charging HST on removal fees.
ONLY our charity tracks your goods and reports to the City of Toronto annually on reuse, recycling and discarded goods based on the current industry practice and international standards.
ONLY our charity tracks the social benefit of your donation of furniture and the role it plays in providing fully furnished homes to thousands of families coming from a crisis.
ONLY our charity was chosen to work with the city to safely handle the chain from remote removal, storage, decontamination to providing safe delivery back into the community supporting women’s shelters, homelessness programs and other agencies with families in crisis.
Having charitable ‘intent’ to bring goods to a charity is not good enough. Do your research, decide what you items are – junk or reusable.
If you have good furniture and home goods and want to see them reused within the communities who desperately need them then let’s talk – call us at 416-934-1229
If you have junk, our list of Toronto’s Top Junk Removal firms will all serve your junking needs very well.
