Why do we charge a pickup fee?

Categories: Cornerstone Article, Furniture Donation & Pickup, What's New
Tags: Furniture Bank Toronto, Furniture Pick-Up, furniture removal, social enterprise

May 13, 2024

You’re donating furniture to a charity — so why is there a fee? It’s a fair question, and you deserve a straight answer.

The short version: your pickup fee directly funds our Leg Up Program, which creates real jobs for people facing barriers to employment — and keeps our trucks on the road so we can deliver furniture, free of charge, to families emerging from crisis.

Here’s how it works.

We are a social enterprise, not a traditional charity

Most charities depend on grants and donations to cover their operating costs. We run differently. Our pickup service is the engine. The fee you pay covers the team, the trucks, the fuel, and the logistics — and any surplus funds our programs directly.

In the most recent year, our combined social enterprise services passed $6.45 million, covering 86% of our program expenses. That means donor dollars go almost entirely to families in need — not overhead.

Your fee creates jobs

When you book a pickup, you’re not just clearing space in your home. You’re funding a job.

Our Leg Up Program hires equity-deserving individuals who face real barriers to employment — people who’ve experienced homelessness, newcomers building a new life, individuals managing mental health challenges, and others who are often passed over. We currently employ 45 people through the program, and 73% were unemployed before joining us.

These aren’t temporary placements. Leg Up employees work across our warehouse, trucking fleet, repair workshop, and client services — real roles with training, wraparound supports including mental health care and financial literacy coaching, and a genuine path forward. Ninety-one per cent say they feel more part of a community since joining us, and 82% report relief from depression and anxiety.

One of our staff members, put it plainly: working at Furniture Bank gave him skills, confidence, and a sense of what’s possible.

Your furniture stays out of landfill — and that matters

Most junk removal services take your furniture to the dump. We don’t.

In Canada, 12.2 million tonnes of furniture waste are generated every year, and sofas and mattresses alone can take up to 120 years to break down, releasing methane as they decompose.

We’re the only large-scale organization in the GTA that diverts usable household goods from landfill to support both social and environmental goals — and last year we diverted nearly 96,000 items, abating over 5,400 tonnes of carbon. That’s the equivalent of taking 940 cars off the road.

When an item can’t go directly to a family, it goes to our Repair Workshop, where our team restores it before it reaches a home. Nothing goes to landfill if we can help it.

Choosing Furniture Bank over a standard junk removal service means your sofa, your dining table, your dresser go somewhere that matters—a family furnishes their home, a Leg Up employee builds a career, a piece of furniture that would have been crushed in a compactor gets a second life instead.

How much do you charge for furniture pickup?

Pickup fees start at $150 and vary based on the number of items, distance, and location. Use the estimator below to get an idea of your cost before you book.

A few things worth knowing when you compare us to other removal services: no HST on pickups, a charitable tax receipt for the fair market value of your items, and the certainty that your furniture lands in a home — not a landfill.

Not sure if we're the right fit?

We’re the right choice if your furniture is gently used and in good condition — we deliver it directly to families who need it. If your items are damaged beyond repair, we’re likely not the best option. Check out a full list of what we can and can’t accept.

Don’t just settle for any furniture removal service. Choose Furniture Bank, avoid the dump, and make a real, positive impact within your community.

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Tags: Furniture Bank Toronto, Furniture Pick-Up, furniture removal, social enterprise

Categories:

Why do we charge a pickup fee?

We are a social enterprise, not a traditional charity

Your fee creates jobs

Your furniture stays out of landfill — and that matters

How much do you charge for furniture pickup?

Not sure if we're the right fit?

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