Junk Removal Prices in Jacksonville (And What the City Hauls Free)
Updated July 2026 · Jacksonville, FL
Paid junk removal in Jacksonville generally runs from about $75 for one item at the curb to roughly $1,000 for a whole-house or estate cleanout, with most ordinary jobs landing somewhere between $150 and $500.
Before quoting any of that, though, here is the part most haulers leave out: the City of Jacksonville already collects a surprising amount of household bulk at no charge, on your normal garbage day, with no appointment. If your pile fits inside what the city takes, the honest answer is that you do not need to pay anyone.
What follows is where that free line actually falls, what falls outside it, and what the paid work costs when you genuinely need it.
What the City of Jacksonville picks up for free
Residential bulk goes out weekly on the same day as your regular garbage — no appointment, no fee. Items need to be at the curb by 6:00 a.m., within about five feet of the street and roughly three feet clear of your carts and each other so the truck can grab them.
Yard waste is collected too, up to about five cubic yards per pickup, which is roughly thirty 32-gallon bags. Individual containers and bundles need to stay under 40 pounds, and limbs or logs have to be six inches or less in diameter. Bags should be sealed, and yard waste does not go in the automated carts.
Appliances are a special case worth knowing. Anything containing Freon — refrigerators, freezers, window and wall air conditioners — is not part of the automatic weekly grab. You call 630-CITY at (904) 630-2489 and schedule it, and the doors have to be secured or fully removed before it goes to the curb.
What the city will not take — this is where hauling starts
The exclusions are more specific than most homeowners expect, and they are the reason paid junk removal exists here at all.
- Construction and renovation debris. Drywall, lumber, flooring, roofing shingles, concrete, brick, and dirt are all excluded from residential collection. A bathroom demo or a re-roof produces exactly this, and none of it goes curbside.
- Tree work done by a contractor. If a tree service cut it, that company is required to haul it — the city will not collect commercially generated trimmings from your property.
- Yard waste beyond the limits: piles over roughly five cubic yards, bundles over 40 pounds, or trunk sections thicker than six inches.
- Hazardous material of any kind, which is unlawful to place in residential collection at all — paint, solvents, chemicals, fuel.
- Anything in a plastic bag for bulk purposes. Bagged bulk gets left behind.
- Anything not already at the curb. This is the big one, and it is not a rule so much as a fact: the city crew will not enter a garage, an attic, a second floor, or a backyard. If the item is still inside, moving it is the job you are paying for.
What paid junk removal costs in Jacksonville
These are working ranges for Duval County. Every quote is confirmed on site or from photos, because volume and access change the number more than the item type does.
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single item at the curb | $75 – $150 | Couch, mattress, treadmill, appliance |
| Oversized single item | up to $175 | Large exercise equipment, awkward pieces |
| Several pieces of furniture | $150 – $250 | Multi-item furniture and appliance loads |
| Single-car garage cleanout | $350 – $600 | Includes sorting and carry-out |
| Full estate or whole-home cleanout | $500 – $1,000 | Multi-room, often multiple truck loads |
| Hot tub removal | $350 – $600 | Requires breakdown before hauling |
| Shed removal | $300 – $500 | Depends on size and material |
| Yard debris, pickup-truck load | $150 – $250 | Beyond city limits, or contractor-cut |
| Large brush pile / multiple loads | $300 – $500 | |
| Donation drop run | $75 – $200 | Usable goods delivered rather than dumped |
How haulers price, and why two quotes can differ so much
Most national junk companies price by fraction of a truckload — an eighth, a quarter, a half, full — which is why their published ranges tend to start near $99 and top out around $700. That model is simple to advertise but it charges you for air when your pile is dense and small, or for a second trip when it is bulky and light.
Job-based pricing, which is what the ranges above reflect, tends to track what the work actually costs: how long the crew is on site, how far the carry is, and what the landfill charges to take it. A garage full of paint cans and a garage full of cardboard occupy similar space and cost very different amounts to dispose of legally.
The practical consequence is that a quote given over the phone without photos is a guess. Photos or a walkthrough turn it into a price.
- Access and carry distance — curbside is cheapest; second-floor, attic, or a long backyard carry adds labor.
- Stairs, tight doorways, and anything that has to be disassembled to leave the room.
- Disposal category — clean fill, mixed household, and appliance or e-waste all carry different tipping fees.
- Whether usable items can be donated instead of dumped, which sometimes lowers the total.
- Weight for dense loads like tile, concrete, or wet yard debris.
A simple way to decide
Ask two questions. First: is every item already at the curb, and does the pile fit inside the city limits described above? If both are yes, set it out by 6:00 a.m. on your garbage day and pay nothing.
Second: does the pile include renovation debris, contractor-cut tree material, or anything still sitting inside the house? If any of those is true, the city is not going to take it, and a hauler is the realistic option.
That is genuinely the whole test. A good local hauler will tell you the same thing rather than quote you for work the city would have done for free — and the ones who will not tell you that are the ones to skip.