Recycling or donating your old stove in a safe and environmentally friendly way is not always a straightforward process. As a former 1-800-GOT-JUNK? team member in Toronto, I helped coordinate the removal and recycling of hundreds of old stoves throughout the Greater Toronto Area, as both a frontline Truck Team Member and Location Manager.
While recycling heavy appliances on your own often seems attractive from a pricing perspective, it often comes with hidden costs that most home owners aren’t expecting. In this article, we’ll explore why fully licensed and insured junk removal is often worth the additional upfront cost.
The hidden costs of removing a stove on your own
The upside to removing your own stove is a relatively simple one: you’ll save some cash. However, there are a few things you’ll want to consider before taking on this challenge without a licensed and insured removal company, including the cost of your time, the potential for property damage, and the risk of physical injury.
Stoves and ranges are almost always a hassle for home owners to remove themselves, with even the smallest typically weighing upwards of 130 pounds, and some of the largest pushing 350 pounds. Unlike heavy refrigerators and exercise equipment, stoves almost never have built-in wheels to help you easily maneuver them across the floor, and their steel exteriors tend to have awkward, sharp edges which make them uncomfortable and even unsafe to lift without the right tools and lifting technique.
Warning: Before attempting to remove a stove by yourself, you’ll also need to ensure that the power to your appliance has been cut by turning off the breaker supplying its power. If your stove is connected to a gas line, it will need to be safely and properly disconnected before the stove can be removed. If you don’t have experience disconnecting gas lines, you’ll want the support of a licensed and insured service technician or your building’s property manager.
1. Lifting & loading risks
Due to their heavy weight, awkward shapes, and sharp edges, stoves aren’t the type of appliance that anyone can safely lift on their own. This means that without contracting a licensed and insured company, removing one will require at least two very strong and able-bodied individuals.
In order to complete the removal safely, you’ll want to ensure that whomever is helping you lift the stove is wearing protective work gloves. It’s also highly recommended that you borrow, rent, or purchase moving equipment such as dollies to reduce the risk of sprains, strains, and back injuries during the loading process. David Rumsey, Senior Safety Consultant with insurance company Marsh McLennan, recommends using shoulder straps when lifting heavier objects with a partner as they “take something that is really unmanageable, something that two people would really struggle with lifting, and… put you in a better lifting posture and make a really unreasonable lift manageable.”
“Our Truck Teams always come fully equipped with appliance dollies, shoulder straps, lifting harnesses, protective blankets, and safety gloves to move heavy items efficiently without damaging floors, walls, or doorways.” - Emmanuel Torres, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Local Commercial Account Manager, Manhattan & The Bronx
Understandably, many home owners have concerns about injuring themselves or others during the removal process, and not without good reason. After all, as the property owner, you could potentially be held liable for any injuries sustained by those assisting you on your property. For this reason, lots of people prefer to mitigate these risks by hiring a licensed and insured junk removal company like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to lift, load, and transport their stove from anywhere in the home at an all-inclusive price. Truck Team Members are trained in safe lifting techniques, including the use of shoulder straps.
2. Property risks
Along with the potential for bodily injury, lifting a heavy appliance such as a stove has the potential to cause damage to floors, walls, and other fixtures, especially if you’re navigating the item through a shared living space in a condominium or duplex. If service elevators aren’t available, these risks are exacerbated, as you may find yourself awkwardly lifting a two hundred pound appliance down tight corridors or stairwells, further increasing the risk of unintentioned damage.
It’s notable that when damages are incurred in shared living spaces, the tenants responsible usually find themselves on the hook for the cost of repairs. Depending on the property, these repair costs can be extremely expensive, to the point where it’s worth the peace of mind to hire an affordable, licensed, and insured junk removal company.
Due to the risk of damage, some building managers actually prohibit owners and tenants from attempting to remove heavy appliances on their own at all. In New York City, for example, where Local Commercial Account Manager Emmanuel Torres is based, he explained that “Disposing of large appliances like stoves in Manhattan can be particularly difficult due to building regulations, [Department of Transportation] restrictions, and disposal requirements. Many buildings require [a certificate of insurance] for any contractor performing removals, and most won’t allow residents to move heavy items through common areas or elevators without proper protection.”
Additionally, if your stove is in perfect working condition and you’re keen to donate it, attempting to transport it without proper tools and lifting technique might lead to damaging the integrity of the appliance itself.
3. Transportation costs
Once you’ve managed to get your stove outside of your home, you may need to transport it to the recycling facility yourself if you can’t coordinate a free pickup. Depending on where you live, your municipality may not offer curbside pickups for heavy appliances such as stoves. In locations where curbside pickup is offered, it’s often limited to a set number of days per month, or may require advanced scheduling. Additionally, some buildings prohibit tenants from dropping off bulky appliances in their communal recycling areas.
If you don’t have access to a pickup truck or van, you’ll need to rent one in order to transport the appliance to a recycling center. The cost of renting one of these vehicles typically starts at around $20 per day, but that doesn’t include any of the added costs and fees associated with rentals, including the price of gas, insurance coverage, and additional mileage. Additionally, if you don’t have a recycling center or scrapyard in your area willing to take appliances for free, you’ll also need to factor the cost of paying to recycle it. And this is after you’ve already done all of the hard work yourself!
But there is another, often easier way to recycle or donate your old stove, and it usually costs less than you’d think.
Benefits of full-service junk removal
Having helped serve thousands of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? customers, I can attest that it is rare for customers to have buyers remorse when it comes to hiring help to remove bulky appliances such as stoves, washing machines, and refrigerators.
1. Convenience
While professional junk removal will always cost a bit more upfront than if you were to do it yourself, most customers find the time and energy savings to be well worth it. Having our fully licensed and insured Truck Team Members do all of the lifting, loading, and recycling means that all you have to do is point at the appliance.
When you book a stove pickup with 1-800-GOT-JUNK? online or over the phone, you’ll be provided with a 2-hour arrival window of your choosing. Being the largest junk removal company in North America also means we have more same-day booking availability than any other junk removal company across the US & Canada, ensuring we can be there when it’s convenient for you. Additionally, if you’re curious about the cost, you can speak with a Sales Agent online or over the phone, where they’ll provide you with a guaranteed price for your appliance.
On the day of your appointment, you’ll be met by two Truck Team Members, who will come prepared with the right tools and knowledge to remove stoves and other hard-to-remove household items. Not only that, if they show up on the day, and you’d like a quote for additional items - or you’ve decided not to use us altogether - that’s not a problem. Our onsite assessment is always free, so you’re under no obligation to proceed with our services.
2. Environmentally responsible
We repurpose items like stoves not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because our teams are incentivized to recycle and donate, as it is simply more cost-effective. Having the largest fleet in North America also means our employees are less stretched for time than smaller companies, ensuring we have the capacity to deliver your items to the right place. For our larger national business clients, we even share advanced environmental material data for each of their locations across the United States and Canada.
“We have a strong culture of repurposing within our organization, and from my conversations with our [1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchisees], they want to make the best effort they can to dispose of everything correctly and in a way that diverts waste from landfills. Our [corporate] customers also share this motivation, and as a key partner in their supply chains, it's up to us to help them reach their [environmental, social, and governance] goals. - Taylor Sharpe, Senior Product Manager at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, who is focused on building products for commercial customers including environmental reporting technology.
Once the Truck Team has loaded your stove into the back of their truck, they will safely transport the item to the nearest repurposing facility. If the stove is in good condition, they’ll prioritize donating it to someone who needs it. If it’s at the end of its life, they’ll ensure it’s taken somewhere to be recycled properly. On the day of your appointment, you can always ask the Truck Team where they plan on recycling or donating your stove or other items. They’ll be happy to share that information with you!
