You might assume that doing it yourself (DIY) is the most cost-effective way to deal with the problem of unwanted junk. While DIY dumpster rental or hauling junk on your own might be cheaper, the true cost is about more than just money. When you factor in the time, energy, and resources needed to handle it on your own, full-service junk removal is often much more cost-effective.
Comparison between renting a dumpster and hiring a junk removal service
The key difference is that DIY dumpster rental offers a container for you to fill at your own pace over several days, while full-service junk removal sends a crew to do all the heavy lifting, loading, and hauling in a quick, single visit. Research and customer insights data suggest that dumpster rental can be more cost-effective for large, multi-day projects, whereas professional junk removal offers convenience, speed, and a team to do all the heavy lifting and loading for you.
So, what drives the need for convenience? To appreciate the value of full service junk removal, let’s identify the challenges people face when managing their own disposal. A recent survey of more than 2000 households asked the question: “What is the most frustrating aspect of dealing with unwanted items in your home?”.
Top frustrations of DIY junk removal
Figure 1: Top frustrations of DIY junk removal. The two most common frustrations reported by households managing their own junk removal are the lack of space/storage (12.9%) and uncertainty regarding proper disposal methods (12.2%). (Source: [Junk Removal Service Survey/1-800-GOT-JUNK?], 2025)
| Frustration Aspect | Percentage of Respondents |
| Lack of Space/Storage | 12.90% |
| Disposal Uncertainty | 12.20% |
| Physical Limitations | 7.80% |
| General Clutter/Accumulation | 6.60% |
| Size/Moving Difficulty | 6.40% |
Using a professional junk removal service like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? eliminates all these common frustrations. When you have a team of professionals to do all the work for you, a task that seems daunting is suddenly easily achievable.
How much time does it take to remove junk?
Another common approach is taking care of junk removal on your own. This can be pretty time consuming, due to the amount of preparation required.
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Junk Removal
The DIY approach requires a ton of personal time, effort, and planning, which could easily take several days. Here are the basic steps you’ll need to take when handling it on your own:
- Categorize all items into piles: sell, donate, recycle, and trash.
- Identify specific drop-off locations for different item types (e.g., donation centers, general landfill/transfer stations, specialty depots for mattresses or electronics).
- Determine the size of the vehicle or dumpster needed to estimate rental and disposal costs.
- Rent a dumpster, suitable truck or van, or use a personal vehicle, and acquire necessary safety gear, dollies, lifting straps, and cleaning supplies.
- Personally lift, move, and load all junk into the dumpster or vehicle.
- Make multiple trips if necessary, spend time waiting in line at the dump or donation centers, and manually unload all items at the correct disposal sites.
- Thoroughly clean the personal or rental vehicle to prevent permanent damage or cleaning fees from dirty/greasy items.Full-Service Professional Junk Removal
Full-Service Professional Junk Removal
A professional service handles virtually every step, offering an all-inclusive, hands-off solution. You will still have to do a preliminary sort (what to keep vs. what to remove), but the professional crew handles everything else—you won’t have to do any lifting or loading of items. In fact, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? will pick up items from anywhere in your home or on your property, so there’s no need to move items to the curb beforehand.
Best of all, it can all be done in one appointment! Even if you have a major cleanout and require multiple truckloads, the teams are equipped to handle anything and will get your items out of your way in no time.
What is the cost to remove junk yourself vs hiring a professional junk removal service?
DIY junk removal might not seem super expensive at first, but there are costs you might not have considered.
Transportation
If you have a vehicle of your own, you may have extra costs for fuel in the event that you need to make multiple trips to different disposal facilities. You also need to factor in vehicle wear and tear, and the expense of cleaning the vehicle afterwards. If you don’t have a vehicle that can transport everything you need it to, you’ll need to look at renting a truck or van (daily rental fees, mileage, insurance, and fuel costs apply).
Disposal
While most donation centres accept items for free, if you have items that need to be taken to the dump or a transfer station, you can expect to pay a fee, which could be higher than you expect if you have large items, or have a large load. Depending on your municipality, you can find cost estimates on their official website for different materials.
With a professional service, transportation and disposal costs are built in, so you won’t have to worry about any surprises. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? prices range from $107 for a small load to $1099 for a full truck. Check out our blog to learn more about our junk removal pricing.
How to responsibly and legally dispose of junk
Before tackling junk removal on your own, you’ll need to do some research around how to best dispose of your items. There are often specific drop-off locations for different item types (e.g., donation centers, general landfill/transfer stations, and specialty depots for mattresses or electronics). If you end up taking your items to the wrong place, you’ll have to spend even more time transporting things to other facilities.
This is where full-service junk removal really comes in handy—they’re experts at sorting and diverting waste. It’s something these teams do every single day, so you can rest easy knowing that all your items will go to the right place.
Want the quickest, easiest and most convenient way to remove your junk?
When trying to determine if the DIY route is right for you, the key thing to remember is that cost isn’t just about price. Your time is valuable—if you need to spend a whole day dealing with junk removal, you’ll miss out on doing other things, like spending time with your family, finishing up other projects around the house, or just catching up on your favourite TV show!
Ultimately, when you decide to pay for full-service junk removal, you’re getting so much more value. Not only does it save you time, but it also saves your back from all that heavy lifting, and it gives you comfort knowing that your things will be recycled, donated, or disposed of responsibly. It’s no wonder our customers love our service so much!
Our customer, Tiffany Zamolsky, shares her experience with our service and the two Truck Team Members that helped: “It’s one thing to do a not fun job of heavy lifting but to do it with a smile and act as though it is no inconvenience was priceless. Thank you so much!!”
