The short answer
A single big item costs its list price, with a $100 order minimum: $126 for a sofa, $103 for a queen mattress, $164 for a fridge. A room's worth of furniture is the sum of its items, such as a full bedroom at $451. A garage or basement purge is typically priced as a truck-fill tier, from $241 for a quarter truck. A whole house is one or more full trucks at $732 each. Below are worked examples, all carried out from any floor with no stairs fee.
The single item
The basement sofa in a Warren ranch. One sofa, finished basement, stairs coming up into the kitchen. $126.
The old chest freezer in Dearborn Heights. Unplugged, emptied, defrosted. $146.
One twin mattress from a Hamtramck second floor. List price $82, which is under the minimum, so the order is billed at $100. Adding the headboard brings it to $82 + $57 = $139.
A set of tires from a Southwest Detroit garage. The city's bulk program will not take them at any volume. $87, so billed at the $100 minimum; add the old bicycle beside them and it is $87 + $37 = $124.
Single items are where the city's free bulk pickup competes best, as long as you can get the item to the curb yourself by 7 a.m. and stay under 2 cubic yards for the week.
The bedroom
A full bedroom in a Royal Oak bungalow, upstairs under the eaves.
- Queen mattress and box spring set: $143
- Metal bed frame: $68
- Standard dresser: $126
- Two nightstands: $57 + $57
Total: $143 + $68 + $126 + $57 + $57 = $451.
Compare the half-truck tier, about 8 cubic yards, at $431. When a room is cleared, the quote can come back as a truck-fill tier rather than a sum of items. Either way it is shown before you book.
A kids' room in a Macomb Township colonial, being turned into an office: bunk bed, two twin mattresses and a toy-filled bookcase: $123 + $82 + $82 + $100 = $387, using the particleboard bookcase price.
The appliance swap
Basement laundry in a Livonia ranch: washer and dryer, $133 + $128 = $261.
Kitchen remodel in Grosse Pointe: French door fridge, gas range and dishwasher, $183 + $137 + $109 = $429.
Mechanical room after a furnace and water heater replacement, where the installer left the old units: $131 + $131 = $262.
Summer in a St. Clair Shores bungalow: a dead window AC and the basement dehumidifier that quit in July: $109 + $77 = $186. In Warren, those two are exactly the items the curb will not take without a technician's Freon sticker.
The apartment move-out
A one-bedroom in Midtown near Wayne State, going back to the landlord on the last day of the month:
- Sofa: $126
- Queen mattress: $103
- Standard dresser: $126
- TV, 42 to 65 inches: $68
Total: $126 + $103 + $126 + $68 = $423. For a building that needs proof of insurance, a certificate of insurance can be emailed within 1 hour.
A Lafayette Park townhouse being sold, with the big furniture going and the rest moving: sectional, dining table for six and a china hutch: $185 + $163 + $160 = $508.
The garage and basement purge
This is the bread-and-butter Metro Detroit job: a brick ranch or bungalow with a basement and a detached garage, and twenty years of accumulation.
- Garage in Sterling Heights: shelving, old bikes, a dead mower, boxes. Roughly 6 cubic yards: 3/8 truck, $338.
- Basement in East English Village: furniture, boxes, a broken dehumidifier, an old TV. Roughly 10 cubic yards: 5/8 truck, $513.
- Both at once: 3/4 truck, about 12 cubic yards, $587; or a full truck, about 16 cubic yards, $732.
For scale, the City of Detroit's weekly curb limit is 2 cubic yards. A quarter truck is twice that. Spring, from April to June, is when most of these get booked across the metro.
The whole house
An inherited house in the University District or Indian Village, three floors plus basement, being emptied for sale. A large house can need more than one truck. One full truck plus a half: $732 + $431 = $1,163. Two full trucks: $732 + $732 = $1,464.
A Livonia ranch after a downsizing, where the family has already taken what they want and the basement is the main job: often a 3/4 truck at $587, plus a piece or two priced separately, such as an upright piano at $364: $587 + $364 = $951.
We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them and recycle whatever we can. There are no volume discounts; the tiers are the same for everyone.
The renovation leftovers
A bathroom gut in a Corktown cottage: cast iron tub, toilet and vanity: $185 + $64 + $69 = $318. The city curb takes renovation pieces only under 50 pounds each, so the tub was never going out on bulk day.
A porch tear-down in Grandmont Rosedale: masonry is $219 per quarter truck, because concrete and brick are excluded from city bulk and heavy for their size.
What is not in the price
Nothing is added on top. No stairs fee, no walk-up fee, no same-day surcharge, and no sales tax line. The price only changes if you approve it. Disposal, loading and the carry from the basement are all inside the number. A flat list means you can do the math before anyone shows up. Get a price from a photo, or see the full Detroit price list.
Frequently asked questions
How much does junk removal cost in Detroit on average?
It depends on the job. Single items cost their list price with a $100 minimum, for example $126 for a sofa. Truck-fill tiers run from $241 for a quarter truck to $732 for a full truck.
How much is a whole-house cleanout?
A large house may need more than one truck. A full truck plus a half truck is $732 + $431 = $1,163.
How much does a garage cleanout cost?
A typical garage is priced as a truck-fill tier, for example a 3/8 truck of about 6 cubic yards at $338.
Are there extra charges?
No stairs fee, no same-day surcharge and no sales tax line. The price only changes if you approve it.
Do you give discounts on big jobs?
No. There are no volume discounts. Large jobs use the same published truck-fill tiers.
What does a single small item cost?
Its list price, billed at the $100 minimum if it is under that. Adding a second item, such as tires and a bicycle at $87 + $37 = $124, makes the minimum go further.