Your Water Bill May Already Pay for It: What Junk Removal Costs in St. Louis
Revised October 22, 2026
What is the minimum charge for junk removal?
Among St. Louis haulers that post one, the minimum runs from $95 to $165. A quarter of one hauler’s 17-cubic-yard truck starts at $181. The bigger names, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and ZTERS, send you to a free estimate or quote. Inside the City of St. Louis, up to three bulky items a month are already covered by your solid waste fee.
Keep reading ↓“Looks like a quarter truck,” the man says from your garage doorway, one boot still on the driveway, and you nod like that means something. It doesn’t, yet. Behind him the couch you have walked past all summer leans against cold concrete, and the whole garage smells like old cardboard and a June that got in and never left.
A quarter of what? Here is what the companies that print their prices actually say. One St. Louis hauler fills a 17-cubic-yard box and charges from $181 for a quarter of it. Another says its whole truck runs around $495. And if you live inside the city limits, the real number for your couch may be nothing extra, because bulk pickup of up to three items a month is already built into the solid waste fee on your water bill.
What is the minimum charge for junk removal?
Among the St. Louis haulers that publish one, the minimum runs from $95 to $165. Skip’s Hauling puts its minimum curbside pickup at $95. STL Demolition & Junk Removal says its minimum pickup is $125 and covers a few small items. Junk Removal Pros says the minimum it charges is $165.
Notice what that number is. It is not a discount on your couch. It is the price of getting a truck and a crew to your address, and you pay it whether the pile is big or small.
Then there are the companies you have actually heard of. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? says on its St. Louis page that it prices by volume, with rates that start at its minimum charge for very small loads and run up to a full truckload, and it offers a free in-person estimate with no deposit and no obligation. ZTERS’ St. Louis page says the best way to get an accurate number is to call or book online for a free, upfront quote. I could not find a St. Louis minimum or price list on either page. For those two the number comes after the call, so make at least two calls.
If you live in the City of St. Louis, haven’t you already paid for part of this?
Six a.m. on a Monday is cold and gray and quiet except for bin lids, and the couch sits at the curb like it is waiting for a bus. That is the City’s bulk pickup. The Refuse Division’s page for it says up to three items, out by 6:00 a.m. on the Monday of your collection week, at the curb or, if you are on alley collection, in the alley behind your home. Refrigerator doors must be removed. Collectors are not permitted to pick up items on private property, so the pile has to be out where they can reach it.
You are already paying for it. The City’s page says bulky items are picked up once a month and the service is included in your solid waste services fee, $14 a month per unit, collected quarterly on your water bill. If your items are not gone by the end of the week, tell the Citizens Service Bureau at 314-622-4800.
Then there is the dump. Every year, City residents can bring up to 12 loads of trash, yard waste and bulk items to a City transfer station: North at 71 Angelica St. or South at 4100 South 1st Street. Residents place their loads in containers as directed by the foreman, so you back up to the one he points at and drop the tailgate. Bring a driver’s license or state ID, plus a recent utility or water bill that shows you live in the city, and come on a weekday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Both stations are closed on weekends and on City-observed holidays.
The fine print is where people get turned around. The City’s drop-off page says commercial trucks are not allowed but rental trucks are acceptable, and that anyone suspected of hauling for hire will be rejected. It says the load should be no larger than what a half-ton pickup could carry. Renters are eligible only if the property owner pays the solid waste fee. And waste that originates outside the city limits is on the not-accepted list.
Rent the truck and drive it yourself, then. Do not hire the guy with a trailer and expect the gate to wave him through.
Who writes the rules once you cross the city line?
Cross the city line and the rules change. Here is what three cities in the county publish.
Richmond Heights tells residents to call Republic Services to schedule the free removal of a couch, furniture or an appliance. One inner suburb lets residents have one bulk item per week removed, but the item must be scheduled with its hauler. Another runs bulk collection twice a year, once in spring and once in fall, with no more than three large items or seven smaller ones set within one to three feet of the curb by Sunday night of your collection week. Miss it and its special pickup costs $25 per item, up to a maximum of $200 for up to 10 items, scheduled 7 days after the city receives your application and payment.
Free and scheduled in one place, weekly in another, twice a year in a third. That is the whole reason a national pricing page cannot tell you what you will pay.
If you live in unincorporated St. Louis County, I could not confirm the bulky-pickup rules from the county’s own pages, so I am not going to guess. Check your hauler’s rules before you pay anyone to take a couch.
How is the price built?
Almost every hauler that posts a price sells you a fraction of a truck. STL Demolition & Junk Removal’s box is 16 feet long, 7 feet wide and 4 feet tall, which it calls about 17 cubic yards, or seven to eight heaped pickup-truck beds. A quarter of it is 4.25 cubic yards, from $181. A half is 8.5, from $362. Three quarters is from $543, and the whole box is from $725.
Junk Removal Pros works from 15-yard dump trailers. It says its average job comes to about $275, and that filling its entire truck runs around $495. Same word, “full,” two different trucks. That is why two quotes for the same pile can both be honest, and why you ask each company how many cubic yards its truck holds.
Heavy and awkward loads break the fraction. STL Demolition & Junk Removal says heavy materials, Freon items and difficult access can add to its price. Skip’s Hauling bills heavy items like concrete or dirt by the bedload instead of by volume.
Garage cleared, hands filthy? Wash up, then see where to eat in Richmond Heights.
The $39 you may have seen
The banner on 1-800-GOT-JUNK?’s St. Louis page advertises Flex, which its Flex page describes as outdoor pickup for up to 4 items starting at $39. It is a real product with a real price. I could not confirm that it runs here, though: the Flex page lists the cities where it is available, Kansas City and Memphis among them, and St. Louis is not one of the names. Ask before you plan around $39.
What will the truck refuse to take?
Every hauler that lists its exclusions says the same thing in different words. STL Demolition & Junk Removal will not take tires, batteries, liquid paint or hazardous materials such as chemicals, solvents, fuel, asbestos and medical waste. ZTERS says it cannot take paint, chemicals, propane tanks, asbestos or medical waste.
The City draws the same line from its side. Household hazardous waste is not accepted at the transfer stations, and the City points residents to a household hazardous waste drop-off site at no cost. It also tells residents it is against the law to throw refrigerators, air conditioners and ovens out with the trash, along with motor-vehicle batteries, oil and tires, and it collects those items during the monthly bulk pickup instead.
Getting a number you can trust
Skip’s Hauling asks you to text pictures of the items, and STL Demolition & Junk Removal asks for a couple of photos from your phone. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? sends a crew for a free in-person estimate with no deposit and no obligation. Whichever route you take, do the same three things. Photograph the pile before anyone arrives. Ask what the figure includes, because “from $181” is a starting point, not a promise. And get a second quote, because the person who looks at your pile decides how much truck it is.
STL Demolition & Junk Removal says it confirms the final price before it loads anything. Make every company you call say the same.
Finding someone here
Once the city option is ruled out and anything worth keeping is set aside, send the same photos to a few local companies. You can browse local pros on the home services coverage map, which covers both sides of the river.
If the cleanout belongs to something bigger, sequence it. Set aside what is worth donating, put what the city takes out on bulk week, and hire the truck for what is left. If you are renting a truck to make the transfer-station run, our guide to St. Louis moving truck rental costs and sizes covers what each size holds.
Ready to hand off what is left? Photograph the pile, send the same photos to two or three companies, and ask what the number includes. Browse haulers on the home services coverage map or at St Louis Near Me Directory.
If you’re the one with the truck and the phone number on the door, a listing puts your minimum, your service area and your photos where a homeowner, or the AI they asked, can read them, so you get more customers without paying a lead-farm that sells the same call to the next hauler down the list. Have you ever asked an AI who to call for junk removal and heard someone else’s name? See your options →
Frequently asked questions
What is the average cost of waste removal?
Junk Removal Pros says its average job comes to about $275 and a full truck to around $495. STL Demolition & Junk Removal prices a quarter load from $181 and a full load from $725. The amount of truck you fill sets the price, not the number of items.
Is a junk removal service worth it?
For one or two items, try the free routes first: City of St. Louis bulk pickup and transfer-station runs are already in the solid waste fee. For a garage, an estate or a deadline, a quarter load from $181 buys the carrying, loading and sweeping too. It is worth it when your time, your back or your closing date is the expensive part.
What will junk removal not take?
Hazardous material first. STL Demolition & Junk Removal lists tires, batteries, liquid paint, chemicals, solvents, fuel, asbestos and medical waste. ZTERS adds propane tanks to its list. Ask before you book about anything near those categories, and take household hazardous waste to a City drop-off site instead.
What counts as bulky waste?
It depends on whose rulebook you are under. The City of St. Louis lists household furniture, appliances, bundled branches and logs, and does not accept railroad ties. One inner suburb counts large furniture and appliances, including mattresses, rugs and carpet. Richmond Heights names a couch, furniture or an appliance. Check your own city’s list.
How do I get rid of a big piece of furniture?
Start with your city. Inside St. Louis City, put it out on your bulk week as one of your three items. Elsewhere, schedule it with your hauler or your city. If the piece is in good shape, a donation pickup can take it. If the deadline is close, a hauler’s minimum, from $95 to $165 where posted, is the price of speed.
How do I safely dispose of a mattress in St. Louis City?
I could not find a mattress-specific rule on the City’s pages. Its transfer stations list bedding and household furniture as accepted, and bulk week takes up to three household items. Call the Refuse Division at (314) 622-4800 and ask whether a mattress counts as one of your three, and keep it dry until pickup day.
Can I pay someone with a truck to take my junk to the city transfer station?
The City’s page says commercial trucks are not allowed, rental trucks are acceptable, and anyone suspected of hauling for hire will be rejected. So rent a truck and drive it yourself, or call the Refuse Division at (314) 622-4800 before you load.
Written by a dedicated team of St. Louis locals who live, work, and play right here in the St. Louis metro. Founder Lane Forman and team are committed to building the region’s most trusted directory by verifying listings and connecting local businesses with loyal customers across Missouri and Illinois.