What Indianapolis residents actually pay for junk removal

The two ladders everything comes from

Every number below is built from two published lists. Per-item flat prices, and the truck-fill ladder:

The minimum visit is $75. You pay whichever of the two ladders is lower for your job.

The single most common call: one couch

A standard sofa is $126, carried out. Out of a second-floor apartment in a Fountain Square double, out of a finished basement in a Nora split-level, off the back porch of a Garfield Park bungalow — same number.

Second most common is the bedroom set. A queen mattress plus box spring plus a metal frame is $103 + $92 + $68 = $263. As a set, mattress and box spring together is $143.

Basement laundry, which is most of this city

Almost every Indianapolis house built before the 1960s puts the laundry in the basement. So this is a weekly job here:

• Washer and dryer: $133 + $128 = $261.
• Stacked combo unit: $189.
• Washer, dryer and the water heater that finally gave out on the same floor: $133 + $128 + $131 = $392.
• Add the dehumidifier that has been running down there since 2014: $133 + $128 + $131 + $77 = $469.

No stair fee applies to any of that, which is the part people ask about most.

The garage, before and after winter

A one-car detached garage off an alley in Irvington or Broad Ripple, cleared to the slab, is typically a half load at $431. A two-car attached in Greenwood or Avon runs $513. A packed three-car in Fishers or Westfield is $732.

Priced by item instead, a light garage looks like this: lawn mower $65 + charcoal grill $59 + bicycle $37 + artificial Christmas tree $37 + medium junk pile $129 = $327. Under the 3/8 rung of $338, so item pricing wins.

Move-out season, late July into August

The whole metro turns leases over at once, Butler moves in, and the IU Indianapolis campus fills. What people book in that two weeks:

• Studio near campus, mostly boxes: quarter load, $241.
• One-bedroom with the furniture left behind: half load, $431.
• Two-bedroom student rental, three roommates' worth: full load, $732.
• Just the abandoned mattress and futon: $103 + $111 = $214.

Landlords doing a full turnover on a double also tend to add bags: 15 bags of debris is $196, 20 bags is $259.

Downsizing and estates on the north side

Meridian-Kessler, Butler-Tarkington, Broad Ripple and Irvington produce the big ones, because those houses have a basement, an attic and an alley garage attached to a modest floor plan.

• Living room after a downsize: sofa $126 + loveseat $119 + coffee table $67 + end table $52 + end table $52 = $416.
• Dining room: dining table 6-8 seat $163 + dining chair $45 + dining chair $45 + dining chair $45 + dining chair $45 = $343.
• The upright piano nobody in the family wants: $290.
• A whole furnished three-bedroom: full load at $732, usually twice.

Backyards and basements after the weather

Two very Indianapolis line items.

The spring hot tub. A spa that cracked over the winter is $322. With the patio set it lived beside: hot tub $322 + patio table $89 + patio chair $30 + patio chair $30 = $471.

The wet basement. After a sump pump fails during a spring storm, a soaked finished lower level is usually a half to a full load. Carpet removal is priced per room at $71, so two rooms of carpet plus a large junk pile is $71 + $71 + $208 = $350.

Small jobs, and where the minimum bites

The $75 minimum only matters when the item's own price is below it.

Pair two small things and you are back to straight item pricing: a bicycle and an office chair is $37 + $61 = $98.

What is not on the bill

There is no stair fee, no walk-up fee, no long-carry fee, no same-day surcharge, no weekend surcharge, and no separate dump fee. A load out of a basement in Beech Grove and a load out of a driveway in Zionsville are priced the same way.

The only thing that changes the number is what is actually on the truck, and you can see all of those numbers before you book.

Frequently asked questions