In Kitchener, bulky item pickup comes once a month, and a single family home can put out three items. That’s enough for an old armchair, a mattress and a side table. It’s not much help if you’re clearing a basement, emptying a student rental at the end of term, or dealing with a parent’s house before it goes on the market.
Moving Co. does junk removal in Kitchener, and across Waterloo and Cambridge too. We remove furniture, appliances, mattresses, garage and basement clutter, and the contents of whole houses. Our crew carries everything out, loads the truck, sweeps up and takes it all away in one visit. You don’t need to fit it into the three item limit or wait for next month’s bulky day.
Call 905-752-7787 or request a free quote with a short list or a few photos, and we’ll give you a real price.
How bulky item pickup works in Kitchener
Kitchener’s garbage collection is run by the Region of Waterloo. The Region’s bulky items and appliances page sets out the rules:
- Once a month. Eligible households get bulky item collection on their scheduled bulky day, with items out at the curb by 7 a.m.
- Three items for a single family home. Duplexes can put out six, and buildings with three to six units can put out ten. A tied bundle counts as one item.
- Garbage tags don’t help. You can’t use tags to put out extra bulky items.
- No “free” signs. If an item has a “free” or “for sale” sign on it, the crew leaves it.
- Size rules. Couches and chairs can be up to 6 feet long. Carpet and nail-free wood or flooring must be rolled or bundled to 3 feet or less. Water softeners have to be emptied of water and salt.
- Appliances count toward the limit. Dishwashers, dryers and stoves can go out with the doors taped shut, but each one uses one of your items.
If your list fits within that, the Region’s service is the cheapest option and you should use it. We’d rather you save the money and call us when you need a crew.
Three items a month adds up slowly
The limit makes sense for normal household turnover. It doesn’t work well for a one-time clear-out. A typical basement holds a sofa, a loveseat, an old mattress and box spring, a dresser, a desk, a treadmill and a dozen boxes. At three items a month, that’s most of a year of bulky days, with the basement still full until the last one.
Appliances make it harder. A fridge, a freezer and a washer from a basement use up an entire month’s allowance, and they have to be carried up the stairs to the curb first. Leftover items can go out the next month, or to a Region drop-off site where fees apply.
That’s the gap we fill: everything in one visit, carried out by people who do it every day.
Things the curb won’t take
Some items can’t go to the curb at all, whatever your allowance:
- Heavy items. The Region’s collection guidance sets a 90 kg (200 lb) maximum per bulky item, and lists pool tables, cast iron bathtubs and pianos as items that aren’t collected at the curb.
- Renovation rubble. Concrete, rocks, patio slabs and bricks aren’t collected. Drywall, flooring and cabinets go out only as bulky items, within the limit.
- Electronics. The Region banned electronics from curbside collection and its landfill in 2005. They go to a provincial electronics drop-off instead.
- Tires. Tires have been banned from the Region’s landfills since 1988.
- Household hazardous waste. Paint, solvents, fuel, motor oil, batteries, pesticides and propane tanks go to the Region’s hazardous waste depots, which are free.
Carts, tags and extra bags
Regular garbage changed in Waterloo Region in 2026, which matters if you’re clearing out a lot at once. Since March 2026, Kitchener households have a black garbage cart collected every other week, in either a 240 litre size (up to 200 lb) or a 120 litre size (up to 100 lb). Extra bags can go beside the cart, but each one needs a Region garbage tag, and tagged bags are only taken if the cart is out too. Tags cost $15 for a sheet of five. The details are on the Region’s garbage page.
For a normal household, that’s plenty. For a basement or garage clear-out, it means a lot of tagged bags spread over a lot of collection days. That’s usually when people decide one visit from a crew is simpler.
Downtown Kitchener is different
If you live in downtown Kitchener, check your collection rules before you plan anything. The Region runs a separate system for its designated downtown areas, and bulky item collection is not part of it. For downtown condos and apartments, getting rid of furniture usually means a drop-off site, a building arrangement, or a crew like ours.
Downtown jobs also come with the usual building rules: elevator bookings, loading areas and sometimes a certificate of insurance. You book the elevator with your building, and we help with what to ask for. We send the insurance certificate ahead of time.
Driving it to the Waterloo or Cambridge site
If you have a truck or a trailer and some help, the Region runs two waste drop-off sites:
- Waterloo Waste Management site, 925 Erb Street West, Waterloo. Gate 2 is for cars, vans, pickups and single axle trailers.
- Cambridge Waste Management site, 201 Savage Drive, Cambridge.
Both are open to residents Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on statutory and designated holidays, and they only take waste from Waterloo Region. Since April 1, 2026, every load pays a $15 minimum, which covers up to 125 kg of garbage. Garbage beyond that is $120 per tonne. Appliances and scrap metal are $82.50 per tonne, and some appliances carry an extra $10 per unit CFC removal fee. Drywall is $120 per tonne. Household hazardous waste is free at both sites.
For a pickup truck of household junk, those fees are modest. The real cost is everything else: the truck, the loading, the trip, and the stairs.
What our junk removal costs
We price by volume, meaning how much of the truck your items fill. A few pieces of furniture is a small load. A four bedroom house being emptied for a sale is a large one. Three other things affect it:
- Access. Driveway pickups are fast. Basements, third floor student rooms and downtown buildings with booked elevators take longer.
- Weight and disposal. Disposal is charged by weight, so heavy loads like appliances and renovation debris cost more than light furniture.
- Special handling. Fridges, freezers and air conditioners hold refrigerant, and mattresses and electronics have their own disposal streams.
You get a clear estimate before anything is loaded, and we explain what’s in it. The price we agree is the price you pay. If there’s more than you described, we tell you the revised price before loading, not after. Photos sent with your quote request get you the most accurate number.
What we take
- Furniture: couches of any length, sectionals, recliners, mattresses, box springs, bed frames, dressers, desks, dining sets, bookcases.
- Appliances: fridges, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers and water softeners.
- Electronics: TVs, monitors, computers and printers, routed to proper electronics recycling.
- Basement and garage contents: boxes, shelving, toys, bikes, tools, exercise equipment, patio furniture.
- Small renovation leftovers: old cabinets, a removed vanity, flooring offcuts and packaging. For heavy demolition debris, a bin is usually better value, and we’ll tell you if it is.
We don’t take hazardous materials: paint, solvents, fuel, motor oil, propane tanks, pesticides, car batteries or asbestos. The Region’s household hazardous waste depots at the Waterloo and Cambridge sites take them for free. If we find something on the day that can’t go, we set it aside and tell you where it belongs.
Student rentals and end of term clear-outs
Kitchener and Waterloo have a big student population, with the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College all close by. When leases end, many houses empty out at once, and landlords are left with the furniture, mattresses and boxes that didn’t fit in a parent’s car.
Student turnovers always have a deadline: the next group of tenants arrives soon, and the place has to be cleaned and repaired first. Tell us the date when you call. We clear bedrooms, basements, shared spaces and backyards, and we can often work with access arranged in advance so you don’t have to be there. If you manage several houses, book them together and we’ll plan the visits as a group.
Students moving out can call us too. If you’re heading home or to a new place across Ontario, we do student moves as well, and we can take away whatever isn’t coming with you on the same visit.
Pianos, pool tables and hot tubs
These are exactly the items the curb won’t take, and they’re the ones people struggle with most.
Pianos. An old upright that nobody plays is heavy, awkward and too valuable to treat like a dresser on the stairs. We move pianos as part of our regular work, so getting one out of a house is routine for our crews. See our piano moving page for how we handle them.
Pool tables. Slate tables are very heavy and usually in a basement. We remove pool tables, slate included. Tell us the size and the stairs so we send enough people.
Hot tubs. We remove old hot tubs from backyards. Tell us the size and the access to the yard. A hardwired tub has to be disconnected from its power supply by a licensed electrician before anyone moves it; a plug-in model just needs unplugging.
Appliances and refrigerant
Fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers hold refrigerant. In Ontario, only a certified technician can remove and handle refrigerants, which is why the Region charges a separate removal fee on some appliances at its drop-off sites. Mention any cooling appliance when you book and we’ll plan for it properly.
Our crews can unhook a washer, a dryer or a fridge water line. A gas stove or gas dryer has to be disconnected by a TSSA registered contractor first.
Bins on Kitchener roads
For a large renovation, a bin can be the better choice. If it needs to sit on a City road, sidewalk or boulevard, Kitchener requires a road occupancy permit. The City asks for applications at least five business days ahead, or ten downtown, with a certificate of insurance, and the 2026 fee is $137.88. On your own driveway, you don’t need one.
For a household clear-out, remember that a bin doesn’t lift anything. You still carry every item out, it sits in front of the house for days, and you pay for every day. With a crew, we do the carrying and nothing is left behind.
Before the crew arrives
You don’t need to prepare anything, because the carrying is our job. A few small steps do make the visit quicker, and on a job priced by volume and time that can help the cost:
- Sort out what’s staying. Deciding item by item on the day slows everything down. A simple rule like “all of the basement goes except the freezer” keeps the crew moving.
- Remove valuables and paperwork. Important documents and keepsakes have a way of ending up in the junk pile. Pull them out first.
- Set aside anything hazardous. Paint, propane, chemicals and car batteries can’t go on our truck. The Region’s depots take them free.
- Tell us about parking and access. A narrow driveway, a shared lot at a townhouse complex, or a downtown building with a loading area all change how we plan the day.
Businesses and property managers
We clear offices, retail units, restaurants and warehouses in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. Business jobs usually come with a deadline and a set of building rules: the lease ends on a certain day, the landlord wants the space empty and swept, or the building only allows work after hours. Tell us all of it when you book and we’ll plan around it, including evenings and weekends. We can send a certificate of insurance ahead of the date, and if some of the furniture is worth keeping, we can move it to your new space on the same trip.
Moving and clearing out at the same time
If you’re moving, the cheapest time to get rid of things is moving day. Our truck and crew are already there, so as we load what you’re keeping, we take away what you’re not. You won’t pay to move furniture you’re going to throw out, and you won’t need a second appointment. For the moving side, see our Kitchener movers page.
Estate cleanouts in Kitchener-Waterloo
When a parent moves into long term care or passes away, a family often has to empty a home they’ve owned for decades. It’s a lot of work, and it usually lands on people who are grieving, working and maybe living in another city.
We work at a pace that respects that. You decide ahead of time what’s kept, given to family, donated or sold, and we clear the rest, room by room, including the basement, garage and attic. If there’s a closing date, we schedule backwards from it. If you’re coordinating from out of town, we can often arrange access in advance and keep you updated so you don’t have to travel just to open the door.
Reuse first, a Kitchener habit
Kitchener has a long history with recycling. The Region credits Nyle Ludolph with developing the world’s first residential recycling program, for Kitchener, in 1983. That habit fits the way we work.
Where it’s realistic, we sort what we take: usable furniture and appliances go to charities and reuse programs, and metal, electronics and cardboard go to recycling. Things that are finished are disposed of properly. We won’t promise a green result we can’t deliver. If you’d like to donate things yourself, the Region’s reuse directory lists local options, including Habitat for Humanity ReStore for building materials. Tell us about anything you want donated and we’ll do our best to route it there.
Areas we cover
We do junk removal across Kitchener, including downtown, Forest Heights, Victoria Hills, Westmount, Stanley Park, Laurentian Hills, Huron Park, Doon South and Lower Doon. We also cover Waterloo, Cambridge, the townships around them such as Woolwich, Wilmot, Wellesley and North Dumfries, and nearby Guelph. We do junk removal in every city in Ontario, so if you’re further out, ask.
How a Kitchener junk pickup works
- Tell us what’s going. Call 905-752-7787 or use the quote form. A list or a few photos is enough.
- Get your price and a date. You get a clear estimate, and we book the crew for a time that works.
- We do the carrying. The crew protects floors and doorways and carries everything out. Nothing needs to be at the curb.
- Gone in one visit. It all leaves on our truck. We sweep up and check with you before we go.
Our crews are insured, and we can send a certificate of insurance to any building or property manager who needs one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does junk removal cost in Kitchener?
It’s priced mainly by volume, meaning how much of the truck your items fill, plus access and disposal. Before we start you’ll have a clear estimate, and the agreed price is the price you pay. A few photos with your quote request get you the most accurate number.
How many bulky items can I put out in Kitchener?
The Region of Waterloo collects bulky items once a month. A single family home can put out three items, a duplex six, and a building with three to six units ten. Garbage tags can’t be used for extra bulky items.
Can I use garbage tags to put out more bulky items?
No. The Region says garbage tags can’t be used for bulky items. Anything over your limit has to wait for the next monthly collection or go to a drop-off site, where fees apply.
Will the Region take a piano or a pool table?
No. The Region’s collection guidance lists pianos, pool tables and cast iron bathtubs as items it doesn’t collect at the curb. We remove all three.
Is there bulky item pickup in downtown Kitchener?
The Region’s designated downtown areas use a separate collection system without bulky item pickup. Downtown residents usually use a drop-off site, a building arrangement, or a crew like ours.
Where is the dump for Kitchener?
Kitchener residents use the Region’s sites: the Waterloo Waste Management site at 925 Erb Street West, and the Cambridge site at 201 Savage Drive. Both are open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a $15 minimum per load.
Can you clear out a student rental?
Yes. End of term clear-outs are a regular job. Tell us the deadline, and we can often work with access arranged in advance if you can’t be there.
Do you take electronics?
Yes. TVs, monitors and computers can’t go to the curb in Waterloo Region, so we take them to proper electronics recycling.
Do you offer same day junk removal in Kitchener?
Sometimes. We work seven days a week, and same day depends on what’s already booked. Call 905-752-7787 and ask. If today isn’t possible, we’ll give you the earliest time we really have.
Do you also cover Waterloo and Cambridge?
Yes. We do junk removal across Waterloo Region, including Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the surrounding townships. The Region runs curbside collection in all three cities, so most of what’s on this page applies wherever you live in the region.
What won’t you take?
Hazardous materials such as paint, solvents, fuel, oil, propane tanks, pesticides, car batteries and asbestos. The Region takes household hazardous waste for free at its Waterloo and Cambridge depots.
Tell us what needs to go and we’ll give you a clear price and a date: insured crew, no surprise fees, gone in one visit. Request your free quote or call 905-752-7787.