In short
- The City has no statutory role in business waste. It serves about 350 small businesses and places of worship through its Yellow Bag Program.
- The Trail Road landfill has a permanent ban on industrial, commercial and institutional waste and refuses commercial garbage.
- Ottawa hauler lists price by the share of the truck: $135 to $139 a single item, $695 to $985 a full truck.
- Commercial appliances, concrete and demolition are priced apart from standard junk at one Ottawa hauler.
- Business loads leave on a private hauler's truck, and its quote names where they go.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single item | $135 to $139 | Two Ottawa firms’ lists, tax extra |
| Quarter truck | $265 to $365 | Three firms’ lists, among them Mighty Mouse and Junk Gods |
| Half truck | $425 to $645 | Three Ottawa firms’ lists |
| Full truck | $695 to $985 | Three firms’ lists; Junk Gods names an estate or full-house load for its full truck |
| Commercial appliances, concrete, demolition | Quoted separately | Junk Gods says these are priced apart from standard junk |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026. City of Ottawa: Solid waste services fee (ICI role, Yellow Bag Program); Trail Waste Facility Landfill (IC&I ban); Rates for the Trail Waste Facility Landfill; Household hazardous waste. Hauler lists: Junk Ninja (tax not included); Junk Gods (plus tax); Take It Away Junk Removal; Mighty Mouse. The company that calls you sets its own price.
What counts as a commercial clear-out
A commercial job is any space where a business, landlord or institution makes the waste: an office after a lease ends, a shop with old fixtures, a restaurant with worn-out chairs, a storage locker, a vacant unit between tenants. The pile is often the same as at home. Desks, shelving, chairs, boxes, counters, a broken fridge. The route it takes after pickup is different.
Why the City does not collect it
The City’s own pages draw the line. It says it has no statutory role in waste collection and diversion from the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sector, with a small exception: about 350 small businesses and places of worship use its Yellow Bag Program. The Trail Road landfill has a permanent ban on IC&I waste, and its rates page says it takes no commercial garbage. At household hazardous waste events, commercial waste is prohibited as well.
That leaves a private hauler. For the residential side of the same address, such as a flat above the shop, see the cost guide.
What the hauler lists
Ottawa firms publish the same share-of-truck lists for homes and businesses. A single item is $135 to $139. A quarter truck is $265 to $365, a half $425 to $645, a full truck $695 to $985. Take It Away describes tasks for residential, commercial, industrial and government clients, and lists computers, printers, office furniture, monitors, filing cabinets and cubicles. Mighty Mouse’s service list has office and commercial cleanouts, storage lockers, light demolition and landlord work. Junk Gods has a commercial page and says commercial appliances and demolition are priced apart.
Compare these to your count of items. The table with sources is on prices by truckload.
What moves a business quote
- Hours. A job after closing may cost differently from one at 10 am. Ask.
- Access. Lift booking, loading docks and long corridors add time.
- Heavy items. Safes, steel shelving and machinery sit outside a volume ladder. Junk Gods lists commercial appliances and gym equipment as specialty items.
- Data. Drives and paper records need your decision before the crew touches them.
- Sorting. E-waste, metal and furniture may leave by different routes. Separate piles help.
Paperwork and access
Many commercial buildings ask a contractor to provide insurance and book the lift. This site cannot confirm any company’s insurance, so ask for it in writing. Put the building’s rules into the request so the quote counts the time at the dock.
Timing
The lease end, a renovation start or an inspection fixes the deadline. Give the date in the first message. For a fit-out that comes with debris from walls or flooring, see renovation debris removal. For loose furniture on its own, see furniture removal.
Who comes to the door
For a business address we hand the request to one independent hauler that covers commercial addresses. That firm calls the on-site contact, studies the walk-through photos, puts a number and a date in writing and says which of the building’s papers it can provide. Ottawa Junk Desk sets no price and runs no crew.
Questions to ask the company
- Can the crew work after business hours or on a weekend, and does that change the price?
- Do you need a certificate of insurance or a building access form, and who prepares it?
- Safes and steel shelving: inside the truck-share price, or quoted as extras?
- How do you handle computers, monitors and a hard drive that holds client data?
- Will you give me a written record of what was removed and the date?
Have this ready for the call
- The building manager's rules: lift booking, loading dock hours, insurance requirements
- A walk-through with photos of each room, plus the lease-end or move date
- A list of what stays, tagged with tape or in one room
- A decision on records, computers and drives holding client data before the crew arrives
- A named contact on site who can sign for access and the work
Questions people ask
Can a business put its junk out at the curb with the City garbage?
Only a few can. The City’s Yellow Bag Program for Small Businesses serves about 350 small businesses and places of worship. Other business waste is private-sector territory, and the City says it has no statutory role in industrial, commercial and institutional collection. Check with 3-1-1 whether your address qualifies.
Will Trail Road accept office junk at all?
The landfill bans industrial, commercial and institutional waste permanently, and its rates page repeats that commercial garbage is refused. The City’s hazardous waste events turn away business waste too. Office loads therefore go to private facilities, which the hauler picks.
Is a landlord's tenant cleanout a commercial job?
It depends on the property. A cleanout in a house or a unit with a tenant who moved out reads as residential, and the hauler prices it by the load. A cleanout in a shop, office or industrial unit is commercial. Say which one it is in the request, because it changes where the load can go.
What about old computers and filing cabinets?
Take It Away lists computers, printers, office furniture, monitors, filing cabinets, cubicles and chairs among its commercial junk. Data on drives is the owner’s problem: decide before the visit how drives are erased or destroyed, and tell the company what you expect.
Does a landlord pay for a tenant's abandoned leftovers?
Who pays depends on the lease and the law, and this page cannot settle it. Photograph the unit, keep the lease and notice dates, and tell the hauler the facts. For a dispute, ask a legal adviser; a hauler only removes what you tell it to.
Do you handle demolition of partitions and counters?
Light demolition is a separate quote at the firms that offer it. Junk Gods says demolition is priced separately and depends on scope, materials, weight, access and labour. Ask the company that calls whether it handles your scope.
