In short
- The City collects 3 garbage items every two weeks, and one bulky item such as a piece of furniture counts as one.
- Furniture cannot go in a yellow bag, so a fourth piece waits for the next collection or needs a hauler.
- Published Ottawa load prices run $150–250 for 1–2 items and $300–450 for 3–5 items on one firm's list.
- A charity can refuse furniture on size or condition, for example sofas wider than 7 feet.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum charge, small pickup | $129–175 | Two Ottawa firms’ published minimums |
| Quarter load, 1–2 items (chair, desk) | $150–250 | One Ottawa firm’s estimated range |
| Half load, 3–5 items (couch, mattress, dresser) | $300–450 | Same firm’s estimated range |
| Three-quarter load, bedroom set | $500–650 | Same firm’s estimated range |
| Half truck | $529 | Another Ottawa firm’s estimate, before tax |
| Crew and truck by the hour | $150/h + $180/t | One Ottawa mover’s junk page, 2-hour minimum |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026: JunkPal, pricing; Junk That Funk, pricing; Mighty Mouse Junk Removal and its pricing guide; Junk Ninja, pricing; MIT Moving, junk removal Ottawa. Rules: City of Ottawa, Curbside garbage collection. Donation conditions: Helping With Furniture, Give furniture. The company that calls you sets its own price.
When a hauler makes sense for furniture
The City of Ottawa collects three garbage items per household every two weeks. A piece of furniture is a bulky item and counts as one of the three. Furniture cannot be bagged, so the yellow-bag route for extra garbage does not cover it. A household that is clearing a living room and two bedrooms uses up the count in one sitting.
A hauler fits when:
- there are more pieces than the three-item limit allows,
- the pieces sit on an upper floor, in a basement or in a condo with an elevator booking,
- the date is fixed: a closing, a lease end, a delivery of new furniture,
- you cannot lift the piece, and nobody should be hurt trying.
Single pieces have their own pages: couch and sofa removal and mattress disposal.
How haulers price furniture
Ottawa firms publish prices by the share of the truck. One firm puts 1–2 items such as a chair or desk at $150–250, and 3–5 items such as a couch, mattress and dresser at $300–450. Its three-quarter load, $500–650, is described as a bedroom set or several furniture pieces. Another firm lists a half truck at $529, before tax.
A third model bills time and weight. One Ottawa mover charges $150 per hour for a two-person crew and truck, with a two-hour minimum, plus $180 per tonne at the scale. On that page a single couch or mattress taken from the curb is a two-hour job at about $310. Compare the models with the same list in hand. The truckload price guide lines them up, and the cost guide explains the minimums.
What moves the price
- How many pieces. A second and third piece cost less each, since the truck and crew are already there.
- Carry distance and stairs. Time on a staircase is labour. One Ottawa firm says multi-storey jobs use three-person crews and that three flights can stretch a short job into a half day.
- Taking apart. A bunk bed or a wall unit that comes apart loads faster than one that has to leave whole.
- Special fees. Mattresses and box springs carry an item fee at some firms: $35 on one list, $100 on another.
Rules and reuse in Ottawa
The City asks residents to donate gently used furniture to local charities where they can. Charities set their own conditions. Helping With Furniture, for example, takes sofas under 7 feet wide, dressers and simple bed frames, and asks for photos of a mattress before accepting it. It does not take futons, cribs or entertainment units. The donation guide goes through the options, and the bulky item rules cover the City’s side. A hauler can carry what a charity declines.
Timing in Ottawa
A student move-out has its own page: student move-out. If the date is fixed, such as a lease end or a closing, put it in the first line of the request. Winter adds snow and ice on the path from the door to the truck, so tell the company if the driveway or steps still hold snow.
The quote, line by line
- the pieces it covers, by list or by the share of the truck,
- the minimum charge and what triggers extra: stairs, disassembly, a heavy item,
- whether tax is included,
- who carries from the room, and whether the crew sweeps up,
- what happens to the pieces: charity, recycling or landfill.
When a house is being cleared after a death, the same list applies and the estate cleanout page adds the steps for executors.
Who you are dealing with
A furniture list sent here reaches one independent hauler, and the people who lift the dresser are on that company’s crew. It phones you, prices your pieces and books the carry; Ottawa Junk Desk employs no movers. Ask that company the questions above on the call and compare its answers with the ranges on this page.
Questions to ask the company
- Is the price per piece, per share of the truck or per hour, and what does the minimum cover?
- Does the crew take the piece apart on site, and is that in the price?
- What is added for a third-floor walk-up or a long carry from the door to the truck?
- Can pieces in good shape go to a charity, and who arranges that?
Have this ready for the call
- A list of every piece with rough size: sofa, sectional, bed frame, dresser, desk, shelving units
- Photos of the whole room and of the path out: stairs, turns, doorways, elevator
- Which pieces come apart with a screwdriver, and where the screws or hardware are
- For a condo or apartment, the elevator booking window and where a truck can stop
Questions people ask
Which furniture will a charity refuse?
Helping With Furniture, an Ottawa charity, lists sofas over 7 feet wide, futons, foldaway beds, cribs, large L-shaped desks and TV or entertainment units as refused. It also refuses stained or torn mattresses and pieces with missing parts. Pieces it refuses can go on a hauler’s truck.
Can the hauler take just one dresser?
Yes, a single piece is a valid request. It usually lands on the company’s minimum charge, which is $129 on one Ottawa list and from $175 on another. If other pieces are leaving soon, add them to the same request, since a second piece on the same trip adds less than a second visit.
Do I have to carry the furniture to the curb?
Hauler pages describe crews who carry from the room, a basement or an upper floor, so you do not have to stage the pieces. Say in the request where each piece sits and what the path looks like. That lets the company plan the crew size before it arrives.
What if the furniture is too good to throw out?
Say so in the request and ask whether the company sorts for reuse. Charities set their own conditions, such as mint condition and an age cap for mattresses at one Ottawa charity. Reusable pieces may be routed there; pieces that fail the rules are hauled.
How are heavy pieces like a piano or a pool table priced?
They are priced by size and by the carry. Mention weight, the number of steps and whether the piece has to leave in sections. A piece that needs more hands changes the crew, so the company quotes it after seeing photos.