In short
- Carleton residents had to be out 24 hours after their last exam, or by noon on Friday, April 24, 2026, whichever came first.
- Leaving a residence room unclean can add a minimum $100 charge to the student account at Carleton.
- Four roommates in an off-campus house still share one curb allowance: three garbage items per fortnight.
- A desk and a chair cost the hauler's minimum, which is $129 at one Ottawa firm and $175 or more at another.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum pickup (one or two items) | $129–$175 | Two Ottawa firms’ published minimums |
| Quarter load, 1–2 items | $150–$250 | One Ottawa firm’s range |
| Half load, 3–5 items (couch, mattress, dresser) | $300–$450 | Same firm’s range |
| Mattress or box spring | +$35 each | One Ottawa firm’s list |
| Single item | $135 | One Ottawa firm’s estimate before tax |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026: Bin There Dump That, Ottawa bin rates (9-yard $440); City of Ottawa, temporary encroachments (simple permit $101); Carleton Housing, Moving out (April 24, 2026 deadline, $100 minimum charge, donation bins, fridge return); Carleton Students, Tips for tackling move-out waste (City set-out times, ask the landlord about large furniture); Junk That Funk, pricing ($129 minimum, $35 mattress fee); Mighty Mouse Junk Removal (minimums from $175); JunkPal, pricing (quarter and half ranges); Junk Ninja, appliance removal (single item $135). City: Curbside garbage collection and By-law 2024-453. The company that calls sets its own price.
Two deadlines, one pile
An Ottawa student move-out lands at the end of the winter term in April and again whenever a lease ends. Both leave the same pile: a futon, a particle-board desk, a bar fridge, bags of clothes, a lamp nobody wants.
Residence has a hard clock. Carleton told 2026 residents to leave 24 hours after the last exam or take-home assignment, or by noon on Friday, April 24, 2026, whichever came first. A room that fails the checklist, or is left unclean, can add a minimum $100 charge to the student account. The checklist covers garbage in the dumpsters, furniture left in place, vacuumed carpet and wiped surfaces.
Off-campus leases run on the landlord’s terms. Check the lease end date and the key-return time before you pick a haul day.
What the City takes from a student house
Off campus, the house is on the City’s curbside route, and the City counts per address, so a house of four gets the same three garbage items every second week as a couple. A mattress uses one slot, a full 140-litre bag another. Extra bags need City yellow bags, which a desk will never fit. Waste goes out on the evening before collection, and has to be out by 7 am. Carleton’s tips page also tells students to ask the landlord where large furniture should go.
A house of four with a futon, two mattresses, a desk and six bags of garbage passes three items in one stop. See Ottawa bulky item rules for the full list and the mattress page for the bed count.
When a haul-away fits
A haul fits when:
- the lease ends before the next garbage day,
- the pile includes furniture that cannot be bagged,
- the items sit on an upper floor with no elevator,
- nobody has a vehicle, or the one vehicle is going home loaded.
JunkPal’s half load, three to five pieces, lists at $300–$450; a futon, a desk and two mattresses fit that size. A single item starts at the hauler’s minimum. Roommates can split the total, since the crew prices the space the pile takes. See junk removal cost and prices by item.
Keep, donate or haul
Sort in three piles. Clean, working items go to donation: Carleton runs red bins in residence for clean, usable things, and our donating furniture page lists the Ottawa routes. Broken items and anything stained go to the hauler. Anything the landlord gave you stays.
Paint, propane and cleaning chemicals get refused or charged per piece, depending on the firm. The lists are on what haulers take and the hazardous items page.
Timing in Ottawa
April move-outs share a date with many other students leaving. Send the request the week the date is fixed, with a first choice and a second. Keep the pile indoors until the crew arrives, since a wet mattress or sofa is harder to carry.
A bin sits on the street only with a City permit, and one Ottawa firm lists a 9-yard bin from $440 including 1 tonne, plus the permit ($101 for a simple one, per the City). Bin or pickup compares the two.
One quote for all roommates
A quote lists the address, the date and arrival window, the items, the price with HST shown, and charges for stairs. It says if the mattress fee is on top. It states what happens to anything the crew cannot take. Ask for it by email so each roommate has the same copy. A bigger apartment move belongs on the move-out cleanout page.
Who comes to the door
Your house’s request goes to one independent hauler, and its crew is who knocks. The company phones whoever wrote the request, prices the shared pile and agrees a slot before the keys go back. Ottawa Junk Desk forwards the form and has no say in the price.
Questions to ask the company
- Can you come on the exact day my lease or residence contract ends, or the day before?
- Do you charge for stairs, or for a walk-up with no elevator?
- Will you take a futon frame and a mattress together, and is the mattress fee on top?
- Can the crew sort anything usable for donation, and do I get told what went where?
- If three roommates split the bill, can the quote list each person's items?
Have this ready for the call
- The date the keys go back, and any residence checkout window or elevator booking
- A list of what stays, with the big pieces first: futon, desk, chair, shelves, bar fridge
- Where the items sit: room, floor, and whether stairs have a tight turn
- Who is home to meet the crew, and who signs off with the landlord
- Photos of the pile, taken from the doorway
Questions people ask
We are four roommates. Can one request cover the whole house?
Yes. One address, one date and one combined list. Say who owns which pile if you want to split the bill after the call. The company prices the total space the items take on the truck.
My landlord says everything must be gone by the last day. Can the haul happen that morning?
Same-morning hauls leave no slack. Put the key-return time in the request and aim for the day before, so a crew running late does not turn into a landlord’s cleaning or disposal charge. The company names its open days on the call.
What happens to a rented mini-fridge?
A fridge on a rental contract goes back to the renter. Carleton, for example, asks residents to leave a clean, dry, defrosted fridge in the room for the rental company to collect after April 24, 2026. Your own fridge is a separate job, covered on the fridge page.
Can I leave things for the next tenant?
Ask the landlord in writing first. Furniture left behind in a unit the landlord did not agree to keep can turn into a cleaning or removal charge. Anything you offer should be clean and usable, and the landlord decides if it stays.
Is the extra bag of kitchen leftovers part of the haul?
Open food, cleaning products and cans of paint are better kept apart. Haulers take furniture and household items by the truck-space they use. Put food scraps in the green bin and mention any chemicals in the request, so the company tells you what it refuses.
