In short
- Seven in ten Westboro homes are detached houses, most of them dating from 1900 to 1960.
- Condo projects in the neighbourhood bring more units with shared lifts, loading areas and move-out rules.
- Plaster, old tiles and attic fill in pre-1990 houses can carry asbestos; the City landfill will not accept it.
- Published Ottawa rates: a $129–175 minimum, $300–450 for half the truck, $695–699 when it is full.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum charge | $129–175 | Two Ottawa firms’ published minimums; no Westboro rate listed |
| Half truck (3–5 items) | $300–450 | One Ottawa firm’s range, e.g. couch, mattress, dresser |
| Three-quarter truck | $500–650 | One Ottawa firm: bedroom set or several furniture pieces |
| Full truck | $695–699 | Two Ottawa firms’ flat prices |
| Mattress or box spring | $35 each | One Ottawa firm’s disposal fee |
Sources. Seen 29.10.2026: Junk That Funk, Ottawa junk removal pricing; Mighty Mouse Junk Removal; JunkPal, pricing. Area facts: Wikipedia, Westboro, Ottawa. Asbestos: Health Canada, Asbestos and your health; City of Ottawa, Rates for the Trail Waste Facility Landfill. Street use: City of Ottawa, Temporary construction related encroachments. The company that calls you sets its own price.
Where Westboro sits
Westboro Village runs down to the Ottawa River in the west end, and Island Park Drive marks where it stops on the east. The community association draws it from Denbury Avenue in the west to Tweedsmuir in the east, between the Transitway and Carling. About 22,725 people lived in the area, as Wikipedia draws it, in the 2016 census.
Richmond Road is the commercial heart. It follows the old Macadam Road toward Bells Corners, and Churchill Avenue, formerly Main Street, is the other main street. Two OC Transpo stations, Westboro and Dominion, serve the area.
Houses from 1900 to 1960
The area got its start in the late 19th century, when flyers invited buyers to “Move to Westboro”. From 1903 it governed itself as a police village, until the city absorbed it. The housing stock is mostly 1900–1960, and 71% of it detached. Near the river, north of Scott Street, many cottage-like homes remain from the days when a streetcar brought Ottawa residents out to a summer district.
For a junk crew, that means old floors and plaster, deep attics and basements, narrow side paths and front steps. Loads tend to come from long ownership: a house held by one family for forty years has forty years of furniture in it.
Condos in the neighbourhood
Several condominium projects have brought more units to the neighbourhood. A condo job differs from a house. The building controls the lift, the loading area and the hours, and the property manager may require a booking and a deposit. Tell us the building, the floor and any rules, so the company arrives with the right plan. A downtown or condo move has its own page in centretown, and the move-out cleanout page covers the lease-end case.
Old materials in old houses
A house from the 1920s has had a century of repairs. Health Canada’s warning covers homes built before 1990 and names plaster, old tiles, caulking, paint and insulation, with vermiculite in the attic as the classic case. The federal advice is to have a professional test suspect material before it is disturbed, and Trail Road refuses asbestos outright. For a Westboro attic or basement nobody has opened since the 1950s, describe what you saw before the visit, and leave crumbly or dusty material where it lies.
Street space
Westboro blocks are tight and the curb is often busy. On the City’s encroachment page, a parked work vehicle simply obeys the parking by-law, while a bin dropped in the roadway, or a delivery or loading set-up that takes over the street, may need a permit. A permit can be limited to part of a day or to set days. Whether a pickup crew needs one is the company’s call, and a bin on a driveway sits outside the permit. See the bin or pickup guide.
What a load costs
Prices follow the truck fraction. One list gives $300–450 for a half load of three to five items, $500–650 for a bedroom set or several furniture pieces, and $700–900 for a complete room. Others list $695 or $699 for a full truck. A mattress or box spring adds $35 at one firm. See furniture removal for the items by name.
Who you are dealing with
Your Westboro request reaches a single independent hauler that covers the west end. That firm phones, reads the photos, names its price and sends its own crew. Ottawa Junk Desk owns no truck and sets no rate.
Questions to ask the company
- Does a Westboro address cost the same as the rest of your west-end route?
- My house has a steep front stair and a narrow side path. How does the crew carry out?
- The condo needs a booked lift and a loading spot. What do you need from the building?
- If the crew finds old insulation or tiles in the attic, how do you handle it?
- Can you come back for a second visit once the family has taken what it wants?
Have this ready for the call
- Your street or building address, and the cross street if it is a short block.
- For a condo: the unit, the floor, the lift booking, the loading area and any move-out deposit rules.
- Photos of the attic hatch, the basement stairs and the rooms that are emptying.
- Where the truck can stop on your block, and whether the street has posted limits.
- A set-aside area for items that stay or go to family.
Questions people ask
Can a Westboro condo book a pickup without the board's approval?
Condo corporations set their own rules for lifts, loading areas and move-out hours. Check with the property manager first and send the booking window with your request. The hauler needs a lift or ground-floor route, and the manager may ask for a deposit or a time slot.
Why do old Westboro houses hold so much?
Houses from 1900–1960 have attics, cellars, back sheds and garages built for storage, and many stay in a family for decades. A single clear-out often covers several generations of furniture. Send room-by-room photos so the company can estimate in truck fractions.
Can the crew work from a narrow street?
That depends on the block and the hour. The City treats a parked work truck like any vehicle under its parking rules, and saves its street-use permits for things like deliveries, loading and a bin in the roadway. Describe your street in the request and the company says how it handles the stop.
I have a mix of fine antiques and junk. What happens?
Mark what you want to keep before the crew arrives and have the company confirm it will set aside anything usable for donation. A hauler loads what you point at, so a clear label or a separate room avoids mistakes.
What if the clear-out follows a death in the family?
Say so in the request and give the time window the executor has. Several visits may suit better, one for sorting and one for loading. The estate cleanout page lists what the company needs from the estate’s representative.
