Nobody likes moving. It’s an expensive, stressful, time-consuming chore, but it’s also a necessary evil. When you’re moving out of your home or apartment, you concentrate on the move itself, all the packing and organizing, then unpacking and reorganizing.
Unfortunately, that means people often forget about what happens AFTER the big move. In fact, many people forget to make arrangements for garbage pickup altogether. And since so many of us take moving day as an excuse to declutter and pare down our belongings, that can mean a huge amount of trash left behind.
Many of us never contemplated the meaning of those “No Dumping” signs until the end of a big move. So unless you want to haul your old junk out to the city dump on your own, then you need to plan ahead for garbage removal services. Usually, you have four main options:
Option 1: Leave It!
So you’re leaving trash behind for your jerk landlord, big deal right? It’s not your problem.
Well, actually it is your problem. Besides being a crummy way to treat the neighborhood you’re leaving behind, your landlord is 100% sure to take any cleaning or trash removal costs out of your security deposit. Not only that, but some cities will actually fine residents who leave mattresses and old furniture out on the curb.
Don’t do it!
Option 2: Call the City Trash Removal Department
Some cities will allow you to arrange a special trash pick up, but do not assume your weekly garbage pickup can accommodate all your extra stuff! Just because you leave an old futon, 15 bags of garbage, and your broken box spring mattress on the side of the road doesn’t mean the garbage truck will pick it up. Always call ahead and warn the removal service of how much trash and debris you need removed.
Option 3: Craigslist
Listing your extra items on Craigslist is a good way to make a few extra bucks, if you have months to sit around and wait. Even then, you may never hear from anyone. But here’s a pro tip: list the items you want to get rid of under the free section, and watch as a caravan of junkers stops by to pick up your old stuff. Just remember, this is handy for getting rid of furniture, but won’t help you with trash removal.
Option 4: Hire Commercial Garbage Pickup
If you’ve never paid for extra garbage removal before, simply talk to your moving company about the best way to get rid of trash on moving day. There are likely commercial garbage removal services near you that can offer low trash removal costs on moving day.