What Milwaukee residents actually pay for junk removal

The short answer

Two price structures, and you pay whichever is lower.

Per item, flat. A sofa is $126. A queen mattress is $103. A refrigerator is $164. Every item has a published number.

Per truck fraction, flat. 1/4 truck $241, 3/8 $338, 1/2 $431, 5/8 $513, 3/4 $587, 7/8 $661, full truck $732.

The minimum per visit is $75. Nothing is added for stairs, for a long carry from an alley garage, for same-day service, or for winter. Below are eight jobs we actually run in this city, with the arithmetic written out.

1. One couch out of a Bay View upper — $126

The most common single call in Milwaukee. Two-flat, upper unit, enclosed rear staircase with a ninety-degree turn on the landing, no driveway, truck on the street.

$126. That is the sofa price and there is nothing added to it. Not for the three flights, not for the turn, not for carrying it the length of the block to where the truck could park.

If the loveseat goes too: $126 + $119 = $245.

2. A bedroom set from a Riverwest flat — $269

Tenant left the bed. Queen mattress, box spring, no frame.

• Mattress + box spring set (queen) — $143
• Dresser (standard) — $126

$143 + $126 = $269.

Note the set price. Booking the mattress and box spring separately would be $103 + $92 = $195 instead of $143 — a $52 difference for ticking the wrong box. Always book the set if both are going.

3. A basement laundry replacement in Washington Heights — $261

New machines being delivered; the old pair has to come up the basement stairs first, because the delivery crew will not do it.

• Washer — $133
• Dryer — $128

$133 + $128 = $261. Up a steep bungalow basement stair with a low header at the top, or out through the bulkhead doors if they open. Same price either way.

4. A student flat on the Lower East Side in May — $452

Third-floor walk-up near UWM, lease up, everything staying behind.

• Futon — $111
• Mattress — twin — $82
• Desk (standard) — $83
• Office chair — $61
• Mini fridge — $115

$111 + $82 + $83 + $61 + $115 = $452 itemized. Compare against a three-eighths truck at $338 — if it all fits, that is the cheaper route by $452 − $338 = $114. This is exactly the crossover the online quote checks for you.

5. A detached garage in West Allis — $587

Two-car off the alley, fifteen years of accumulation, plus the rafter loft.

Itemized it came to $761 — mower $65, charcoal grill $59, patio table $89, four patio chairs at $30 each ($120), two bicycles at $37 each ($74), a dead chest freezer $146, and a large junk pile $208, which is $65 + $59 + $89 + $120 + $74 + $146 + $208 = $761.

As a three-quarter truck it is $587, saving $761 − $587 = $174. For anything garage-sized, volume nearly always wins.

6. A hot tub in a Tosa backyard — $322

Frozen and cracked two winters ago, sitting on a rear deck, access through a gangway barely wider than a person.

$322, flat — including cutting the shell into sections that will actually leave the yard. No difficult-access charge, which on a narrow Milwaukee lot is the whole point.

With the rest of the yard going in the same visit: hot tub $322, patio table $89, four patio chairs at $30 each ($120) and a propane grill $71, which is $322 + $89 + $120 + $71 = $602.

7. A one-bedroom apartment cleanout in Bay View — $587

Upper unit, fully furnished, tenant gone, landlord re-letting in a week.

Itemized: sofa $126, mattress and box spring set $143, bed frame $68, dresser $126, dining table $103, two dining chairs at $45 each ($90), a TV $68, and a medium junk pile $129 — which is $126 + $143 + $68 + $126 + $103 + $90 + $68 + $129 = $853.

As a three-quarter truck it is $587, saving $853 − $587 = $266. Full apartments almost always price better by volume.

8. An estate in Jackson Park — $1,328

Bungalow, same family since 1961, the heirs have taken what they wanted.

• Full truck — $732
• Upright piano — $290
• Cabinet / china hutch — $160
• Freezer (chest, from the basement) — $146

$732 + $290 + $160 + $146 = $1,328.

If the basement and the alley garage go as well, that is a second full truck: $732 + $732 = $1,464 before the heavy pieces. We tell you it is two trucks before we start.

What is never on the bill

• No stair charge. Upper flats, Polish flat stoops, East Side walk-ups, bungalow attic half-storys, basement stairs. All included.
• No long-carry charge. Walking the length of a narrow lot to a truck in the alley is standard here.
• No disposal fee. Hauling and disposal are inside the flat price, not billed after.
• No same-day surcharge. If a slot is open today, today costs what next Tuesday costs.
• No winter surcharge. November through April is normal operating season in this city.

The pattern across all eight

Single items and pairs price better itemized. Anything above roughly four substantial pieces usually prices better by truck fraction. Garages, apartments and estates are essentially always volume jobs.

You do not have to work out which side you are on. Put the whole list into the online quote and it compares both structures and shows you the lower number, before you book anything.

Frequently asked questions