How much does junk removal cost in Tennessee?

Most homeowners spend $150 to $350 on junk removal, with a national average of $210, per HomeGuide. Angi’s July 2026 update puts its national average at $241. For Chattanooga, the cost site homeyou lists a typical range of $221 to $243. One bulky item costs less, and a full truck load costs more.

The figures below are published market ranges and city fees. None of them is a Three Crosses Land Services rate card. The real number comes from the pile itself: how much space it fills and how much it weighs.

At Three Crosses Land Services, we load junk and haul it off with a dump trailer. Our junk removal service takes household junk like couches, mattresses, dressers and appliances. It covers garage, shed and estate cleanouts, yard waste, brush piles and storm debris. We also haul the light demolition debris a project left behind.

Hazardous material stays behind, including paint, chemicals, fuel and propane. Tires and some appliances have their own rules at the disposal site, so ask about them when you call. The tear down itself belongs to a demolition contractor. We do not rent dumpsters.

What does junk removal cost by the load?

HomeGuide’s price list goes by how much of the truck the junk fills. A minimum load of up to 60 cubic feet runs $70 to $100. A full load of 420 to 480 cubic feet runs $400 to $450.

HomeGuide says one full junk truck load equals around 4 pickup truckloads. It also gives a rough rate of about $1.50 per cubic foot.

The guides split at the top end. LawnStarter puts a full truckload around $675, well above HomeGuide’s $400 to $450. A full load means whatever fits in that company’s truck, so ask how big the truck is.

For Chattanooga, homeyou’s estimate for 6 cubic yards of construction debris comes to $222 to $244. Six cubic yards is 162 cubic feet, a bit under HomeGuide’s half load.

What does it cost to haul away one item?

Expect a minimum charge. Angi says a single bulky item usually carries a minimum between $60 and $150. LawnStarter puts the lowest average rate for single items or small loads around $90.

Surcharges come on top of the load price, so ask about them before the truck shows up. HomeGuide prices one mattress at $70 to $100, the same as its minimum load. If a few other pieces are waiting, put them on the same visit.

What will the city pick up, and what does it refuse?

Chattanooga and Collegedale both collect bulky household trash from residents, within limits. Chattanooga’s bulk pickup takes mattresses, heavy appliances, furniture, water heaters, carpet and padding, BBQ grills, large toys and TVs. It refuses building materials, lumber, tires, brick, concrete, drywall, pallets, railroad ties, dirt, glass and hazardous materials.

Chattanooga crews sweep each area of the city on a rotating schedule. Piles go to the curb by 7:00 a.m. on the Monday of your collection week. Each property gets up to 12 bulky trash collections in any 12 month period. Businesses, apartment complexes and landlords are not eligible.

City residents can also drive bulky trash to a Chattanooga refuse collection center. The centers allow no tandem axle trailers, dump bodies, or trucks larger than a standard pickup. Contractors and businesses are not allowed, and residents get up to 12 visits a calendar year. Unlike curbside pickup, the centers take lumber, up to one truck of drywall, and tires, max 4, auto only.

Collegedale runs a monthly large trash pickup, limited to one pickup truck load (4x8x4) per household. It takes furniture, mattresses and box springs, washers and dryers, stoves, and refrigerators and freezers with the doors removed. It refuses fencing, deck wood, pallets, tires, and construction and remodeling materials. Past one load, the city tells residents to rent a dumpster.

HomeGuide counts about 4 pickup truckloads to one full junk truck load, so a single pickup load lands between its minimum load and its half load. A cleanout bigger than that is where a paid hauler or a dumpster comes in.

City brush pickup in Chattanooga will not collect land clearing debris. The city’s Wood Recycling Center on North Hawthorne Street takes brush and leaves. City residents pay nothing there in a standard size pickup or a single axle trailer. Non-residents, businesses and contractors pay $20.00 a ton.

A brush pile too big to haul yourself is a job for yard waste and brush pile hauling. After a storm, a tree still standing is a separate job, covered in what tree removal costs in Tennessee.

Is a dumpster cheaper than a junk hauler?

Not always. HomeGuide puts the average dumpster rental at $300 to $800. Its price list puts a full hauler load at $400 to $450, so the two ranges overlap.

The bigger difference is the work. With a dumpster, you do all the lifting and loading yourself. A hauler loads the junk and leaves with it. A dumpster suits a project that fills up over several days, like a remodel.

Hauling it yourself cuts the bill if you own a truck. HomeGuide puts a landfill run at around $50 when you dump it yourself. Hiring a pro to take an average size load to the landfill runs $70 to $150, per HomeGuide.

What moves the price up or down?

Size and weight move it most, so the published ranges run wide. HomeGuide’s range is $70 to $570, and Angi’s is $60 to $700 or more. Angi adds that location moves the price 10% to 20% above or below the national average.

Heavy loads cost more to dump. Shingles, wet brush and soaked lumber weigh far more than couches that fill the same space. Local disposal sites charge by the ton. Chattanooga’s City Landfill on Birchwood Pike posts $40 a ton for garbage, with a $30.50 minimum charge.

Access matters too. A pile beside the driveway loads faster than one behind a fence gate or up a flight of stairs.

How do you read a junk removal quote?

Check what the number covers. HomeGuide’s tip is to confirm the quote includes pickup, loading, taxes, dump fees and mileage. A quote missing one of those can grow on the day.

Ask whether the price is by the load or by the item, and which items carry a surcharge. A few photos of the pile get a closer number than a description over the phone.

For junk hauling around Chattanooga, we look at the pile and set the price before anything gets loaded. The estimate is free.

Getting a real number for your junk pile

A published range gets you in the ballpark. The price for your load comes from seeing it. A free estimate puts someone in front of the pile to size it and check the path to the trailer.

When you call or text, give a rough list of what is in the pile. Point out anything heavy, like appliances, shingles or wet brush.

Every dollar figure above comes from a cost guide or a city fee schedule. None of it is a Three Crosses Land Services price.

Three Crosses Land Services is a veteran-owned family business based just north of Chattanooga, TN. We are licensed and insured, and we work across Chattanooga, Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. To get a pile loaded and hauled off, call or text (423) 260-5675.