How much does junk removal cost in Tampa Bay? What drives the price (2026)

Short answer: junk removal in Tampa Bay comes down to four things: how much of the truck your load fills, how hard it is to carry out, what the items are, and what the landfill or transfer station charges to take them. We don't publish a price list, because two "half-truck" jobs can be very different, but we always give you an up-front price before anything is loaded. Here's how each factor works, with official county disposal fees as of October 2026.

What drives the cost of junk removal?

Four factors set most of the price:

• Volume. How much space the load takes in the truck is the biggest factor. It's how we price, and it's easy to estimate from photos.
• Labor and access. A sleeper sofa coming down a staircase, through a narrow hallway or out of an attic takes more time than one rolled out of a garage. Disassembly counts here too.
• Item type. Some items cost more to get rid of than their size suggests. Refrigerators, freezers and AC units contain refrigerant, and concrete, tile, dirt and roofing shingles are heavy.
• Disposal fees. Every load ends at a landfill, transfer station, recycler or donation center, and most disposal sites charge by weight.

What do Tampa Bay disposal sites charge?

Disposal fees vary a lot between the three counties. As of October 2026:

• Hillsborough County (fiscal year October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027): commercial loads pay $148 a ton for processable waste and $109 a ton for non-processable waste, and yard and wood waste is $68 a ton. Mixed loads carry a surcharge of 2 times the processable rate, and tires cost $13 each without rims or $27 with rims (Hillsborough County fees (opens in a new tab)). Residents who haul to the Southeast County Landfill have paid the commercial per-ton rate since June 1, 2026 (Hillsborough County (opens in a new tab)).
• Pinellas County: the Solid Waste Disposal Complex charges $63.57 a ton for vehicles larger than a passenger vehicle, including pickups with a trailer attached, while unmodified pickups and vans pay a flat $11.75 a load. Extras include a $100-per-load contractor surcharge for materials that need more processing, a $110-per-load special handling fee for certain wastes, and $210 a ton for five or more tires (Pinellas County (opens in a new tab)).
• Pasco County: furniture, yard waste and mixed loads cost $104.03 a ton ($5.20 per 100 pounds), construction debris is accepted only at West Pasco Resource Recovery, and refrigerators and air conditioners are $3 each, with proof of Pasco residency (Pasco County (opens in a new tab)). An older County page still shows a lower rate, so check before you haul.

That's why sorting matters. In Hillsborough, clean yard waste costs less than half the processable rate, while a mixed load costs more.

Why does a hauler cost more than the city?

City and county bulk programs cost less per item because they're built into your residential trash service, and you do the carrying. For example, as of October 2026:

• The City of Tampa's SWEEP program collects one pile of up to 10 cubic yards a year at no extra cost for residential accounts, and an off-cycle special pickup costs $18.12 per cubic yard (City of Tampa (opens in a new tab)).
• In unincorporated Hillsborough County, a scheduled curbside bulky pickup costs $30 per item for furniture and mattresses, or $50 per item for appliances such as refrigerators, washers and water heaters (Hillsborough County (opens in a new tab)).
• St. Petersburg picks up furniture, carpet and appliances up to 3 cubic yards free, then charges $25.65 per cubic yard for other items (City of St. Petersburg (opens in a new tab)).
• New Port Richey's 2026 special-pickup rates run from $31.40 for large furniture to $37.68 for a large item (City of New Port Richey (opens in a new tab)).

What those programs don't do is the work. You move everything to the curb, follow the set-out rules and wait for the date, and many refuse building materials; SWEEP, for one, won't take fences, drywall or roofing. A hauler's price covers the crew, the truck, the trip to the disposal site, the disposal fees and the cleanup. If the free route fits your load, our bulk pickup guide lists each city's rules.

How Sunrise prices junk removal

We price junk removal by how much space your load takes in our truck, and you get the full price before we load anything. In practice:

• Free quotes. Text us a few photos and we can usually give you a close estimate; the crew confirms the final price on site, before loading.
• One price for the job. Labor, hauling, disposal and sweeping up are included.
• Single items. One couch or one fridge is welcome. Single items carry a minimum charge, and we tell you exactly what it is before we come out.
• Refrigerant appliances. Refrigerators, freezers and AC units go to facilities that handle refrigerant, and they can carry an extra disposal fee. Federal rules require the final person in the disposal chain to recover the refrigerant or verify it was recovered (EPA (opens in a new tab)). If your load has one, the fee is in your quote, not added later.
• Donations and recycling. We donate and recycle what we reasonably can.

Is a dump trailer rental cheaper than junk removal?

A dump trailer is often the lower-cost choice when you have the time and the hands to load it yourself. Our current rental prices:

• 10-yard dump trailer: $150 for one day or $300 for 3 days, with a 1-ton weight allowance.
• 15-yard dump trailer: $200 or $350, with a 1.5-ton weight allowance.
• 20-yard dump trailer: $250 or $400, with a 2-ton weight allowance.

Each extra day is $75, up to 14 days; our crew delivers and picks it up, and disposal is covered up to the weight allowance. Beyond that, it's $99 per ton. You book online and pay when we deliver. A trailer usually wins for a garage, a remodel or a cleanout spread over a weekend. Full-service removal usually wins for heavy items, stairs, a load that has to be gone fast, or anyone who shouldn't be lifting. Concrete, brick, tile, dirt and roofing shingles add weight fast, so ask us before loading a trailer with them. For more, read dumpster weight limits and dump trailer vs. junk removal, or go straight to dumpster rentals.

How to get an accurate quote

The quickest way to an accurate quote is to text photos to (656) 216-9704. Include:

1. One wide photo of everything that's going, taken from a few steps back.
2. A close-up of anything big or heavy, like a sleeper sofa, a treadmill or a refrigerator.
3. Where it is: second floor, attic, backyard or behind a gate.
4. Anything with refrigerant, any mattresses, and any concrete, tile, dirt or shingles.
5. Your ZIP code and the days that work for you.

Tell us what you want to keep or donate, and point out anything we can't take, like paint or propane tanks. We'll reply with a price, and the crew confirms it on site before loading, so there are no surprises. Ready now? Get a free junk removal quote, or see furniture and appliance removal.