1-800-GOT-JUNK alternatives in Portland

The six options

Ranked by how often they are the right answer for a Portland household, not by how much we would like you to pick them.

• Flat-rate pickup with published prices — a known number before dispatch, carry included.
• On-site-estimate national franchises — established, volume-priced, quoted at your door.
• Local independent haulers — often excellent, variable on paperwork.
• Dumpster rental — a container, not a service.
• Donation and reuse — free, and this city is unusually good at it.
• Self-haul to the Metro transfer stations — cheapest in money, most expensive in Saturday.

1. Flat-rate pickup with published prices

What it is: you pick the items, see the total, and book a window. The price includes two people, the carry from wherever the thing sits, and the disposal.

Published Portland rates: sofa $126, loveseat $119, queen mattress $103, mattress and box spring set $143, refrigerator $164, washer $133, dryer $128, hot tub $322, quarter truck load $241, half $431, full $732. Visit minimum $75. No sales tax in Oregon.

Good at: knowing the number in advance, jobs involving stairs, and anything where a surprise at the curb would be a problem — a closing, a walkthrough, an estate being cleared by someone out of state.

Less good at: genuinely shapeless jobs where nobody can describe what is in the basement, though the truck-fill ladder covers that too.

2. National franchises that estimate on site

What it is: a crew comes out, looks at the pile, and quotes against how much of their truck it fills. 1-800-GOT-JUNK is the best-known operator on this model and plenty of Portlanders use them without incident.

Good at: big shapeless jobs, established process, wide availability.

Less good at: the moment of the quote. In Portland that moment happens with a truck double-parked on a narrow eastside street with cars both sides, sometimes in a permit zone, while you do arithmetic in your own entryway. Nobody makes a calm decision there.

We are not going to invent numbers for them. Ask them for a figure, ask us, compare. The difference we would point at is the model, not the money.

3. Local independent haulers

What it is: a small operator with a truck, often one or two people, often very good at the work.

Good at: flexibility, local knowledge, and a personal relationship if you use them repeatedly.

Less good at: paperwork and scale. The questions to ask are the same ones you should ask anyone — is there a written quote, is disposal included, is there a stair or long-carry charge, where does the load go, are you insured and can you produce a certificate.

That last one is not optional if you live in a Pearl, Lloyd or South Waterfront mid-rise, because the building will not release the service elevator without it.

4. Dumpster rental

What it is: a container delivered, filled by you, collected later.

Good at: renovations that run over days or weeks, suburban properties in Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard or Happy Valley with a real driveway, and DIY work where you are already the labor.

Less good at: almost everything about an inner-eastside lot. A container in the public right of way generally needs a permit — check the current requirements for your jurisdiction. There is often nowhere to put it on a narrow street with no alley and cars parked solid. Mature street trees limit where a roll-off truck can drop. And an open container between October and June fills with rain, which pushes you into weight overage.

Critically, the labor is still yours. The container does not carry your washer up the basement stairs.

5. Donation and reuse

What it is: free, and Portland is genuinely better at this than most cities. Community Warehouse, the ReStore-style building-materials operations, architectural salvage yards, SCRAP for craft materials, Free Geek for electronics, the thrift shops along Hawthorne and Mississippi, and an active Buy Nothing network.

Good at: tools, bikes, building materials, solid wood and mid-century furniture, books, records, kitchenware, working computers.

Less good at: the categories this climate destroys. Mildewed upholstery, swollen particleboard, mattresses, anything out of a carport or under a tarp. Also pickup — the volunteer-run trucks book weeks out and do not do basements.

Use it first. Give it one week with a deadline. Then handle the remainder.

6. Self-haul to Metro

What it is: load it yourself and drive to Metro Central off Highway 30 or Metro South in Oregon City, paying by weight at the gate. Check the current rate before planning around it.

Good at: one or two light items when you already own a truck.

Less good at: the full accounting. Rental, mileage, fuel, a second person, straps, the gate fee, and the fact that a full basement never fits in one trip. Wet loads weigh more, which in Portland is most of the year.

Which one fits your job

• One couch, one mattress, one appliance. Flat-rate pickup. Sofa $126, queen mattress $103, refrigerator $164.
• A basement or a garage. Flat-rate on the truck ladder — quarter $241, half $431 — or an on-site-estimate franchise if you prefer that model.
• A renovation over two weeks with a driveway. Dumpster.
• Good solid furniture and tools. Donation first, always.
• A single light item and you own a pickup. Self-haul.
• An estate, a closing, or anything with a deadline. Flat-rate with a written number and a named window.

The one test that applies to all of them

Get a number in writing before a truck comes to your house, whoever you use. Then check that it includes disposal and that there is no stair, walk-up or long-carry charge — which matters more in this city than in most, because the actual job is nearly always a steep basement stair, a 30-inch original doorway, or a detached garage 80 feet back on a deep lot.

Worked totals to compare against, addition shown: sofa + queen set = $126 + $143 = $269. Washer + dryer = $133 + $128 = $261. Fridge + basement chest freezer = $164 + $146 = $310.

Frequently asked questions