Junk Removal in Portland
Metro Transfer Station vs.
Junk Removal in Portland
You can load your own truck and haul it to Metro Central or Metro South yourself — the disposal receipt is often cheap. But the receipt isn't the real cost: there's the $30 scale fee, the per-ton tipping charge, the truck you need, and loading everything twice by hand. Full-service junk removal is one flat photo-quoted price where we load it and carry it out — no truck, no tip run. Here's the honest math on both, so you can pick the right one.
What Metro's transfer stations actually charge
Metro — the elected regional government — runs the disposal system for the tri-county core, which is genuinely convenient: one clean authority, two public stations. Metro Central sits at 6161 NW 61st Ave in Portland's northwest industrial belt (near Highway 30), serving the west and north side; Metro South is at 2001 Washington St in Oregon City, serving the south and east side. Both take household junk, and both meter self-haul customers the same way:
- ~$125–$145 a ton for mixed solid waste (the per-weight tipping rate).
- ~$37–$51 minimum charge for small loads of about 240 lb or under — you pay the minimum even if your load is light.
- $30 staffed-scale transaction fee for public/self-haul customers (commercial accounts pay a fraction of that, around $8 automated — but a homeowner in a pickup pays the $30).
- +$25 per ton uncovered-load penalty (roughly $3 on a minimum load) if your load isn't tarped or covered on the way in.
- Coolant appliances — fridges, freezers, ACs, dehumidifiers — accepted for a fee, limit 5 per day, and they require EPA-certified freon recovery.
Figures are from Metro's 2026 rate & fee schedule and are approximate; confirm the current per-ton rate at the scale or on oregonmetro.gov.
The part the receipt doesn't show
Here's where a "cheap" tip run gets expensive. The Metro receipt only prices the disposal — it says nothing about everything you supply to get there. You need a truck or trailer (a couch or a mattress won't fit a sedan). You do the loading, which for a basement or a garage cleanout is the whole hard part — up the stairs, across the yard, into the bed. You drive across town to NW 61st or Oregon City in traffic, burn the fuel, and pay for it in time. You tarp the load or eat the penalty. Then you unload it all again onto the tipping floor by hand. And if it doesn't all fit in one trip, you do the round trip twice. For a heavy or awkward load — a chest freezer, a sleeper sofa, a truck-fill of damp basement boxes — the tipping fee is the small number.
What full-service replaces
With JunkRabbit, you send a photo and get a flat price back in seconds that already includes the Metro tipping fees, the labor, the truck, and the drive. A vetted crew shows up, loads it — out of the basement, down the walk-up, out of the garage — and hauls it, same day when a slot's open. You never touch a scale, tarp a load, or make two trips. And because we divert what we can — donation, free mattress recycling, Oregon E-Cycles for electronics, metal recycling for appliances — less of your load actually gets tipped at Metro's per-ton rate, which is part of how a flat price stays fair. The trade is simple: you pay more than a bare tipping fee, and in return you skip the truck, the loading, the drive, and the second trip.
Side by side
| Self-haul to Metro | JunkRabbit (full-service) | |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal cost | ~$125–$145/ton, ~$37–$51 min + $30 scale fee | Included in the flat price |
| Who loads it | You, by hand, twice | Our crew, out of the home |
| Vehicle | Your truck or trailer | Ours |
| Drive & time | Across town + unload, per trip | None — we come to you |
| Uncovered-load penalty | +$25/ton if untarped | Not your problem |
| Coolant appliances | Fee + freon recovery, limit 5/day | Freon handled, metal recycled, included |
| Speed | As fast as you can load & drive | Same day when a slot's open |
| Sales tax | None (Oregon) | None (Oregon) |
When self-hauling to Metro is the right call
We'll say it plainly, because it's true: if you already own a truck, the load is small and light enough to lift alone, and you don't mind the drive, self-hauling to Metro is a perfectly good, low-cost way to get rid of junk — and for a single trip of clean, easy material it can beat a full-service price on dollars. A few boxes, some scrap lumber, a busted patio chair you can toss in the bed? Tarp it, run it to NW 61st, pay the minimum and the scale fee, and you're done. We'd rather you know that than overpay for a crew you didn't need. Metro's stations are a real public asset and worth using when the job fits them.
When it's worth paying to skip the trip
The self-haul math flips the moment any of these is true — and in Portland, with real basements and dense walk-ups, at least one usually is:
- You don't own a truck. Renting one plus fuel plus the tipping fee often costs more than a flat full-service price, before you've lifted a thing.
- The loading is the hard part. A full basement, an attic, a packed garage — carrying it out is the labor you're actually trying to avoid, and the tip is trivial by comparison.
- It's heavy or hazardous to lift. A chest freezer, a king mattress, a sleeper sofa down two flights — that's what an insured crew is for.
- It won't fit in one trip. Two round trips to Oregon City erases any savings fast.
- You've got coolant appliances. Freon recovery and the 5-per-day limit are a hassle to manage yourself; we just handle it.
A real example: a garage cleanout
Picture a full one-car garage — old furniture, a dead chest freezer, yard tools, a dozen damp boxes. Self-haul: you rent or borrow a truck, spend a Saturday loading it (the freezer alone is a two-person job), tarp it, drive to Metro Central, pay the per-ton rate plus the $30 scale fee plus the coolant-appliance fee, unload it all by hand, and quite possibly come back for a second load. With us: one flat photo-quoted truck-fill — a quarter-truck from $241, a half at $431, a full load at $732 — the crew carries every bit of it out, recovers the freezer's freon, recycles the metal, routes the usable furniture to donation, and it's usually gone same day, with no sales tax on the total. The Metro receipt might read lower; the actual cost, once your truck and your Saturday count, usually doesn't.
What Portland customers say
"I priced out a trip to Metro South and it looked cheap until I added up the truck rental and the two trips it would've taken. One flat price and they carried the whole basement out for me. No contest."
"Old fridge and freezer out of the garage. Metro charges a coolant fee and limits how many you can bring, and I still had to haul them there. These guys handled the freon and the metal, flat number, done. Way easier."
"Honest crew — I had a few light boxes and they told me straight up I could just run those to Metro myself and save money. Used them for the big cleanout instead. That kind of honesty earns the call."
Metro vs. junk removal, answered
How much does it cost to dump at Metro?
Roughly $125–$145 a ton, a ~$37–$51 minimum for small loads, plus a $30 staffed-scale transaction fee for self-haul, and a $25/ton penalty on uncovered loads — before your own truck and time.
Where are the transfer stations?
Metro Central, 6161 NW 61st Ave in Portland (west/north side), and Metro South, 2001 Washington St in Oregon City (south/east side).
Is self-hauling cheaper?
On the receipt, often — but not once you count the truck, the fuel, the loading, the drive, and a possible second trip. For a full or heavy load, a flat full-service price usually wins.
Can I take a fridge to Metro myself?
Yes, but coolant appliances need EPA freon recovery and are limited to 5 per day for a fee. We handle the freon and recycle the metal, included.
Do you charge sales tax?
No — Oregon has none, and our flat price already includes the Metro tipping fees, so the quote is the total.
What if I only have one small item?
Then self-haul or the city curbside program is likely cheapest, and we'll tell you so. Full-service earns its price on full loads, heavy items, no truck, or same-day needs.
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