The junk removal cost Montreal homeowners pay in 2026 starts around $400 for a partial load and $950 for a full 5-tonne truckload, quoted per project. Volume, stairs and access, material type, and sorting drive the price — and for a few curbside items, the City’s residential collection is free.
Junk Removal Cost Montreal: The 2026 Ranges
| Scope | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Partial load — a few rooms’ worth, or several large items at once | From $400 |
| Full 5-tonne truckload — whole-apartment, garage, or estate cleanout | From $950 |
| Junk removal + demolition combo — gut and haul-away in one contract | Quoted per project |
These are typical starting points, not quotes. Photos or a quick site visit turn them into a firm number — volume, access, and what’s actually in the pile all move the price.
What’s Inside the Price
- Crew and loading labour: real movers doing the carrying, not you.
- The truck: a 5-tonne box holds several pickup-truck loads in one trip.
- Disposal and tip fees: transfer sites charge by weight — heavy materials like concrete, plaster, and ceramic push a job toward the top of its range.
- Sorting: metal, wood, and recyclables are separated so less goes to landfill.
- Protection: hallways, stairs, and door frames covered on the way out.
Access is the quiet cost driver. A third-floor walk-up, a narrow basement staircase, or a backyard shed with no lane access adds crew time — that’s usually what pushes a job from the bottom of its range toward the top, not the junk itself.
The Free Option: Montréal’s Curbside Collection
Before paying anyone, check whether the City will take it. Montréal runs a free bulky-item and construction-debris collection — but it’s reserved for houses and residential buildings, it runs on your borough’s schedule, and volume and weight caps apply per collection (your borough’s page lists them). Businesses, schools, and institutions can’t use it at all — they have to hire a private hauler.
Free works fine for a couch or an appliance you can get to the curb on the right week. It stops working for a full 3½ of accumulated contents, mixed renovation debris, a deadline (a sale closing, a lease ending, an estate), or anything the accepted-materials list excludes. That’s the point where a paid crew earns its price.
When Junk Removal Pairs with Demolition
A lot of our cleanout calls end in the same sentence: “and while you’re here, the wall’s coming down too.” Because DemoPrep is a demolition contractor first, a packed basement and the gut that follows can run as one contract and one bill — that’s the cheapest way to buy both, since the truck and the team are already on site. The cleanout side is part of our junk removal service in Montréal.
One hard rule: anything asbestos-suspect — vermiculite insulation, old floor tiles, plaster in pre-1990 homes — never goes in the truck. It gets tested and handled through our asbestos removal process first. A hauler who just throws it in the box is creating a problem you’ll own later.
When to Call a Professional
If the pile is bigger than a curb-week, the building has stairs, the deadline is real, or demolition is part of the plan — get a number instead of guessing.
For junk removal with real crews and a real truck across Greater Montréal, Get your free quote — fast response.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to clear a 3½ apartment?
Most 3½ cleanouts land between the partial-load and full-truckload marks, depending on how full the place actually is. A lightly furnished unit sits near the bottom of the partial-load range; a packed one with appliances runs toward the full-truckload price. Photos get you a firm quote the same day.
Why do some companies advertise $99 junk removal?
Advertised minimums usually cover a single small item in a pickup-size box, with volume pricing stacking up fast after that. A 5-tonne truckload is a different class of job — compare the price of emptying the whole space, not the teaser rate.
Can I just use the City’s free pickup instead?
If you’re in a house or residential building, the items are on the accepted list, and you can wait for your borough’s collection day — yes, and you should. Businesses can’t use the municipal collection, and neither can anyone whose pile exceeds the caps or includes excluded materials.
Do you charge per item?
No per-item menu. The quote is per project — volume, access, and material type — with a free assessment first, so the number you approve is the number you pay.