Rubbish Removal FAQs
At Junkbusters, we’re committed to making rubbish removal simple, stress-free, and straightforward. Below, you’ll find answers to the questions we’re most often asked, giving you all the extra detail you might need. If there’s anything we haven’t covered or if you’d just prefer to speak with someone; our team is available 7 days a week by phone, email, or live chat. We’re always happy to help.
What rubbish can you remove?
We can remove most waste from domestic and commercial properties, as long as it’s safe and compliant to do so. If you’re unsure about an item, just ask our team.
We can remove a wide range of household and commercial waste. This includes most bulky items such as sofas, armchairs, beds, divans, tables, chairs, cupboards, and desks, as well as electrical waste (WEEE) like lamps, bulbs, microwaves, ovens, cookers, computers, hair dryers, and toasters. If you’re unsure whether your items qualify, just get in touch, we’re happy to advise.
We can collect heavy or dense materials such as bricks, rubble, soil, and plasterboard, but only in limited amounts for safety reasons. If you have larger volumes of these waste types, our skip hire service will be a more suitable and cost-effective option.
Some materials can’t be removed through our standard service due to health, safety, or compliance regulations. This includes raw food and meat (Category 3 ABP waste), licensed or unlicensed asbestos, needles or sharps, and chemicals or solvents (including most paints). However, we may still be able to help – contact our team first, and we can often arrange a tailored solution.
Location of your waste
If the area is safe and accessible, we can remove waste from most parts of your property.
We can collect rubbish from:
· Indoors, including upstairs rooms
· Outdoors, such as gardens and yards
Most accessible areas are acceptable.
We cannot collect waste from unsafe or high-risk locations, including: Attics or lofts, damaged or unstable stairs, and areas requiring unsafe access, such as crossing a dual carriageway
If you’re unsure about your location, we’re happy to advise.
Preparing your rubbish for removal
We’re a man-and-van service designed to make clearance simple. Our team (one or two people depending on your load) will handle most of the work for you.
No. We can collect rubbish from indoors, upstairs, or outside, as long as the area is safe to access. If you won’t be home during collection, placing it somewhere accessible is helpful but not required.
Not usually. We’re happy to gather items ourselves. If small loose waste is spread over a large area, bagging it can help ensure everything is collected and avoid extra time or charges.
No. We can collect items from multiple rooms or areas on your property. Keeping waste in one spot can speed up the process and make quoting easier, but it’s completely optional.
Estimating and quoting
We charge based on the estimated volume of waste collected and provide a fixed quote before any work begins. Our pricing assumes a maximum weight of 100kg per cubic yard (0.76m³). Heavier materials like bricks, rubble, or soil may cost more, and in larger quantities a skip may be the better option.
It can be difficult to judge volume yourself, so we offer a few ways to help. As a guide, two small washing machines equal roughly one cubic yard. You can also send us a list of items, a description, or ideally a photo. This helps us provide a more accurate estimate before you book.
Most bulky household waste weighs around 50–60 kg per cubic yard. Heavy materials, like bricks or soil, can weigh up to 1 tonne per cubic yard, which may affect cost or require a skip instead. General guides:
· A single brick ≈ 2 kg
· A rubble sack ≈ 20–30 kg
· A tonne bag of heavy waste ≈ 350–1000 kg
For typical household rubbish, weight usually isn’t a concern. If you need precise weight-based pricing, we can arrange a bespoke service using a calibrated weighbridge.
Bookings
You can book online 24/7 or by phone, 7 days a week.
We take a £59.99 call-out fee for flexible loads, or the full amount for fixed-load bookings. Waste charges are added based on what we collect on the day.
Yes. You can prepay online or by phone when booking. This speeds things up on the day and is useful if you won’t be home. Many customers prefer our fixed-load options for this reason.
You can pay online or over the phone at the time of booking, or pay our team on arrival if preferred.
You only pay for what we remove.
· If there’s more: We’ll re-quote and take payment for the extra.
· If there’s less: We’ll reduce the cost and refund the difference for prepaid flexible loads.
We can usually clear additional waste on the same visit.
Yes. We offer fixed pricing based on load size and set prices for specific items, such as sofa collections. These fixed-price services are usually prepaid.
Yes. You can choose all-day, AM, PM, or 2-hour time slots. All-day slots allow us to plan the most efficient and eco-friendly route. Minor timing variations can occur if earlier jobs take longer.
Yes. You can update your booking anytime via your account, or by calling or emailing us. We can usually accommodate most changes.
Yes. You can cancel anytime before we’re on our way. Refunds are issued promptly but may take up to 5 working days to show in your account.
Some items require specialist disposal, so additional charges apply:
· Fridges / freezers / air-con units: £45 each
· Large commercial fridges: Higher charges apply
· TVs / monitors / laptops: £15 each
· Mattresses: £30 each
· Tyres: £6 each
These fees reflect the extra processing needed to handle hazardous or hard-to-recycle materials.
Arrival
We offer AM, PM, and 2-hour time slots. By default, customers are booked for an all-day window so we can plan efficient, eco-friendly routes. If you prefer a 2-hour premium slot, it’s available for £25. Our usual operating hours are 8am–8pm, with flexibility in exceptional cases.
We are on time in the vast majority of cases. Occasionally delays happen if a previous job takes longer than expected, but we’ll keep you updated and notify you as soon as we’re on the way
If we ever miss a paid 2-hour slot, we’ll refund the £25. You can choose a free alternative time slot or keep your booking and still receive the refund.
You’ll receive an SMS and email with your ETA, the attending vehicle, and a live tracking link. You’ll usually get at least 30 minutes’ notice. We can also call on approach if requested.
No. As long as the waste is clearly identifiable and you’ve prepaid or are immediately contactable, we can collect without you present. Sending a photo beforehand helps avoid any confusion. If payment can’t be taken or the waste isn’t clear, the collection may not proceed and re-attendance charges could apply.
Yes. We operate over 150 company-owned vehicles and nearly 300 directly employed staff, ensuring consistent service nationwide. All vehicles are GPS-tracked.
We use a mixed fleet, including Luton-style vans, cage tippers, and sprinter vans for low access areas. Any vehicle may be used and the pricing is based on volume collected, not vehicle type, so this won’t affect cost.
Yes. Over 90% of our fleet meets EURO 6 standards, and our lightweight chassis vehicles produce significantly lower emissions. We do not use old vehicles or HGVs for collections.
You’re responsible for ensuring safe parking. If paid parking is required, we will ask you to cover the cost.
Not usually. Extra charges only apply in exceptional cases, such as:
· Parking restrictions requiring long-distance access
· High-rise buildings where lifts are unavailable
· Restricted-access or high-security buildings
· Waste located far from the road or in fields
Removing your rubbish on the day
Yes. When we arrive, we’ll assess your waste and confirm the final price (unless you’ve booked a fixed-price service like sofa removal).
We can remove more or less waste than planned – if anything changes, we’ll quote the difference before starting. In most cases, the final price is agreed upfront unless hidden materials (e.g., bricks under rubbish) are discovered
We can usually clear as much as you need. If there's extra waste, we’ll explain the revised cost and proceed only if you're happy.
No problem; it happens. If the actual load is very different from the estimate or there was a misunderstanding, we may be able to refund the call-out charge. This is reviewed case by case, but we aim to be fair and understanding.
If additional payment is needed, we take card payment at the start of the job.
· No cash is accepted
· We take all major cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
· Payments are securely processed through our team’s PCI-compliant tablets
· Card details are never stored
Waste Documentation & Duty of Care
Every customer receives an electronic Waste Transfer Note, emailed after the job along with your receipt. This document includes the collection time and date, vehicle registration, waste type, and volume. Once your waste is processed at a local facility, we can also provide the disposal site and recycling rate – typically over 95% nationwide.
Your waste is taken to a local, audited Waste Transfer Station where it is sorted and processed. Most materials are recycled, and we consistently achieve a landfill diversion rate above 95%. We can share these details with you once the waste has been tipped.
