Cheap Junk Removal: Why Everyone Loses
Junk Removal, Ethics, Community
Our Colorado Springs community is facing a serious problem involving illegitimate junk removal operators who partake in unethical business practices and illegal dumping. Because of the relatively low barrier to entry into the junk removal industry, illegitimate operators often acquire a pickup truck and advertise their “junk removal services” online via social media channels like Facebook and Craigslist. These individuals often operate under a fake company name (one not registered with the Colorado Secretary of State) or an online alias, and almost always operate without proper business insurance. Because these illegitimate operators typically undercut legitimate junk removal companies to win jobs, they often illegally dump items in empty lots, apartment dumpsters, or (rather boldly) dispose of “junk” items on the side of the road – harming both the environment and our local community.
We’ve all seen posts like these in local Facebook groups:
(Real posts from local Colorado Springs Facebook groups, The 411 For The 719 and Colorado Springs Junk Removal)
Unfortunately, posts like these often attract those illegitimate operators who promote “cheap junk removal” services.
The following is based on a true story… one that plays out almost daily in Colorado Springs. Let’s walk through a scenario together:
Suppose you recently moved into a new house in Colorado Springs. Over the past week of settling in, you’ve accumulated some “junk” in your yard: quite a few cardboard boxes, a dresser that got damaged during the move, and some old plywood left behind by the previous owner. It’s nothing extreme, but your HOA just left a notice about your growing junk pile, demanding it be removed.
You’re already short on time with all of the unpacking you’ve been doing, so it wouldn’t make sense to go rent a truck, spend 20 minutes loading up the junk, 45 minutes driving out to the landfill, however much money paying the dump fee, and 45 minutes driving back into town to return the rental truck (and hopefully without any new scratches or flat tires).
You need someone else to do it. So, what do you do? You search “Colorado Springs junk removal” on Google. After calling around to the top five highest rated companies listed online, you learn that they all have a similarly priced minimum pickup fee, and they all prefer to see the items in person before committing to a final price over the phone.
Even though every one of the junk removal companies can get the job done today, you decide to check on Facebook – just to explore all your options. You make a quick Facebook post in your local community Facebook group, with a photo of the junk pile, and a caption that reads, “Need this junk removed ASAP. Who can help?”
Within minutes, several people comment on your post – most offering to do the job “for cheap.” Some even list their prices right there in the comments section. Someone comments, “I can get this done tonight for $100.” Another person, with the Facebook name “JR Front,” comments that they can be there “right now,” and they’ll “only charge $50 cash to take your junk.”
Only $50? That’s much cheaper than the junk removal companies that you'd called earlier. But after all, it’s just junk removal… it’s not like you’re looking for anything technical. It can’t really matter who shows up to haul away a pile of trash… right?
So, what the heck… you send the Facebook guy, “JR Front,” a message. He asks for your address, you provide it, and he says, “Be there in an hour.”
An hour goes by… nothing. You decide to give him a little extra time. After all, traffic can be heavy this time of day. Another hour goes by… still nothing. You decide to send him a message asking him where he is. At this point, it’s 6:30 PM and it’s starting to get dark. “30 minutes out. Sorry,” he replies.
He finally shows up just after 7:00 PM. As his old pickup truck limps into your driveway, he asks for the cash before he starts working. Not standard practice, surely… but at this point, it’s getting late and you just want this junk out of your yard. So, you hand over the $50 cash, and he begins loading up the items. As you watch him struggle to lift the dresser up into his truck bed by himself, you offer a hand.
After you help him load the dresser into his truck, he stuffs the last of the cardboard into the load, mutters something under his breath, and closes the truck’s tailgate. As you’re thanking him for giving you a cheap deal, he interrupts and asks, “Uh, is it alright if I use your restroom?”
“Uh, yeah… sure,” you reply. You let him into your house. He walks inside, and you notice him thoroughly looking around your home as he meanders his way to the bathroom. A minute later, he opens the bathroom door and thanks you before leaving.
You close the front door as his pickup truck sputters while struggling to leave your driveway. As you twist the lock on the front door, you’re thinking about what just happened:
He was over two hours late…
You never even got his name… “JR Front” is just an alias, and he never introduced himself…
He asked you for the cash before he even did any work…
You had to help him load the dresser…
And the way he scoped out the inside of your home on his way to the bathroom just made you feel downright uncomfortable.
“Well, at least that junk is gone,” you assure yourself.
Almost a full day passes, and you’re scrolling through Facebook again. Then, you see a post from somebody in that same local Facebook group with the caption, “Someone dumped a dresser and a bunch of junk behind my house last night. What do I do?” Under the caption is a picture… a picture of YOUR items that JR Front removed from your property just last night – carelessly dumped in an alleyway just a few blocks from your property. Your heart drops.
You check the comments… and sure enough, you see a few comments from others offering to remove the junk pile “for cheap,” others complaining about how bad the problem of illegal dumping in this city has become, and then… you see it… a comment from JR Front again, offering to remove the junk for $50 cash. Unbelievable.
“This guy is bold enough to remove junk, illegally dump it, then offer to remove the same junk he just illegally dumped in the same Facebook group for more cash?
This can’t be happening,” you exclaim.
Luckily, for you, the reader – this won’t happen when you hire a legitimate junk removal service provider like Just-Take-It Hauling.
In this scenario, all the “junk” was already outside in the yard. Now imagine hiring someone without proper insurance to remove heavy furniture from inside your home. What happens if someone like “JR Front” were to lose their grip while carrying a couch that then punches a hole through your wall? Even worse, what if they get hurt? They almost certainly do not carry the necessary insurance to cover these scenarios. Who’s liable for the damage? Who’s liable for the injury? That $50 price tag just gained a few zeros.
Unfortunately, those who engage in these dangerous and illegal activities will always be out there. However, it’s up to us as a community to remain educated on how our actions inadvertently enable this behavior, and what we can do to keep our community safer and cleaner.
So, what can we do? When it comes time to hire a junk removal company, ask the following questions:
Are you properly insured to work on my property?
Do you handle all of the heavy lifting and loading?
Do you prioritize donating and recycling "junk" items whenever possible?
If you cannot donate or recycle any of the "junk" items in a load, do you responsibly dispose of them at the proper waste disposal facility?
Do you have reviews from other customers showcasing your quality work?
Only hire junk removal providers that can truthfully answer "Yes" to all of these questions.
Here are the key takeaways:
Hiring an illegitimate operator who is uninsured/underinsured to perform junk removal services creates massive liability for the property owner in the event of property damage or personal injury.
Hiring an illegitimate operator who engages in unethical disposal practices harms both the environment and the local community.
Don’t believe us? Check out these photos of illegally dumped items that we’ve recently been hired to remove:
When you hire “cheap,” everyone loses.
When you hire a professional junk removal company like Just-Take-It Hauling, the environment and local community benefit as a result. Just-Take-It Hauling carries the proper insurance to work on your property and exercises responsible disposal practices, like donating and recycling items whenever appropriate.
Read more about our Sustainability Checklist and our commitment to ethical disposal practices here.
