Local Guide
Junk Removal in Manatee County: What It Costs and What I Take
Real numbers for Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Parrish and Palmetto — plus the county options that are already included in your service.
Written by Matt Rosen, Gulf Coast Junk Solutions. Last updated September 2026.
The 60-Second Version
- Most jobs price by volume — $129 for one item up to $625 for a full trailer. Labor-heavy jobs get quoted after a walkthrough, still as one flat number.
- I do more than hauling: garage cleanouts and organizing, estate and storage unit cleanouts, construction debris, light demo, and commercial work.
- In unincorporated Manatee County, two bulk items a month at the curb are included in your county service at no extra charge. Use that before you call me.
- I don't haul these, and most junk removal companies won't either. Paint, gas, oil, propane, chemicals, asbestos, medical waste, and electronics go to Lena Road Landfill, at no charge for county residents.
How pricing actually works
Most junk removal is priced by volume — the space your stuff takes up in the trailer — because that space is the thing I can only sell once a trip. A treadmill and forty bags of clothes can cost about the same, even though one weighs a lot more.
Not every job fits that model. Sorting a packed garage, disassembling a swing set or shed, organizing what stays, a long carry, or a hoarding-condition property is labor time, not just cubic yards. Those get quoted after a walkthrough or a few photos and come back as one flat number — no hourly meter running while you watch.
Either way, three questions set your quote:
- How much space does it take up? That's the base price.
- How hard is it to reach and handle? Stairs, elevators, long carries, sorting, disassembly.
- What does the dump charge me? Mattresses, tires, refrigerators, and TVs carry their own disposal fees; heavy debris gets weighed.
The price ladder
My actual pricing — same numbers on my pricing page and same numbers I'd tell you on the phone.
| Load size | Price | What that usually looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Single item (minimum) | $129 | One couch, mattress, appliance, or piece of furniture |
| Quarter trailer | $199 | A closet cleanout or a small pile from one room |
| Half trailer | $349 | A small bedroom, a shed clear-out, or a similar-size pile |
| Three-quarter trailer | $525 | A large room, a small garage, most apartment cleanouts |
| Full trailer | $625 | A full 12-foot trailer. Full garages and estates are often more than one load, quoted up front. |
Single item (minimum)
$129
One couch, mattress, appliance, or piece of furniture
Quarter trailer
$199
A closet cleanout or a small pile from one room
Half trailer
$349
A small bedroom, a shed clear-out, or a similar-size pile
Three-quarter trailer
$525
A large room, a small garage, most apartment cleanouts
Full trailer
$625
A full 12-foot trailer. Full garages and estates are often more than one load, quoted up front.
A full load is a 12-foot dump trailer, roughly 12 cubic yards. Heavy debris is different: concrete, tile, dirt, and sod are flat-priced at $475 in Manatee County with a 12-inch max depth, because weight limits hit long before the trailer looks full.
Honest note on the minimum. $129 for one item is high if you're comparing it to a $59 county bulk fee. A single-item stop still costs a truck, a trip, fuel, insurance, and a run to the scale house. One thing and no deadline? The county is the better deal.
What changes the price
Every possible fee is published here and on my full add-on list. If it isn't listed, it won't be on your invoice.
Access and logistics (these stack)
Disposal fees the dump charges me
Condition and scheduling
Stairs and elevator fees double on heavy debris jobs. And that $20 TV fee is avoidable — county residents can drop televisions at Lena Road Landfill at no charge.
What I take
Most of it. The everyday list:
Around the house
Couches, recliners, mattresses and box springs, dressers, tables, bed frames, desks, bookshelves, rugs and carpet, boxes, clothes, general clutter
Appliances
Refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers, stoves, water heaters, freezers, small kitchen appliances
Garage, yard, and shed
Lawn mowers, bikes, tools, patio furniture, grills, pool equipment, treadmills, storage totes, holiday decorations
Construction and property
Fence panels, decking, drywall, lumber, cabinets, countertops, roofing debris, concrete, tile, dirt and sod
It's not just hauling
Not sure if something's on the list? Text me a photo at (941) 302-8933 and you'll get a real number back, not a range.
What I can't take, and where it goes
Hazardous materials
Wet paint, motor oil, gasoline, propane tanks, pool chemicals, pesticides, solvents, car batteries, fluorescent bulbs.
Where it goes: Lena Road Landfill, 3333 Lena Road, Bradenton — no charge for county residents, weekdays plus the third Saturday of each month.
Electronics
Televisions, computers, microwaves, phones, gaming consoles, lithium batteries, small kitchen electronics.
Where it goes: Same place, no charge for residents. E-scrap isn't part of the curbside bulk program, so a TV set out on bulk day just sits there. I'll take it in a load for the $20 disposal fee.
Asbestos, biohazards, and medical waste
Where it goes: Asbestos needs a licensed abatement contractor and 24 hours notice at the landfill. For medical waste, contact the Department of Health — the county can't accept it.
Hoarding conditions, sight unseen
Where it goes: Not a no — just not over the phone. I'll come look at no charge and give you a real number instead of renegotiating in your living room.
Use the county first when it makes sense
I'd rather you use what you already pay for and remember me next time. If you live in unincorporated Manatee County, bulk collection is part of your solid waste service at no extra charge:
- Two bulk items at the curb each month, on a zone-based day that lines up with your regular service day.
- One annual pickup of up to 10 cubic yards, all one material, scheduled ahead.
- Anything past your two monthly items runs $59 per item. Tires, appliances, and the annual pickup have to be scheduled at mymanatee.org/css or by calling 311.
Inside the city limits of Bradenton, Palmetto, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, or Longboat Key, your city runs its own collection with its own rules. County rules change too, so confirm current details on the Manatee County solid waste page.
Call me instead when: it's more than two items, you need it gone on a timeline, it's a whole garage or house, it's mixed material, it's too heavy to drag to the curb, or you just don't want to touch it.
Your five options, side by side
| Option | Best for | Real cost | You do the labor? |
|---|---|---|---|
| County curbside bulk | 1 to 2 items, no rush, unincorporated county | No extra charge, then $59 per item | Yes, drag it to the curb |
| County annual bulk pickup | One big same-material pile, up to 10 cu yd | No extra charge, once a year | Yes, and you schedule ahead |
| Haul it to Lena Road yourself | Small loads, hazardous, electronics | $5 car / $23 pickup truck. Scale rates on bigger loads. | Yes, all of it |
| Rent a dumpster | Multi-day renovations | Rental plus permit plus tonnage, parked in your driveway for days | Yes, every bit |
| Junk removal (me) | Full cleanouts, deadlines, heavy items, anything you don't want to touch | $129 to $625 flat, quoted before I start | No |
County curbside bulk
- Best for
- 1 to 2 items, no rush, unincorporated county
- Real cost
- No extra charge, then $59 per item
- You do the labor?
- Yes, drag it to the curb
County annual bulk pickup
- Best for
- One big same-material pile, up to 10 cu yd
- Real cost
- No extra charge, once a year
- You do the labor?
- Yes, and you schedule ahead
Haul it to Lena Road yourself
- Best for
- Small loads, hazardous, electronics
- Real cost
- $5 car / $23 pickup truck. Scale rates on bigger loads.
- You do the labor?
- Yes, all of it
Rent a dumpster
- Best for
- Multi-day renovations
- Real cost
- Rental plus permit plus tonnage, parked in your driveway for days
- You do the labor?
- Yes, every bit
Junk removal (me)
- Best for
- Full cleanouts, deadlines, heavy items, anything you don't want to touch
- Real cost
- $129 to $625 flat, quoted before I start
- You do the labor?
- No
Self-haul math, worth knowing either way: a car or SUV drops off for $5 flat, a residential pickup with no trailer is $23 flat under 1,000 lbs, and bigger loads go on the scale. Mixed or uncovered loads get charged double, so strap a tarp on.
Free Quote
Get your flat-rate quote
Takes about 60 seconds. Tell me what you've got and where it is, and you'll get a real flat-rate number — not a range, not a "starting at." Prefer to talk? Call (941) 302-8933.
Request form not loading? Click here to request a quote!
Questions I get every week
Serving Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Parrish, and Palmetto.
Recent Jobs
Still not sure? Just send a photo.
Text a picture of the pile to (941) 302-8933 and I'll give you a real flat-rate number. If the county already covers it, I'll tell you that instead.
That's me, Matt — I'm the one who shows up. Gulf Coast Junk Solutions is owner-operated and family run, serving Manatee County, licensed and insured.
County program details and landfill rates are from mymanatee.org and were current as of September 2026. Rates and program rules change — confirm current details with Manatee County Utilities at (941) 792-8811, by calling 311, or on the county solid waste page.