Junk removal in Cape Town starts from R700 — old furniture, appliances, office clutter and general household waste, cleared two ways: a crew that carries it out and hauls it away in one visit, or a bin left on the property while a clear-out runs over several days. Licensed disposal is included on both. Call 064 582 1436.
What Counts as Junk
Junk is the mixed household and office material that no longer has a use and does not fit a single waste stream.
- Furniture — lounge suites, beds, mattresses, wardrobes, desks, office chairs.
- Appliances — fridges, stoves, washing machines, microwaves. Batteries are excluded.
- General clutter — boxes, packaging, toys, textiles, broken fittings.
- Office strip-outs — partitioning, shelving, filing cabinets, redundant equipment.
Two things are refused everywhere in Cape Town: rubber waste, which covers tyres, and household hazardous waste. Hazardous material goes only to the Bellville or Athlone transfer stations, capped at 50 kg per resident per day.
Two Ways to Clear Junk
The choice between them comes down to who does the carrying and how long the job runs.
- Crew collection — a team arrives, carries the items out and loads them. A flat, a garage or a deceased estate is cleared in a single visit with nothing left standing outside. Collection is quoted per load.
- Skip hire — a bin is dropped and collected once filled, which suits a clear-out worked through room by room over several days.
Junk Removal Prices in Cape Town
Bin pricing follows size and is published in full; crew collection is quoted per load because volume and carrying distance drive the cost.
| Bin size | From | Holds | Typical clear-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2m³ mini | R700 | about 25 refuse bags | One room, a garage corner |
| 4m³ midi | R1,050 | about 50 refuse bags | Garage or a small flat |
| 6m³ builders | R1,250 | about 75 refuse bags | Full house clear-out |
| 8m³ maxi | R1,550 | about 100 refuse bags | Estate clearance, office strip-out |
Every bin price covers delivery, collection and disposal at a licensed facility over a 7-day hire. The full ladder and the surcharges that apply to contaminated loads are on the skip hire prices page.
Clearing a House, a Flat or an Office
Volume is what separates these jobs, and it decides the method before anything else does.
A flat or a single room is one crew load or a 2m³ bin. A full house with furniture in every room runs to a 6m³ bin or several loads. A deceased estate carries the added complication that items are sorted and kept back rather than cleared wholesale, so those are quoted after a walk-through. An office strip-out is usually booked outside trading hours, and the material splits between recyclable paper and cardboard and genuine waste.
What Drives the Price of a Clear-Out
Two clear-outs of the same volume are quoted differently, and four things account for the gap.
- Volume — the single biggest factor, measured in cubic metres or crew loads. A 6m³ bin holds roughly 75 refuse bags.
- Access and carrying distance — a ground-floor garage opening onto a driveway is quick. A third-floor flat with no lift, or a property where the truck parks a hundred metres away, adds labour to the same volume.
- Sorting — a load already separated into recyclables, e-waste and general waste moves faster and disposes cheaper than one that has to be picked apart on arrival.
- Contamination — hazardous material or tyres mixed into a general load push the whole load onto a higher disposal rate, because the facility charges by the worst thing in it.
Volume is the one worth getting right before booking. A bin one size too small means a second delivery; one size too large is paid for and not filled.
How a Clear-Out Is Booked
The sequence is short, and the walk-through is what makes the quote firm rather than indicative.
- Describe the job by room count and the heaviest items in it.
- A method is proposed — crew collection for one visit, a bin for a job spread over days.
- Larger clearances are walked through on site before the price is fixed.
- The crew or the bin arrives on the booked date, same-day where the schedule allows.
- Disposal happens at a licensed facility and the certificate follows on request.
Junk Removal Across the Cape Town Metro
Coverage runs across the metro, and the nearest depot decides how quickly a crew reaches a property. Northern suburb clearances in Bellville, Durbanville, Brackenfell, Parow and Kraaifontein are handled from the north — the full list sits on the skip hire Northern Suburbs page. Southern suburb work in Plumstead, Athlone, Woodstock and Mitchells Plain runs off the skip hire Southern Suburbs page. Somerset West, Stellenbosch, Table View, Milnerton, Hout Bay and Fish Hoek are covered from their own service pages.
Where the Junk Ends Up
Recyclable material — paper, cardboard, cans, metal, plastic, glass and polystyrene — is separated where the load allows it. E-waste and motor oil go to a designated recycling area at a municipal facility, and e-waste excludes batteries. The remainder goes to a licensed disposal site. Households running their own small loads can use a municipal drop-off free of charge, three loads per vehicle per day, with the vehicle or trailer under 1,5 tons — opening hours for all 29 sites are on the Cape Town refuse drop-off sites guide.
Junk Removal or Rubble Removal
The two jobs part company on weight and disposal rate. Broken concrete, brick, tiles and plaster are dense, and a bin fills by mass long before it fills by volume, so they are handled on the rubble removal page. Branches, cuttings and grass carry lower green-waste rates and belong with garden refuse removal. Mixing any of these into a junk load pushes the whole load onto the higher rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does junk removal include the loading?
Yes. Crew collection means a team carries the items out and loads them. A skip is the alternative when the loading happens over several days rather than in one visit.
What does junk removal cost in Cape Town?
A 2m³ bin starts at R700 and the ladder runs R1,050 for 4m³, R1,250 for 6m³ and R1,550 for 8m³, all-inclusive of delivery, collection and licensed disposal. Crew collection is quoted per load, because the price depends on volume and carrying distance.
Do you take old furniture and appliances?
Yes. Lounge suites, mattresses, wardrobes, fridges and stoves are all removed. Batteries are excluded, and tyres are refused at every municipal facility in Cape Town.
Can you clear a whole house?
Yes. A full house clear-out runs to an 8m³ bin or several crew loads. An estate clearance or a tenant strip-out is quoted after a walk-through.
Is junk removal the same as rubble removal?
No. Junk removal covers household items and general clutter. Broken concrete, brick and plaster are heavier and go at a different disposal rate — those belong on the rubble removal page.
Skip Hire Cape Town covers the metro for both methods. Call 064 582 1436 for a quote on a clear-out.