Hazardous cleanouts in Nanaimo.

Hazardous and contaminated cleanouts run on a 4-hour minimum at an hourly rate set by the contamination tier: $150 per hour for mild (heavy soiling, pests), $200 for moderate (biohazard-adjacent, sharps, mould-affected contents) and $250 for severe (full PPE and containment). So the hazard labour alone starts at $600 for a mild four-hour minimum, and the normal load, disposal and weight charges sit on top of that rather than inside it. Text photos of the space and we confirm the tier and an estimated total before we start. We do not bill a higher tier than the job needs, and if the work turns out to run longer or dirtier than the photos showed, we raise it with you at the time. Depending on the items, their weight, the access and where you are, additional charges can apply. Tell us what you have and we will walk through your situation first.

Because the cost driver is not trailer space, it is labour and risk. PPE slows every movement, contents get sorted and sealed in bags rather than loaded loose, contamination has to be contained so it does not spread through the house, and crews rotate to limit exposure. A contaminated quarter load can take longer than a clean full load, so hourly pricing is the only honest way to quote it.

Mild is heavy soiling and pest damage: rodent droppings, spoiled food, water-soaked contents, at $150 per hour. Moderate is biohazard-adjacent: sharps mixed into the pile, significant mould on belongings, messes needing respirators throughout, at $200. Severe means the whole job runs under full PPE and containment protocols, suits, sealed bagging and controlled transport, at $250. We assess from your photos and confirm the tier on site before starting. Extra charges can apply for weight, specialty items, access or travel, so ask us about your specific situation and we will lay it out before anything is booked.

No, and we will not pretend to. We are a junk removal company equipped for contaminated contents, not a certified remediation or abatement firm. Asbestos of any kind and major structural mould need licensed specialists, and if we see either on your job we will stop, tell you, and refer you to one. What we do handle is everything around it: the contaminated contents, soiled materials and debris that have to leave before or after remediation happens.

It is bagged, sealed and disposed of through the proper waste streams rather than mixed with regular loads. Anything genuinely salvageable and safe still gets diverted, but with contaminated jobs the priority order shifts: containment and safe disposal first. Your rate covers that disposal, the transport and the sweep-up. If the job needs more hours or a higher tier than the photos showed, we raise it with you at the time rather than adding it at the end.

Furniture, mattresses and box springs, appliances including fridges and freezers, electronics and TVs, hot tubs, pianos, yard waste and brush, renovation and demolition debris, scrap metal, carpet, garage, shed and storage-unit contents, and general household junk. We also demolish sheds, decks and fences and haul the debris away. If it can be handled and transported safely, it can go on the trailer, though some specialty and restricted items need separate handling and a few we cannot take at all. When in doubt, text a photo and ask.

Same-day or next-day service may be available depending on our schedule, your location and the size and scope of the job, so call or text and ask what we have open. Being based in Nanaimo rather than an hour down the highway helps. We are open 7 days a week, 6am to 8pm, and short-notice jobs are welcome.

Four steps. First the free estimate: call, text or send photos of the pile and we will come back to you with a number. Second, we arrive when we said we would. Third, the crew walks the job with you, goes over the estimate, and only then does every bit of the lifting and hauling from wherever the junk sits. Fourth, everything is sorted for donation, recycling or disposal, and the space gets swept before we leave. Final pricing is based on actual loaded volume, with weight, labour and applicable surcharges considered.

No. We take it from wherever it is sitting: upstairs rooms, basements, crawlspaces, the garage or the back of the yard. Nothing needs to be bagged, sorted or dragged to the curb beforehand, and you do not need to be able to lift. If piling it up makes you feel organised then go ahead, though the price follows the volume either way.

We prioritise reuse, donation and recycling wherever items are suitable, accepted and practical, and the landfill is the last stop rather than the first. Usable furniture, appliances and household goods can go to local charities, metal to the scrap yard, electronics to the proper depot, mattresses to a facility that strips them for materials, and clean green waste to composting. What each charity or facility will accept is their call rather than ours. Anything that genuinely cannot be reused or recycled is disposed of properly, and that sorting is part of the job.

The first hour of labour is included in the load price. Beyond that, additional labour is $100 per hour, per load. That comes up on jobs spread over several floors, long carries from the truck, or items that need heavy sorting or taking apart before they will move. Anything like that is talked through at the estimate where the conditions are known, and raised with you on the day if it only becomes clear once we are working. Depending on the items, their weight, the access and where you are, additional charges can apply. Tell us what you have and we will walk through your situation first.

Yes. Junk Matters is fully insured, registered and in good standing with WorkSafeBC, and a member of both the Recycling Council of British Columbia and the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce. We are rated 5.0 across 130+ Google reviews, and the crew works in your home and around your property to that standard.