How much does a garage cleanout cost in Virginia?

There is no single price for a garage cleanout in Virginia. Companies quote on how much of the truck your load fills, how heavy it is, how much sorting they have to do and which items carry extra disposal charges. Underneath every quote is what the local landfill or transfer station charges, and those public fees are the one part of the price that is published and dated. Here is what moves the number, what the public facilities charge, and how to get quotes you can compare.

What drives the price

Volume. Most crews price by the share of the truck the load takes up, with a minimum charge for small jobs. A one-car garage of boxes and a few bikes might be a fraction of a truck; a packed two-car garage with a workshop can be more than one.

Weight. Garages hold heavy things, and landfills charge haulers by the ton. EPA's volume-to-weight table puts uncompacted mixed municipal solid waste (residential, institutional and commercial) at 250 to 300 pounds per cubic yard and concrete at 860 pounds per cubic yard.^[6] Leftover pavers, bags of concrete mix, old tile and scrap metal make a small pile expensive.

Sorting time. A crew that only lifts and loads is cheaper than one that goes through every shelf with you deciding what stays. If you sort beforehand, say so in the request.

Surcharge items. Old refrigerators and freezers, dehumidifiers, tires, mattresses and televisions cost the disposal site more to handle, and the charge is passed on per item.

What they will not take. Fuel, paint, pesticides, pool chemicals and propane are usually excluded. Pulling them out yourself avoids a surcharge or a refused load.

Access. A garage that opens onto the driveway is the easy case. A detached garage at the end of a long walk, a loft reached by ladder, or no place for the truck to park all add time.

What public disposal sites charge

These are the fees the public pays at county and regional facilities. They are not cleanout prices, but they are the disposal cost inside any quote, and what a dump run of your own would cost.

Fairfax County. Fairfax County's residential drop-off fees for July 2026 to June 2027 charge $98 a ton for unbagged trash, with a $39 minimum,^[1] or $21 for one to five standard 32-gallon bags and $28 for six to ten.^[1] By the item it is $17 each for a dresser or desk, sofa, chair or recliner, dining table, carpet or pad, or mattress and box spring,^[1] $11 for a small single item such as a vacuum cleaner,^[1] $15 for each refrigerator, freezer, dehumidifier, air conditioner or other appliance that needs its refrigerant or a capacitor removed,^[1] and $14 each for one to ten passenger tires.^[1] Heavy debris costs more: brick, concrete, dirt and rock are $109 a ton with a $49 minimum, in small amounts only.^[1]

Montgomery County and the New River Valley. When we checked on October 26, 2026, the Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority listed mattresses, furniture and other bulky material at $76 per ton,^[4] construction material at $53 per ton,^[4] a $19 Freon removal fee for each appliance not certified as Freon-free,^[4] a $19 surcharge per propane tank,^[4] and tires at $0.20 a pound with a $4.00 minimum for up to 20 pounds.^[4]

Richmond. When we checked on October 26, 2026, Richmond offered a 24-hour bulk collection for $100 per request and appliance collection for $50 per appliance,^[5] on top of free bulk collection every other week on your trash day during your recycling week.^[5]

Ways to bring the price down

Use what your trash service includes. Fairfax County residents whose trash the county collects get five free special pickups per fiscal year for bulk items, metal, appliances with refrigerant, brush and electronics,^[2] each limited to 2 cubic yards, with a charge for anything larger.^[2] Private haulers and other localities set their own rules, so ask.

Take the hazardous pile yourself. Fairfax County's household hazardous waste program takes gasoline, motor oil, paint, pesticides and rechargeable batteries free from county residents.^[3] Other localities run their own sites or collection days, and using them keeps those items off the hauler's bill.

Donate what still works. Habitat ReStores accept new and gently used furniture, appliances and building materials, and many offer free pickup of large items.^[7] Call your nearest store first, because each one decides what it takes.

Sort before the crew arrives. A pile that is already out on the driveway, with the keep items moved aside, is faster to load and easier to price.

What to ask for in a written quote

• One all-in price, or a clear per-volume rate, covering labor, travel and disposal.
• The minimum charge, and how they will measure the load on the day.
• Every per-item fee: appliances, tires, mattresses, televisions and anything else they charge extra for.
• The list of what they will not take.
• Whether the price changes if the load is bigger or heavier than in your photos, and by how much.
• Whether they donate or recycle what they can.

For the wider set of questions, see what to ask a junk removal company before booking and how much junk removal costs in Virginia. To decide whether to hire at all, see whether to hire a junk removal company for your garage.

Stop and call a pro if

• The garage holds items too heavy to move safely, such as a chest freezer, an engine, a safe or a full tool chest.
• You find leaking drums, unlabelled containers or chemicals you cannot identify.
• The job includes tearing out a built-in workbench, a loft or a shed. That is removal work, priced and done differently from hauling.

Getting quotes on Loclis

Browse more junk removal and moving answers, see garage cleanout services, or find junk removal and moving businesses around Blacksburg. For prices you can compare, describe the garage once on Loclis with photos, and businesses quote on the same load.