Seattle Trash — new prices vs Seattle competitors
Scanned 2026-10-08: 30 local haulers (18 publish prices), 8 national brands, plus a cost model built from Seattle dump fees, wages and truck costs. Live site: v3r8.
What I set
- Under every full-service Seattle hauler at every load size and under the local median. Only JunkSeattle is lower; its prices look like a marketing build with no truck size stated.
- Same-day: no extra charge. No Seattle competitor charges one (LoadUp +$15), and copy says "usually possible", never "free".
- Travel: Seattle $0, near suburbs +$39, Everett/Tacoma ring +$89. That's below our real extra cost ($88–203); the hope is to win those jobs and route the loads to Seattle's cheaper dump.
- Where we can't go lower: full truck. Break-even is $694, so $719 is near the floor. The margin is in small and mid loads.
- TVs: no fee, because E-Cycle Washington recycles them free. Freon $35 (dump charges $30–34), mattress $20.
Truck loads
| Load | Us (new) | Local median | Busby | Happy Hauler | Seattle Rubbish | JunkSeattle | College HUNKS | Our break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | $129 | $159 | $159 | $145 | $169 | $89 | from $99 | $189 |
| ⅛ truck | $159 | — | — | — | — | — | — | $218 |
| ¼ truck | $279 | $282 | $299 | $320 | $329 | $149 | — | $274 |
| ½ truck | $429 | $430 | $459 | $495 | $509 | $279 | — | $408 |
| ¾ truck | $589 | $619 | — | — | — | — | — | $551 |
| Full truck | $719 | $795 | $779 | $795 | $819 | $449 | up to $699 | $694 |
1-800-GOT-JUNK, Junk King and Junkluggers hide prices behind an onsite visit or contact form; r/Seattle posters report ~$400 from GOT-JUNK for one mattress. Break-even includes $60 marketing per job and 4 jobs/truck/day (assumptions to replace with your real numbers).
Single items
| Item | Us (new) | LoadUp (in-home) | Dropcurb (curbside only) | Locals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couch | $129 | $129 | $79 | $85–200 |
| Queen mattress | $149 | $134 | $99 | $69–175 |
| Fridge | $164 | $159 | $109 | $75–175 |
| TV | $129 | $149 | $129 | — |
| Washer/dryer | $129 | $129 | $109 | $75–175 |
| Hot tub | $499 | $919 | — | $300–650 |
| Couch + mattress | $209 | ~$164 | $108 | ~$200 |
We match LoadUp on singles and beat every full-service local. Dropcurb is cheaper because it is curb-only; our curbside option takes $20 off. LoadUp is cheaper for multi-item bundles (5 items: LoadUp $341, us $394).
To confirm
- WA 3.6% solid-waste collection tax: currently absorbed in the all-in price.
- Hauling for pay outside city limits may need a WA UTC certificate.
- Your real insurance, wages and jobs/day; rerun
scripts/cost_model.py.