1-800-GOT-JUNK

There was an old steel framed couch and loveseat, a console TV, two lawn mowers, a microwave oven, several old computer modems, an old five drawer chest, a mattress, two desks, tires and hub caps, and some miscellaneous junk. If we could get rid of the big junk, we could go through and organize the boxes of junk. Junk had overtaken our garage, and we aimed to take it back!

We considered renting a container from our waste collection company. We did that once when we remodeled the bathroom in our old house. What about 800 GOT JUNK? I saw their truck parked in the grocery store parking lot. It looks so small though. I wondered if the truck was long enough for the couch or big enough to hold everything. I wondered if they drop off the container and come back to pick it up like the waste collection company does. I wondered how their pricing compares.

I googled “800 got junk” and found the web page. I learned that they don’t just drop off the container. They load the container! I checked out the pricing – about the same as the waste collection company charges to drop off a container. The website had a feature where I could visually pick a load of trash similar to ours in content to see approximately how much it would cost. I went ahead and scheduled a pick up time with an arrival time between noon and 2:00 p.m. on a Saturday when we would both be home..

The day before our scheduled date, I returned to the web site to make sure we were still scheduled. While I was on the web site, I noticed a live chat feature. I confirmed our appointment and asked a customer service representative a couple questions. I learned the dimensions of the truck are 10’x8’x5’. I asked if we had to put everything in the same spot or if they would go into the garage and get the pieces. I learned that they get the pieces and will go in the house or basement too, if needed. Also, they will remove things off the top of the desk for us.

When the big day arrived, two professional looking, uniformed drivers arrived on time with the truck. They surveyed the garage and the junk. They informed us that there were some environmental charges for modems and tires. They even educated us on how to dispose of our paints and antifreeze.

The drivers seemed reluctant to throw out one of the tires that was brand new, and seemed to want to persuade us to reconsider throwing it away. It belonged to our daughter’s old car. I suppose it could be sold, but it has been in our garage for years, and had to go.

They encouraged us to throw out some boxes, but there were books and videos mixed in with papers and other things that needed to be sorted through. There were about 10 such boxes. Whenever I change jobs, change cars or go on vacation, I move these boxes from my car to the garage with the intention of putting them back in the car or going through them at a later date. Instead, I leave them in the garage.

One of the drivers noticed the Alaska license tags hanging on the wall in the garage, and asked if we had lived there. We shared a little about our wilderness adventures in Alaska. The other driver dropped some ceramic kitchen knick knacks, and looked sincerely regretful. We shared that we were debating whether or not to keep them, and that now our decision was clear.

The drivers quickly loaded up the truck and swept out the garage. We paid them and watched as they drove away with our junk. We looked at our garage and all the empty space in it. It felt like we had worked really hard and we were admiring a job well done; but they did all the work.

Today we went to WalMart to buy shelving units. We sorted through what remained in the garage. We placed things neatly on the shelves and threw out the remaining trash in bags to be taken to the “kerb” this week. We can now raise our garage door with pride!