From Overflowing Mess to Spotless: The Seattle Trash Room Transformation

An apartment trash room can go from full to unusable in a couple of weeks. This one, at a Seattle apartment building, had garbage bags stacked so high and so deep that the dumpsters and recycling bins behind them were buried. Routine garbage collection had stopped because the hauler couldn't reach the containers. The property manager called us. Here is what the room looked like, how our crew cleared it, and what you can do to keep your own trash room from getting there.

What the trash room looked like

Bagged household garbage, loose cardboard boxes and bedding covered most of the floor. The blue recycling container on the left was almost hidden, and the garbage containers behind the pile couldn't be rolled out. Containers that can't be rolled out can't be emptied.

Piled-up garbage draws rats, and once a trash room is full, residents tend to leave bags in hallways and parking spots instead.

How our crew cleared it

Every bag and box was sorted as it came out:

• Recyclables went in one pile and garbage went in the truck.
• Anything still usable was set aside for donation instead of the landfill.
• What couldn't be donated or recycled went to the right disposal site. Our Seattle dump guide has the hours and fees for the city's two transfer stations.

Once the floor was clear, the crew swept it. Several hours after we started, the containers were back in their spots, the floor was bare concrete and the hauler could do its job again.

Why apartment trash rooms overflow

Trash rooms usually overflow for one of three reasons:

• Move-outs. A tenant leaving in a hurry puts a couch, a mattress or a room's worth of boxes in the trash room because there's nowhere else for it. Trash room containers are sized for weekly household garbage, not furniture.
• Cardboard. Boxes that aren't broken down can fill a recycling container in a day, and the overflow lands on the floor.
• One missed pickup. If bags pile up in front of the containers and they can't be emptied, next week's garbage lands on top of this week's.

What a Seattle property manager can try first

Garbage service in Seattle is run by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). Three city options are worth knowing before you call anyone:

• Special Item Pickup takes large furniture, appliances, mattresses and TVs for $31 an item. In an apartment building, the property manager or owner books it, by calling (206) 684-3000 or online with the utility account; residents can't. The driver doesn't carry keys or fobs, so the items have to sit somewhere easy to reach, not inside a locked trash room. It is for items that don't belong in the garbage, so it won't clear a room full of bagged trash.
• The North and South transfer stations (1350 N 34th St and 130 S Kenyon St) are open daily, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., opening at 10 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the month, and closed July 4, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The garbage minimum is $37 for up to 420 lbs, if you have your own truck and people to load it.
• Junk dumped on the street or in the alley outside the property can be reported to SPU with the Find It, Fix It app or at (206) 684-7587.

When the room holds bagged garbage, furniture and cardboard all at once and you need it usable today, it's a junk removal job. Our Seattle junk removal crew does trash rooms, parking-lot piles and full apartment cleanouts.

What a trash room cleanout costs

We price by how much of the truck the load fills, not by the bag or the hour. Jobs start at our $99 minimum for one or two items. A quarter truck usually runs $225–$350, a half truck $385–$550 and a full truck $685–$885, plus 3.6% WA refuse tax. Labor, the drive and the dump fees are in that price, and you get the exact number on site before we load anything. The full table is on our pricing page.

How to keep it from happening again

• Give tenants a move-out sheet that says where furniture goes and who to call, so it never reaches the trash room.
• Ask residents to break down boxes. It's the cheapest fix there is.
• Walk the trash room the day before pickup, so a blocked container gets cleared before the truck comes.
• Keep a hauler's number handy for move-out weeks. One or two items is our $99 minimum.

Trash room cleanout FAQ

Do you clean out apartment trash rooms in Seattle?

Yes. We clear bagged garbage, cardboard, furniture and move-out junk from apartment trash rooms and parking areas around Seattle, then sweep the floor. Text a photo to (253) 722-4285 for a price.

Will Seattle's Special Item Pickup clear a trash room?

No. Seattle Public Utilities' Special Item Pickup is for large items such as furniture, appliances and mattresses, at $31 an item, booked by the property manager. It is not for bagged garbage.

How long does a trash room cleanout take?

It depends on how much is in there. The room in this post took our crew several hours. Text a photo and we'll tell you how much truck space it needs and when we can come.

Got a trash room like this one? Text a photo to (253) 722-4285, call (253) 722-4285, or book a free estimate online.