Renovation debris removal in Pittsburgh

The short answer

Renovation debris cannot go out with City of Pittsburgh bulk trash; construction waste is on the refused list. Mt. Lebanon's hauler takes no construction debris either. Your options are a dumpster, your contractor's haul-off, or a pickup. JunkRabbit prices debris by item or by truck share: drywall at $37 per sheet or small bundle, a full kitchen cabinet set at $293, a cast iron bathtub at $185, and a quarter truck of mixed debris at $241. Concrete and masonry are $219 per quarter truck.

Pittsburgh renovates old houses

A lot of renovation happens in this region, and most of it happens in old buildings. The City's median home was built in 1942, and many neighborhoods report a median build year of 1939 or earlier. Lawrenceville is a good example: its rowhouses date back generations, yet household incomes there are now well above the City median, which means renovation money is going into very old stock. The North Side's historic rowhouse districts, the Victorian houses of Shadyside, and the view homes on Mt. Washington see the same pattern. In the suburbs, post-war houses in Mt. Lebanon, Brookline and Bethel Park are getting their first kitchen and bathroom updates in decades. Old houses produce heavy, awkward debris: plaster and lath rather than drywall, cast iron radiators and tubs, solid wood doors, and layers of flooring. That debris has to come out through the same narrow stairs and front doors the crew used to get in.

What the curb refuses, and why it matters

The City's bulk program lists construction waste as a refused item, and Mt. Lebanon's contractor does not take construction debris. That rules out the obvious approach of putting remodel debris out with the trash a bit at a time. Leaving debris in the alley behind a rowhouse, or on the curb in front, does not make it go away; it can be treated as dumping, and a pile of plaster beside a house mid-renovation is easy to trace. Some items from a renovation are accepted by the City curb within the two-items-per-week limit, including toilets, windows, cabinets, hot water tanks, and carpet bundled to no more than 35 pounds or 5 feet. Whether a cabinet torn out during a remodel counts as household bulk or construction waste is a question to settle with the City before you rely on it. Most people doing a real renovation need a dedicated route for the debris.

Item prices for renovation debris

A bathroom gut in an old rowhouse, with a cast iron tub, a toilet and a vanity, is $185 + $64 + $69 = $318. A kitchen with a full cabinet set and two stone countertop sections is $293 + $111 + $111 = $515.

Truck tiers for mixed debris

When a renovation produces a mixed pile of plaster, lath, trim, flooring and bags of debris, truck-share pricing is usually simpler than counting. A quarter truck is $241, a half truck $431, a 3/4 truck $587 and a full truck $732. Bagged debris has its own prices: 10 bags are $132, 20 bags $259 and 30 bags $385. A useful approach for an active renovation is to stage the debris in one room or the basement and book a pickup when it reaches a sensible size, rather than letting it spread through the house. For very heavy material, concrete and masonry are priced at $219 per quarter truck, because weight rather than volume is the limit. Plaster is dense too, so bag it in manageable loads. Every price includes carrying debris out from any floor, loading and disposal, with no stairs fee. You see the total from photos before booking.

Pickup versus a dumpster

A dumpster suits a large, continuous renovation where debris is produced every day for weeks and there is space to put the container. In much of the City, that space is the issue. Narrow two-way streets with one parked lane, rowhouses with no driveway, and hillside lots on public steps leave nowhere to set a container without blocking the street, so check the City's rules for street placement before you order one. The dumpster also only solves the last few feet; someone still has to carry every load out of the house and lift it over the side. A pickup works differently. The crew carries debris from inside, loads it and leaves, and nothing sits on the street overnight. For smaller renovations or a rehab done in stages, booking pickups as needed is often easier. For a full gut, compare both before deciding.

Safety and what to flag

Old houses can hide materials that need special handling. Homes of this age may have lead paint on trim and windows, and some older insulation, pipe wrap and flooring can contain asbestos. If you suspect either, have it tested and handled by an abatement specialist before demolition, not after. Hazardous materials are not part of a standard pickup and are handled case by case, so flag anything uncertain before booking. Paint is accepted, at $30 for a 1-gallon can and $52 for a 5-gallon bucket. Disconnect water, gas and electricity from fixtures before removal, using a plumber or electrician where needed. JunkRabbit uses vetted, insured local haulers and emails a certificate of insurance within 1 hour if a building or contractor needs one. Work runs 7 days a week from 8am to midnight, with same-day pickup when you book by 4 PM, so a pickup can be timed to the end of a demo day.

Frequently asked questions