Student move-out junk removal in Pittsburgh

The short answer

Student move-outs from Oakland, Shadyside, the South Side and Polish Hill are priced per item, which makes them easy to split. A full mattress is $94, a futon $111, a standard desk $83, an office chair $61 and a mini fridge $115. The order minimum is $100, so a single item is easiest combined with a roommate's. The City's free curb pickup only takes two bulk items per week, so a furnished apartment cannot go out with the trash on the last weekend.

A university city's move-out problem

Pittsburgh has a lot of students. The University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Carlow are in Oakland, Duquesne sits at the edge of the Hill District, Chatham is just south of Shadyside, and Point Park is close by too, with dozens more colleges across the region. Oakland's 15213 ZIP is only about 27 percent owner-occupied, and Shadyside about 28 percent, because so many residents rent. Two waves of move-outs follow from that: May, around graduation, and late summer, when leases turn over and new students arrive. In those weeks, curbs and porches fill with furniture, and landlords, students and parents all try to book the same few days. The housing does not help. Many student apartments are in converted houses and walk-ups with narrow stairs, often several flights up, on streets with limited parking. Clearing a room is quick; getting it down to the street is the slow part.

Why the curb does not work on move-out weekend

Inside the City, the bulk program accepts sofas, mattresses, box springs, tables and dressers with regular trash. The limit is two items per week per household, and they go out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before collection and no later than 6 a.m. that day. A furnished student apartment can hold ten or fifteen bulk items, so the curb would take weeks. The City also refuses TVs, computers and freon appliances, which rules out the mini fridge and the old monitor. Leaving furniture on the porch or the sidewalk after you move out does not solve it; it becomes your landlord's problem, and often your deposit's. The City's paid collection for more than two items costs $173 for the first hour and $54 for each additional hour, arranged by phone and paid by check or money order. A per-item pickup can clear a room in one visit, carried down the stairs for you.

Per-item prices for student rooms

A full room is $94 + $68 + $83 + $61 = $306. A futon and a mini fridge from the shared living room are $111 + $115 = $226. A twin mattress and a microwave are $82 + $30 = $112, just over the $100 minimum.

Splitting it with roommates

Per-item pricing makes roommate splits simple, because each person can see exactly what their things cost. One way to handle it is to book a single pickup for the whole apartment, then split the total by what each person is leaving. For example, in a three-bedroom where each roommate leaves a full mattress and a desk, each person's share is $94 + $83 = $177, and the shared futon and microwave are $111 + $30 = $141, split three ways. Booking once is easier than three separate visits, and it clears the order minimum easily. Agree in advance who is leaving what, because nothing is worse than a roommate's mattress being hauled by mistake. Label items with tape. If one roommate is leaving earlier, they can still book their own pickup; the prices are the same either way. The flat price is shown before you book and only changes if you approve.

Walk-ups, hills and parking

Student housing in Pittsburgh is rarely ground-floor. Converted houses in Oakland and Shadyside often have apartments on second and third floors with narrow, turning staircases. On the South Side Slopes and in Polish Hill, the house may sit up a flight of public steps from the street; the City has 800 sets of them. Parking on narrow student streets is tight, especially on move-out weekends, so a truck may need to stop briefly. None of this changes the price. JunkRabbit charges no stairs fee and no walk-up fee, and the crew carries everything out from any floor. Mention the floor and any outside steps in your photo request. If your building is a larger apartment complex that needs a certificate of insurance, it is emailed within 1 hour of booking. Book early for the busiest weekends, or go a few days before your lease ends.

Booking from anywhere

Many student move-outs are organized by parents in another state, or by a student who has already gone home. That works fine. Pick the items online or upload photos of the room, and you see the flat price without anyone visiting. Choose a 2-hour arrival window that suits whoever will be there to open the door, or coordinate with the landlord if the student has already left. JunkRabbit works 7 days a week from 8am to midnight, with same-day pickup when you book by 4 PM, so a late-evening pickup after the last box is packed is possible. We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, and we recycle whatever we can; the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Swissvale also accepts furniture if you would rather donate directly and can schedule ahead. Electronics such as TVs and monitors go to recycling under Pennsylvania law.

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