For most homeowners, when a certain item in our households starts to get worn down or overused, we simply take it out to the curb and hope it gets picked up by the trash collection agency we pay. The problem with this “out of sight and out of mind mentality” is that there is a growing lack of landfill space across the country. According to one recent report that used data collected by the Waste Business Journal, “over the next five years, total landfill capacity in the U.S. is forecast to decrease by more than 15 percent. This means that by 2021 only 15 years of landfill capacity will remain. However, in some regions it could be only half that.” In the Northeastern states, this landfill capacity crisis is especially ominous, as the region is expected to lose about 30 percent of its total landfill capacity within the next 5 years.

So what exactly are people supposed to do with that unfixable refrigerator, or the 20-year old lumpy mattress sitting in an unused corner of their basement? Fortunately, there are several junk removal services across the country that can help individuals and homeowners find an efficient and environmentally-friendly way to get rid of the junk in their homes. Junk-King of Worcester County, Massachusetts offers fast, efficient, and eco-friendly junk removal for all of Worcester County and also the Boston and Middlesex areas.

The Importance of Upgrading Certain Home Elements

The landfill scarcity statistics outlined in the introduction are certainly worrisome and will need to be addressed in the coming years. However, the lack of landfill space in many areas of the country does not mean that you should necessarily avoid purchasing new, large items for your home.

Let´s take the example of a refrigerator. That old, box-style refrigerator you inherited from your parents that is twenty (or more) years old might still be in working condition. However, it is most likely pushing up your energy bill and adding to your household carbon footprint. Older models of refrigerators most likely use anywhere between 1,700 kWh and 2,400 kWh of electricity every year. Newer, energy efficient models of refrigerators, on the other hand, only use about 450 kWh for a similarly sized model. In terms of economics savings, households can expect to save around $150 each year by simply upgrading to a more modern fridge. In terms of environmental impact, the energy savings from a more efficient refrigerator could save at least 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from being emitted.

Furthermore, many older couches, beds, and other pieces of furniture were routinely coated in several types of flame retardant chemicals. Recent research is revealing that many of these flame retardants such as TDCPP, PentaBDE and OctaBDE are known cancer-causing agents. In fact, one recent study found that of 102 couches tested, cancerous toxic flame retardants were identified in 85 percent of them.

Protecting the health of your family and reducing your energy use and carbon footprint are a few of the commonsense reasons for upgrading certain elements of your home. And no matter how careful you are, things do tend to break and wear down over time. When you do need to get rid of a large item, however, is there an alternative to simply sending it to your local landfill?

The Opportunity for Recycling

The vast majority of things that we call “trash” can be recycled for future use. Returning to our example of the refrigerator, inside the large cooling case there is usually a decent amount of of steel, copper and aluminum; all of which are highly recyclable and generally in demand from recycling operations across the country. The shelves and drawers inside the refrigerator are made with either metal, plastic and/or glass that can also be recycled for future uses. Even the polyurethane foam that acts as insulation for the refrigerator can often be reutilized for other purposes.

The problem, of course, is that most municipal trash services will not pick up your refrigerator, even if you are able to drag it out to your curb. Trying to strap that old refrigerator onto the roof of your Toyota Prius to drive it down to the nearest recycling center is also probably not a great idea. Fortunately, junk removal services like Junk King Worcester offer an easy, efficient, and affordable way to help you get rid of large and bulky items like an older refrigerator. Junk King makes every possible attempt to donate or recycle the different items that they pick up from residents and homeowners across Worcester County in order to limit the pressure on our already-overburdened landfills.

The Junk Removal Services Offered by Junk King Worcester

According to Countyoffice.org, there are only three operational landfills in Worcester County, Massachusetts. These landfills have to serve a population of well over 818,000 people covering an area of 1,511 square miles. This amounts to just one landfill per 272,749 people, and one landfill per 503 square miles. In the state of Massachusetts, Worcester County is ranked 10th of 14 counties in landfills per square mile. Given this reality, finding ways to limit the amount of trash you send to your local landfill should be an environmental priority for every person in the region.

Junk King of Worcester County is the leading junk removal service in the region, offering their services to residents of the towns of Acton, Agawam, Arlington, Ashburnham, Belmont, Chicopee, Framingham, Grafton, Lancaster, Lexington, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Springfield, Townsend, Waltham, Westborough, and Worcester. They also service areas as far away as Boston and Middlesex.

The company can help you get rid of your junk and bulky trash in an environmentally friendly manner, and accepts virtually everything except hazardous waste. For people in Worcester County, Junk King offers an efficient and affordable way to get rid of used furniture, old televisions, yard waste, appliances, hot tubs that need to be disposed of, mattresses, and more.

They also offer a safe e-waste disposal service. For new home builds or extensive remodels, the company also offers construction waste removal. They also can help with foreclosure clean outs.

The professional junk removal technicians that work at Junk King Worcester will do all the heavy lifting and hauling, usually helping you get rid of your junk in under an hour.

As a full service junk removal company, Junk King Atlanta North provides an efficient and environmentally friendly way to recycle all of your used furniture. You can rest assured that the company will do its best to repurpose or recycle your old pieces. To get an estimate, you can call Junk King at 1-888-888-5865 (JUNK), or at (978) 212-3973. You can also send a text message with a picture of the junk you need to be removed at 1-737-888-5865. After you receive and accept the free estimate for the junk removal at your home or business, you can pick a 2-hour window for the company to come and help you get rid of your junk in an efficient, environmentally friendly, and timely manner!