Text Us
Here at Junk King, we’re all about community. We know we wouldn’t have a business if it wasn’t for the support of local residents and businesses. We want to give back, as many companies do. Most companies do so by making monetary donations to various local charities or supporting different programs for children or those in need. In addition to these options, Junk King Cincinnati is in a unique position to give back in another way.
We’re only able to help our community because of our customers. It’s one of the reasons why we stand out among our competitors. If you want to give back to those in need in Cincinnati, here’s how you can work with Junk King to do so.
We Donate What We Can
When most people think about junk hauling, they imagine large trucks full of garbage. They picture broken down shelves, ripped up carpet, demolished backyard swing sets, and other stuff that simply has no other use.
In reality, while we do take a lot of stuff that’s no longer useful, that’s not all that ends up in our truck. Often, people who have upgraded call us to get rid of their old furniture or appliances. There may be nothing wrong with these items, or they may have a few stains or other things that need to be addressed. However, they’re still perfectly useful.
There’s no reason for these items to end up in the landfill. They’re still perfectly usable, even if they are a bit stained or don’t work perfectly. There are many people in the area that would happily take these items. Putting them in the dump doesn’t do anyone any good, plus it helps fill up the landfill that much faster.
So what do we do when we get sofas that are still in usable condition or old refrigerators that work? We donate them. Some of these items go to a local Cincinnati charity that will help get them to those in need. Some go to organizations that help people down on their luck. Others may find their way to resale shops that offer gently used items at very affordable prices. Wherever they go, they’re not going to the landfill.
We inspect everything we pick up to see if it’s suitable for donation. You don’t have to pay anything extra, nor do you have to let us know that you have items that could be donated. Of course, we do appreciate it if you say something, but it’s not necessary. Looking for donatable items is a part of our standard junk hauling service that we do with every truckload.
What Makes Items “Donatable”?
Do you have something that Junk King can donate? While many items are easy to tell if they’re trash, some aren’t. Here are a few of the things we look at to determine if we can pass along a piece of furniture, appliance, or other item.
Does it work?
If you have an old refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, or other appliance, the biggest question is does it work? If it doesn’t, it’s not something that we can donate. If it does and it works well, we will donate it. We do typically err on the side of caution. Anything with damaged wiring, even if it still works, is not something that should be donated without first being repaired. While we may find some organizations willing to make these repairs, some don’t have the resources to do so. Anything that works but could be a hazard typically isn’t safe to donate.
Is the item fully intact?
A similar question for furniture is whether or not it’s intact. Does a table have all of its legs? Does the sofa have all of its cushions? Items that aren’t intact and can’t be easily repaired usually can’t be donated.
Can it be cleaned?
If a chair, sofa, mattress, or other item has stains on it, can those stains be easily removed? If it’s a fairly small stain, it may not matter so much. Sofa cushions can be flipped over, or a chair can be covered by a furniture cover. Someone who can sew could even create new custom covers for cushions. On the other hand, if the stain is so large it covers most of the item, it may not be worth donating.
Does it smell?
This is a big consideration—if a piece of furniture smells, and the smell can’t easily be removed, it’s not something that we can pass on. Animal smells often cannot easily be removed from furniture. If a cat has gone to the bathroom on a couch several times and it wasn’t cleaned quickly, it’s likely the couch will never be completely free of the smell.
Is it free of bugs?
For things such as mattresses and sofas, it’s important that they be free of bugs. This is one of the reasons why many places will not accept used mattresses. Those that do will want to make certain that the mattresses are free of bed bugs, fleas, or other pests before accepting them. The same is true for any upholstered furniture that could house such pests or their eggs.
How worn is the item?
Some pieces of furniture can be intact and free of smells or major rips and tears but still not be usable. For example, a sofa that has been used to the point that the cushion isn’t very supportive may not be something anyone would want, even those in need. Many places that resell items will pass on things that they know won’t sell, while those that take donations may turn down anything that’s been heavily used.
We Also Recycle
What do we do with items we can’t donate? We still try to keep them out of the landfill by sorting out anything that we can recycle. We work with local recycling centers to keep as much as possible out of the landfill.
It’s easy enough to sort out materials that are obviously recyclable. The City of Cincinnati even offers residents recycling bins that are picked up regularly. You can toss your paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard, certain plastics, and other recyclable items into these bins for pickup. However, there are many things you cannot put in your city recycling bin. What do you do with those things?
The city will not accept electronics or any type of e-waste, but this type of waste needs to be recycled. Circuit boards and other components use gold, silver, palladium, and other precious metals that are in limited supply. These metals can be removed and recycled, but many people don’t take the time to take old electronics to recycling centers. While you can find places that will take electronics, you can also leave them for Junk King to pick up. We’ll take your old televisions, computers, and even small items like old cell phones.
We also send appliances to be recycled. Many of these items have metal and plastic that can be recycled, but few people really know what to do with these items. The same goes for furniture—there are some components in furniture that can be recycled. Even things such as mattresses can be recycled and reused. Junk King makes certain these items make it to the right recycling facility.
Working with Junk King
Everything we do here at Junk King is designed to make your life easier and to reduce how much we contribute to the landfill. To that end, we make the process of getting a quote and hiring us as easy as we can. We provide three different ways of reaching out to us. You can call, you can text, or you can book online. We can provide you with a basic free, no-obligation quote, too, and we will give you a final quote when we arrive so there are no surprise charges. In most cases, our initial quote will be accurate, but for large jobs or unique items, we may need to see everything first.
In addition to taking furniture, appliances, and electronic waste, we can also haul away yard debris, DIY construction debris, old hot tubs, and much more. The only thing we can’t take is hazardous waste because we can’t put our crews at risk.
Help Us Help the Community of Cincinnati
If you have some junk you need to get rid of, it’s time to give us a call. We will haul away all of the stuff that’s taking up space in your home while also potentially helping out those in need. Even if we can’t donate any of your stuff, we can usually recycle a good amount of the junk we take. This means we’re at least helping the environment, even if we aren’t able to pass along anything to others.
Whether you’re a resident with a single old appliance to get rid of or a business with several truckloads of old products you need to purge, we’re here for you. To get the process started with a free quote, call Junk King Cincinnati at 1-888-888-JUNK or send us a text to 1-737-888-5865.
