Hazardous Materials
Paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, ammunition, fuel — none of it goes on a junk removal truck. This isn't a policy choice. It's federal and state law. The EPA classifies household hazardous waste separately from solid waste, and mixing them in a standard haul truck creates real danger. A leaking can of paint thinner next to a hot engine is exactly as bad as it sounds.
Oregon is stricter than most states on this. DEQ regulations require hazardous materials to be transported by licensed hazmat carriers with proper manifests. A junk removal truck with two guys and a loading ramp doesn't qualify. The fines for illegal hazmat transport start at $10,000 per violation.
Asbestos is the big one people don't think about. Old floor tiles, pipe insulation, popcorn ceilings from pre-1980 homes — if there's any chance the material contains asbestos, the crew will (and should) refuse it. Asbestos removal requires certified abatement contractors, not junk haulers.
Biological and Medical Waste
Used needles, syringes, blood-contaminated materials, and medical waste are regulated under OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards. Junk crews handle a lot of gross stuff — moldy furniture, pet-damaged carpet, garbage bags that have been sitting in a garage for six months in July. But medical sharps and biohazardous materials cross a legal line.
Animal carcasses are another refusal. Dead raccoon in the attic? Call animal control or a pest removal service. A junk truck is not the place for it.
This comes up more often than you'd expect during hoarding cleanups. Crews sometimes discover medical supplies, expired medications, or animal waste buried under layers of belongings. When that happens, the job pauses, the hazardous items get flagged, and the crew works around them. A separate service handles the biohazard portion.
Certain Appliances and Containers
Propane tanks — even empty ones — are a no. They're pressurized vessels, and a puncture during loading could cause an explosion. Same applies to fire extinguishers and compressed gas cylinders. These need to go to a propane exchange location or your local fire department for safe disposal.
Refrigerators and AC units are a special case. We CAN take them, but they require certified refrigerant recovery before disposal. The crew either needs to be EPA Section 608 certified or the unit needs to be de-gassed by a licensed HVAC tech first. At Otesse, our appliance removal crews handle this, but not every company does.
Car batteries contain sulfuric acid. Boat batteries, motorcycle batteries — same deal. Auto parts stores take them for free. Bringing them to a junk crew is like bringing a gas can to a moving company. Wrong service.
Structural and Attached Items
Junk removal is not demolition. If it's bolted to the wall, cemented to the floor, or wired into the electrical system, it's outside the scope. Built-in shelving, attached countertops, wall-mounted AC units, hardwired light fixtures — these require a contractor, not a hauler.
That said, there's a gray area. Demolition services exist for teardown work — removing decks, sheds, fences, non-load-bearing walls. But that's a different crew with different tools, different insurance, and different permits. Don't book a standard junk removal and expect them to rip out your kitchen cabinets.
Hot tubs are borderline. Disconnected and sitting on a patio? That's junk removal. Still plumbed, wired, and full of 400 gallons of water? That needs an electrician for disconnect, a pump for drainage, and then a crew for removal. The removal part is us. The prep isn't.
Where These Items Actually Go
Metro Portland runs household hazardous waste drop-off at Metro Central (6161 NW 61st Ave) and Metro South (2001 Washington St, Oregon City). They take paint, chemicals, motor oil, batteries, and electronics for free from households. Lane County has a permanent site at Glenwood. Marion County (Salem) runs periodic collection events.
Medications go to pharmacy take-back programs. Most Walgreens and CVS locations have collection bins. The DEA runs national take-back days twice a year.
For everything else — the 95% of household junk that IS allowed — we handle it. Just pull out the hazardous stuff first, and the rest of the job goes smoothly.
