Junk Removal Before a Move in St. Peters, MO

Clearing out junk before a move in St. Peters cuts the number of items movers carry, and that cuts the hours on your bill. Most households can handle it with the City of St. Peters bulky item pickup, the county Recycle Works drop-off sites, and a junk removal visit for whatever is left. Start four weeks before moving day so the city’s first-come pickup dates and your move date line up.

This guide walks through what to keep, what the city will collect at the curb, what it will not, and where hazardous leftovers go in St. Charles County. It also covers when it makes sense to have movers haul the rest away, so the truck on moving day only carries what is going to your new home.

Why Clear Out Junk Before Moving Day in St. Peters?

Every item you get rid of before moving day is an item nobody has to wrap, carry and load. Local moves are billed by the hour, from the time the movers arrive until the foreman closes the contract. A garage full of old shelving, a basement couch and a broken treadmill all add trips to the truck.

There is a space reason too. A smaller load can mean a smaller truck and fewer movers, and it means less to unpack on the other end. Our guide on how we price a move explains what goes into the hours.

Keep, Sell, Donate or Haul Away: Sorting Your Home

The fastest way to sort a house is one room at a time with four labels. Decide on each item once, then move it to its pile.

Measure the rooms in your new home before you decide on big furniture. A sectional that fits a St. Peters basement may not fit a townhome living room, and moving it twice costs more than replacing it.

How the City of St. Peters Bulky Item Pickup Works

The City of St. Peters collects oversized items at the curb for free on a date you schedule. Single-family homes book it in the STP COLLECTS app or online tool, and multi-family homes schedule it by phone through the city’s Solid Waste office, according to the city’s bulky item collection page.

Source: City of St. Peters, Bulky Item Trash Collection.

The city accepts furniture, mattresses, doors, furnaces, disassembled swing sets, and appliances without Freon such as washers, dryers, stoves and water heaters. Refrigerators, freezers and other Freon appliances go through a separate major appliance pickup that carries a fee.

What the City Will Not Take at the Curb

Some common move-out leftovers are not allowed in a bulky pickup. The city’s list excludes these:

Brush and limbs count as a separate bulky collection, and you can set out bulky trash or bulky yard waste, not both at the same time. If you have more than one load, the city’s walk-in drop-off at Recycle City and its roll-off containers are paid options.

Where Paint, Electronics and Batteries Go in St. Charles County

Hazardous and electronic items go to the county, not the curb. St. Charles County runs two Recycle Works drop-off sites, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, per the county recycling page.

The county sites take electronic equipment, rechargeable batteries, fluorescent tubes and light bulbs, textiles, cardboard and household hazardous waste. Fees and accepted items can change, so check the county page the week you go.

Moving boxes are the other big leftover. Recycle City at 131 Ecology Drive takes corrugated cardboard that is dry, empty and flattened, and its drop-off containers are open during daylight hours seven days a week.

Items Movers Will Not Load on Moving Day

Some things should be gone, or riding in your car, before the movers arrive. Flammables, firearms, important documents, jewelry, money, medications and collectibles travel with you, not on the truck. Gas cans, propane tanks and old cleaning chemicals are a good place to start your hazardous pile.

Empty drawers and shelves before moving day. Anything you are not ready to take or toss needs a plan before the truck leaves. Plants move at your own risk, and pets are not transported.

When a Junk Removal Visit Makes More Sense

A junk removal visit makes sense when your pile is bigger than the city’s 3 cubic yard limit, when you need it gone on a set date, or when the items are too heavy to drag to the curb yourself. A basement couch, a garage of old shelving and a broken treadmill can easily fill more than one pickup truck bed.

We offer junk removal in the St. Louis area as its own service. You can ask about it when you request your moving quote, and you can time it a week or two before your move date so the house is clear before packing starts.

A Four-Week Junk Removal Plan for Your St. Peters Move

Working backward from moving day keeps junk removal from piling up in the final week. Booking movers at least 30 days ahead is a good idea for warm months and month-end dates, so start the cleanout at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Movers for Your St. Peters Move

Once the junk is gone, your move is smaller, faster and easier to plan. Our movers in St. Peters handle local moves across St. Charles County, from apartments to full homes, and we are open seven days a week from 8 AM to 5 PM.

Request a free quote for your move and junk removal in St. Peters.

About the author

Hayden Mattingly

Owner, Arch Moving · St. Ann, MO

Hayden Mattingly owns and runs Arch Moving, a locally owned moving company in St. Ann serving St. Louis, St. Charles County and the rest of Missouri. He leads a crew with a combined 20 years in the moving industry, trains movers from within, and oversees residential, commercial, packing and long-distance moves. He writes these guides from what his crews handle on real St. Louis moves.

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