5 Reasons Why Capital Junk is #1

Many people across Ottawa need junk removal help each year. Whether it’s a result of doing a basement clean-out, replacing old appliances, or even from a commercial clean-up, there are so many ways that a junk removal company can be of service.  Comparing products and services from one business to the next is a crucial, yet lengthy, process that most of us simply don’t have the time for.  So in our effort to save you from hours of mind-wrenching investigations, we’ve compiled a quick and honest list of what distinguishes Capital Junk from the rest in the junk removal industry. 

            Capital Junk is…

1.      Locally owned and operated.  Unlike our franchised competitors, Capital Junk opened its doors here in Ottawa and has remained servicing our community that we are proud to be a part of and support. This also means Capital Junk is not required to meet national pricing standards.  Determining our own pricing according to Ottawa’s market truly translates into flexibility in our quotes and lower costs overall.

 

2.      Non-commissioned.  Our team of highly qualified junk removal experts is praised for helping customers regain their space efficiently; we are not required to meet sales goals, rather to ensure the customer has the best experience possible.

 

3.      Equipped with LARGER trucks.  Capital Junk’s trucks are 20% larger than the industry’s standard size and our competitors.  Need we say more?

 

4.      Green.  Not only do we operate Ottawa’s First Carbon Neutral Fleet, Capital Junk organizes and participates in several environmental initiatives every year.  Additionally, our daily effort to recycle or donate the items we remove prevents 70% of your junk from piling up in local landfills.

 

5.      Surprise-free.  It may be a classic company cliché, but Capital Junk takes pride in truly promising no hidden fees.  Regardless of the type of junk you would like to have us remove, whether it’s a mattress, e-waste or old books, our pricing is strictly based on volume.  Plus HST.  

We hope this list has answered all of your questions and minimized your shopping for reliable full-service junk removal and bin rentals!  Should you have any further inquiries, please visit our website at CapitalJunk.ca, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, or call us directly at 613-825-0707.

Let Us Take Your Junk Away!

 

How to tackle hoarding

Have you ever watched a hoarding show on TV and wonder how people can become so consumed with “stuff?”  Well we often get phone calls from customers concerned about someone they know who is hoarding.  They will ask for advice and steps to help manage the task at hand.  It is important, however, to acknowledge that this complex issue can be highly sensitive, as hoarding is often triggered by some type of anxiety. It is said to be a subtype of obsessive, compulsive disorder. It often consumes the hoarder not only literally, but mentally and socially.   Doctors have described potential cause for hoarding such as difficulty processing information, beliefs about inanimate possessions, and emotional distress associated with parting from these items.  It is sometimes difficult for family members to sympathize with their hoarding relative and to insist they take matters into their own hands.  This can have positive or negative effects.  To the non-hoarder, the clutter is seen as garbage that needs to be thrown away but to a hoarder each item has its own special (often exaggerated) significance; a treasure.   Hoarders are often resistant to change and procrastinate over decisions to help free them from their compulsive hoarding tendencies.  There is no cure for obsessive compulsive hoarding, but there are ways to help transition into healthy behaviours.    Promoting positive encouragement is what we hope to do by providing some simple steps to conquer hoarding: 

·         Respect freedom of choice - Acknowledge that the person you know as a hoarder (as long as competent mentally) is capable of making their own decisions, there isn’t much you can do until the individual is ready to make the change other than kindly recommend counseling.

·         Go the extra step – If you plan on recommending counselling, research a local psychologist of psychiatrist who specializes in hoarding. This shows you genuinely care and are interested in helping in any way possible.

·         Do not argue- This will not solve anything, it will most likely make the situation worse.

·         Ask but don’t tell – Rather than attacking their current situation, discuss long-term goals and if they intend on changing their ways in years to come ask if their current behaviours of accumulating items will be an effective way of achieving their goal.

·         All in time – Strive for gradual change rather than immediate solutions. Hoarding proceeds slowly over time and it may take a while for any change to occur so having patience is key.  Arguing, threatening, and blaming are all negative actions – changing your attitude to one that is willing to help in whatever positive way possible could reap unexpected rewards and eventually soften resistance.  Discussions will become easier and more productive and trust will develop that your intentions are purely to help the situation.

·         Clinical research studies – Cost is often associated with seeking professional help but there are clinical research studies that provide low-cost or even free counselling to the individual you know that is hoarding. Do some research to find if there are any current studies looking for participants in your area.

·         Cleanup companies – Once you have reached the point where the hoarder is comfortable parting with some of their unnecessary items and you intend on having a company come to help clean up, again, do your research to make sure the company has the right type of insurance for the job such as – general liability insurance, workers compensation, and automobile insurance. 

·         Cleaning schedule – When they are ready to begin cleaning trying to tackle as much as possible is too overwhelming for everyone involved.  Create a cleaning schedule and work a room at a time.  If you allow the option of “throw away” or “keep” challenge how each item will be used if the hoarder chooses to “keep”.

·         More than a mess – This a psychologically demanding process for all involved so remember to maintain patience and accept that change will come slowly. 

·         Don’t give up – Hoarding is not a hopeless road. There are professionals that specialize in hoarding and can help.  The worst thing you can do is to abandon the situation.  Loneliness is a catalyst for hoarding.  You know help is needed and as exhausting as it may be for you, someone you know and care about needs your help whether they admit it or not, you know change is necessary.

·         Follow through and maintenance – This is a process that is ongoing even after the clutter has been removed.  It is very easy to slip into old habits so ensure you are promoting healthy behaviours and nip any signs of relapse in the bud.  Remember to stay positive and maintain good relationships with the ex-hoarder. If they agree to further counselling to maintain newly developed behaviours be supportive and even attend the course alongside if that is an option.  You’ll probably learn some new things too!

Earth Day – Save the Date, Ottawa!

It’s coming up, just around the corner, so put it on your calendar. Earth Day is April 22^nd and, throughout Ottawa and across Canada, there will be events to celebrate this special date, which is set aside to recognize this great planet we call home.

Earth Day is also a great time to take stock of what you are doing to help the environment. There are little things that we could all do on a daily basis that can add up to a huge impact. Whether it’s recycling, saving water or electricity, or taking your own re-usable bags to the grocery store, these are things we can all do to make a difference. If you think there is room for improvement, pick one thing to work on, this year, such as always taking your re-usable bags to the grocery store, and master it! If you pick one new thing a year to add, over time, soon you will be as green as they come.

Plenty of Earth Day-related events will be taking place across Ottawa during the month of April. There are clean-ups, tree plantings, festivals, and more. You can find a full calendar of events here. Be sure to get the family out to at least one of them, if not more. It’s a great time to get kids involved in activities that will teach them more about the importance of being environmentally friendly.

At Capital Junk, we support Earth Day and make efforts throughout the entire year to be as environmentally friendly as possible. We specialize in professional junk removal services, and make every effort to keep items out of area landfills. We can remove everything from old furniture and appliances to household cleanouts and more. Call us today to arrange a pick-up and help keep your unwanted items out of the Ottawa landfills.

Have old unwanted furniture? No problem!

If you are like most people, at some point you are going to have to contend with some old furniture. Whether you replace your furniture every 5 years or go for much longer, there will come a time when everything needs to be replaced. So just what should you do with that old furniture? Good question!

            The answer about what to do with old, unwanted furniture is not to throw it out. If you put old furniture in the garbage, it will be taken to local landfills. While there, it will just sit, taking up space. There are better things you can do with all that old furniture, especially if you live in the Ottawa area.

            Here are some tips for what you can do with your old furniture, rather than send it to a landfill:

• See if any friends or family members need it. You may know someone who would be interested in taking the old furniture off your hands.
• Find a local thrift store which is willing to take it. Some thrift stores do take unwanted furniture, but you should check first, before loading it up and driving down there.
• Call us to remove it for you. We do our best to do the most environmentally friendly thing with everything we pick up and haul away. If it can go to a thrift store, that’s where we will take it.

At Capital Junk, we serve the entire Ottawa area with professional junk removal services, and we do it in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Whether it’s old appliances, garage and basement cleanouts, old furniture, or other items, we can take care of it for you.  

            Whether you have old furniture, old appliances or other unwanted junk, give us a call. We are happy to help you with all your junk removal needs and to help serve Ottawa by keeping as much as possible out of landfills.

Tips for Eco Friendly Cooking

Cooking is something that just about every household does. Even if it’s not on a nightly basis, most people do cook meals at home several times per week, at least. That means it can add up to leaving a big carbon footprint. But the good news it that, in the matter of being more environmentally friendly, there are things you can do about it when it comes to cooking!

Ways to make your cooking more eco friendly include:

• Check your burner to ensure you are using the correct size. If you use one that is too big, you will end up wasting energy.
• Try to do as much of your food shopping locally as possible. The more food you use that has been grown in your area, the better for the environment.
• Look for organic, whenever possible. These foods will automatically be more eco friendly, before you even begin the preparation phase.
• Take your own bags with you when you go to the store or farmers market. This will save on all the bags that are used and tossed out each year.
• Try to forgo plastic as much as possible. If you have a choice between buying foods that are in jars or foods in plastic containers, opt for the jar. It’s more eco friendly to begin with, and will be easily recycled.
• Keep a cloth towel handy, rather than using up a bunch of paper toweling, when you are cooking.
• Only run the dishwasher once it is full, so that you don’t end up wasting water and electricity.
• When it comes to purchasing your cookware, look for pots and pans made from cast iron, aluminum or copper, which are all eco friendly options.

The little things that we do each day to be more environmentally friendly all add up. The more you do today; the better off the world will be tomorrow. And if we all make these changes, it will have a major impact on the planet.

When it comes to being eco friendly with any junk or unwanted items you may have, keep us at Capital Junk in mind. We serve the entire Ottawa area with professional junk removal services, and we do it in the most environmentally friendly way possible. 

Interesting Garbage Facts Every Canadian Should Know

How much do you really know about garbage? If you are like most people throughout Ottawa, as well as across Canada, it’s probably not much at all. Sure, you know that you have some, and that it gets taken out each week to the curb. But after that, most people don’t give it much thought. And that can be a huge, stinking problem!

For starters, did you know that Canada has some 10,000 landfills? It’s true! Each landfill takes up space and is, in all likelihood, near someone’s home. Nobody wants to live near a landfill, but if we keep filling them up at the rate we are going, we will need to create new landfills, which means finding new spaces to create them. And it has to go somewhere, so all you can do is hope it won’t be in your neighborhood.

Garbage is something that we can’t escape. It’s going to be there, no matter how hard we try to completely do away with it. Part of the problem lies not only in what is being produced, but in what is being done with it. The average Canadian creates about 2.7 kg of garbage each day, adding up to a combined total for the population of around 31 million tonnes of garbage per year. However, only 30 percent of that is recycled! That’s right, it is estimated that 67 percent of it ends up in landfills, both around Ottawa and all over Canada.

We can help change this, starting by doing our part to recycle. The more we keep out of area landfills, the better off the whole country, and ultimately planet, will be. Make it a goal this year to reduce, reuse, and recycle! The planet, and your neighbors, thank you for it.

Need to rent a dumpster or bin? No problem!

Let’s face it – sometimes people have junk they need to get rid of. Sometimes it’s a lot of junk. That’s okay, don’t feel bad about it. If people didn’t have a lot of junk they needed removed, we wouldn’t exist! Some projects call for renting a dumpster or bin to put all the junk in, so that you can then sit back and relax while it’s all hauled way. And that’s exactly what we can do with our bins!

We offer bins that can be rented to help you with whatever it is you are working on or need to get rid of. Whether you are cleaning out an apartment or house, or doing a remodeling project, we have you covered. Simply choose one of our three sizes of bins, picking the one best suited to your project. We will conveniently drop it off for you. Then you can fill it up with all the junk you want removed, and we’ll be back to haul it all away.

Another great aspect of having us haul it all away is that we will do our best to be environmentally friendly with the items. If we can recycle them, we will. If they can be donated to charity, that’s where they will go. We make it our mission to keep as much out of area landfills as possible. Our bin junk-removal system is easy to use, affordable, and convenient. Plus, our trucks are licensed and insured, and our company is locally owned and operated.

A wide variety of items can go in the bins, including scrap wood, dry wall, insulation, tile, carpeting, bricks, shingles, toilets, furniture and more. Just about any old household items can go in the bin, making it a convenient solution.

Give us a call at Capital Junk to learn more about our bin rental. If you are in need of a dumpster to get rid of some junk, we have you covered! We serve the entire Ottawa area with a full range of environmentally friend junk-removal services.