Junk Removal & Cleanouts for Greater Boston Properties
Unit cleanouts, bulk item removal, furniture and appliance disposal, and curbside violation reporting — handled in compliance with Massachusetts disposal requirements, by the same company that cleans your building.
Junk doesn't manage itself — and in Greater Boston, it can cost you
Every property manager knows the feeling. A tenant moves out and leaves behind a mattress, a broken dresser, and a box spring propped against the dumpster. A unit gets vacated and the basement fills up with abandoned furniture. Someone drags an old appliance to the curb without scheduling a pickup. These aren't edge cases — they're regular occurrences in any multifamily building, and in Greater Boston they carry real financial consequences.
Massachusetts bans mattresses, electronics, appliances, textiles, and numerous other materials from disposal. Leaving prohibited items at the curb, in a trash room, or next to a dumpster isn't just a property management headache — it's a potential fine, a code enforcement visit, and documentation of non-compliance that follows the property. Property managers who manage this proactively, with a reliable removal partner who knows the rules, stay out of that cycle entirely.
78-Clean handles junk removal and cleanouts for Greater Boston property managers — from a single abandoned piece of furniture to a full unit cleanout — as part of a broader facility services program or as a standalone service.
What the service includes
Unit cleanouts
When a tenant vacates and leaves items behind — furniture, clothing, personal property, boxes, appliances — 78-Clean clears the unit. Everything subject to Massachusetts disposal bans is handled in compliance. The unit is left clean and ready for the next step, whether that's a turnover cleaning, a repair program, or a direct re-lease. For units that need cleaning after the cleanout, see our Apartment & Condo Turnover Cleaning service.
Exterior and common area removal
Most junk removal for multifamily buildings happens outside the unit — items left in basements, storage areas, hallways, building entries, and alongside dumpsters. 78-Clean removes bulk items from wherever they've ended up, not just from inside units. Furniture left in a basement, an old appliance in the parking area, abandoned bikes in the bike room — these are all within scope.
Curbside and alleyway violation identification
78-Clean crews actively identify items left on sidewalks, curbs, and in alleyways that violate local ordinances — furniture placed without a scheduled pickup, bulk items abandoned after a move-out, prohibited materials left next to bins. When our crews spot a violation at your property, they report it back to the office and we reach out to the property manager to confirm whether removal is needed. You find out about the problem and have a solution available before a code enforcement officer does.
Mattresses — handled properly
Mattresses are one of the most common and most problematic junk removal items for property managers. As of November 1, 2022, Massachusetts bans mattresses and box springs from disposal — they must be recycled, not trashed. The City of Boston only picks up mattresses from buildings with six units or fewer — buildings with more than six units must arrange their own mattress disposal. For most multifamily properties in Greater Boston, that means the property manager is responsible for arranging recycling-compliant mattress removal every time a tenant leaves one behind. 78-Clean handles this — no scrambling to find a recycler, no risk of a disposal ban violation, no mattress sitting in the hallway while you figure out what to do with it.
Furniture and appliances
Sofas, bed frames, dressers, tables, chairs, and standard move-out furniture are handled as part of any cleanout or removal job. Appliances — refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, air conditioning units — are also within scope. Appliance disposal in Massachusetts carries specific regulatory requirements depending on the item. 78-Clean removes appliances from your property and ensures they are directed to appropriate disposal channels in compliance with Massachusetts requirements. If you have questions about a specific appliance or item, reach out and we'll confirm what's involved before scheduling.
Electronics
Massachusetts bans electronics — televisions, computers, and monitors — from disposal. They must be recycled through approved programs. E-waste left in a trash room or at the curb is a disposal ban violation. 78-Clean removes electronics and directs them to compliant recycling channels.
The compliance stakes for Greater Boston property managers
Massachusetts has some of the strictest disposal requirements in the country, and Greater Boston municipalities enforce them actively. A few specific risks worth understanding:
Disposal ban violations
Massachusetts prohibits disposal of 23 material categories. Waste loads with banned materials are rejected and returned to the generator. Repeat violations result in fines of $500–$25,000. When a tenant leaves a banned item at your building and it ends up in the waste stream, the property manager is the responsible party — not the tenant.
Illegal dumping
Leaving bulk items on the sidewalk without a scheduled pickup is illegal dumping in Boston and most Greater Boston municipalities. Violations can result in fines of $100–$500 per incident. The fine applies to the property owner regardless of which tenant left the items — your curb area is your responsibility.
Dumpster permit requirements
Maintaining a residential dumpster without a permit can result in a fine of $50, not to exceed $1,000. Maintaining a commercial dumpster without a Public Works permit carries its own separate fine. 78-Clean's removal work is performed in compliance with local permit and disposal requirements.
For municipality-specific fine schedules and compliance detail, see our dedicated pages for Boston, Allston, Brighton, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, and Chestnut Hill.
Standalone service or part of a broader program
Junk removal is available as a standalone service for property managers who need one-time or periodic removal without a broader cleaning program. It's also a natural complement to 78-Clean's other services — particularly Apartment & Condo Turnover Cleaning, Trash & Recycling Management, and Commercial Cleaning. Properties that combine junk removal with other 78-Clean services benefit from a single Relationship Manager who coordinates all service delivery and a crew that already knows the building.
For pre-listing property cleanouts — basements, attics, garages, and storage areas being cleared before a home goes to market — see our Real Estate Turnovers page.
Serving properties across Greater Boston
78-Clean provides junk removal and cleanout services to multifamily buildings, commercial properties, and HOA communities throughout Greater Boston — including Boston, Allston, Brighton, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, Chestnut Hill, and surrounding communities.
A junk removal partner Greater Boston property managers trust
78-Clean is the commercial cleaning brand of Commercial Cleaning Service, Inc., a family-owned, women-owned Greater Boston business since 1977. We maintain a 97% customer retention rate — built on showing up, handling problems before they become fines, and giving property managers one fewer thing to manage.
Every client is assigned a dedicated Relationship Manager. When our crews spot a curbside issue, identify a disposal problem, or complete a cleanout, you hear about it through one point of contact who knows your property.