Junk removal in Richmond West for hot tubs, heavy items and backyard cleanups

01

No city hall here: the county runs trash and bulk

Richmond West is an unincorporated census-designated place, so there is no city sanitation department. Miami-Dade County's Department of Solid Waste Management collects garbage twice a week and recycling every other week, paid through the annual waste service fee on your tax bill. Each home gets a 96-gallon green cart, out by 7 a.m. within 3 feet of the street.

The cart has its own no list: rocks, dirt, tile, construction or demolition debris, car batteries, propane tanks and household chemicals. Furniture and appliances never go in the cart. They go to a bulky waste appointment instead.

02

Bulky pickup rules, and the 150-pound line

Each household gets two bulky pickups a year of up to 25 cubic yards each, booked online, on the MDC Solid Waste app or through 311, up to 30 days out. There are no waitlists or fit-ins, and a cancellation must reach the county 2 days before the appointment. Duplex owners can combine up to four pickups into one pickup of up to 100 cubic yards. The pile goes out no more than three days early, by 7 a.m., within 10 feet of the street and clear of mailboxes, cars, trees, poles and sprinkler heads, with 15 feet of overhead clearance.

The county takes furniture, appliances with fridge and freezer doors removed, rolled carpet, mattresses sealed in plastic, rolled fencing up to five feet high (wooden fence limited to three cubic yards), up to four tires, tree cuttings and fluid-free power tools. It refuses microwaves, TVs and electronics, auto parts, central air units, fiberglass insulation, liquids, oil-based paint, rock, dirt and sand, and any single item over 150 pounds.

That last rule is where backyard jobs stall. An old hot tub, a safe or a piano will not go at the curb. The county's own advice for anything over the limit is a drop-off center, a paid excess pickup, or hiring a private hauler. Rapid Haul is that hauler: hot tub removal and heavy items priced flat from a photo.

or call (754) 249-1015

03

Permits in unincorporated Miami-Dade

Because Richmond West has no city government, building and demolition permits come from Miami-Dade County's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER), Building. The county permits page has a Demolition entry for residential and commercial demolitions, with different requirements for attached and detached structures, and applications go through the RER online portal.

The GC or the property owner pulls that permit. Rapid Haul does not. Rapid Haul does the non-structural tear-out (a bathroom, a kitchen, flooring, a shed or an old deck) and hauls everything away. Room demo starts at $750, shed removal at $350 and deck demo at $550. Jobs of $1,000 and over take a 50% deposit.

04

Post-1980s subdivisions south of Coral Reef Drive

Richmond West covers about 4.28 square miles in southwest Miami-Dade. It was mostly farmland until the mid-1980s, when subdivisions and the Dadeland Mobile Home Park went up south of SW 152nd Street (Coral Reef Drive). Hurricane Andrew destroyed the mobile home park in 1992 and devastated the area, and rebuilding spread south toward Eureka Drive, the southern border. The name goes back to an early-1900s settlement called Eureka and a 1927 rail depot called Richmond.

That makes most homes here newer than in older Miami suburbs, with about 10,700 housing units and under 2% vacant in 2020. Zoo Miami lies to the east and Country Walk to the north. Backyard jobs, garage cleanouts from $300 and furniture removal from $125 are a natural fit.

or call (754) 249-1015

05

Price, timing and county drop-off

Rapid Haul is based in Hollywood, and Miami-Dade is regular service area. Text a photo to (754) 249-1015. Dany answers himself and replies with one flat price covering labor, loading, hauling and disposal. Same-day pickup is often possible if you call early, and junk removal is paid after the job.

To self-haul, the nearest county centers by address are Eureka Drive (9401 SW 184th Street, Palmetto Bay) and South Miami Heights (20800 SW 117 Court). Bring a Florida ID matching your address. Construction and demolition debris is limited to three cubic yards per customer per day, and food garbage is not allowed.