Home › Selling a Junk Removal Business in 2026: Multiples, Named Buyers, and the Operator Playbook

Selling a Junk Removal Business in 2026: Multiples, Named Buyers, and the Operator Playbook

Quick Answer

A US junk removal business in 2026 typically sells for roughly 3x to 7x EBITDA. The category benefits from consumer-services consolidation tailwinds (recurring residential/commercial cleanouts, e-commerce fulfillment haul-aways, estate/move-out volumes), franchise platform ecosystem, and PE-backed rollups. By profile: a single-territory franchise (College Hunks, 1-800-Got-Junk, JDog, Junkluggers, etc.) at $200-500k SDE goes 2.5x-4x SDE; a profitable independent operator with diversified revenue ($400k-1M SDE) goes 3x-5x SDE; a small multi-territory franchise or independent ($1-3M EBITDA) goes 4x-6x EBITDA; a regional junk removal platform ($3-10M EBITDA, multi-state) goes 5x-7x EBITDA; a premium scale platform ($10M+ EBITDA, named commercial accounts, dumpster rental integration, modern dispatch) reaches 6x-7x+ EBITDA. Active buyers include College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving (Authority Brands, Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management, ~270+ franchise locations), 1-800-Got-Junk (O2E Brands, the largest US junk removal brand with ~250+ franchise locations), JDog Junk Removal & Hauling (Authority Brands subsidiary, veteran-owned franchise), Junkluggers (private franchise), LoadUp (PE-backed tech-enabled marketplace), The Junk King (private franchise, ~75+ locations), Junk Doctors, plus PE sponsors (Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management at Authority Brands, Roark Capital at Neighborly Holdings, JAB Holding Company, Court Square Capital Partners, Wind Point Partners). The biggest multiple drivers are commercial account revenue percentage (recurring B2B revenue vs. one-time residential), dumpster rental integration (Bagster-style add-on revenue), franchise brand strength, modern dispatch/routing technology, and route density. Buyer-paid M&A advisory (CT Strategic Partners) costs the seller nothing.

If you own a US junk removal business in 2026, the M&A market is one of the more active consumer-services consolidations. College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving (Authority Brands under Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management) is the dominant franchise platform at ~270+ locations. 1-800-Got-Junk (O2E Brands) is the largest US junk removal brand at ~250+ franchise locations. JDog Junk Removal, Junkluggers, LoadUp, and The Junk King compete in the franchise + independent operator landscape.

What the asset is worth depends on three things: (1) commercial account revenue percentage (recurring B2B revenue is the multiple-builder), (2) dumpster rental integration and ancillary revenue, and (3) franchise brand strength plus modern dispatch/routing technology. This guide covers real multiples by profile, the named buyers transacting, and the operator-level diligence buyers will run.

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What this guide covers

Junk removal multiples 2026: 2.5x-4x SDE for single-territory franchise, 3x-5x SDE for profitable independent, 4x-6x EBITDA for small multi-territory, 5x-7x for regional platforms, 6x-7x+ for premium scale with commercial accounts + dumpster integration.
Active buyers: College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving (Authority Brands under Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management, ~270+ franchise locations), 1-800-Got-Junk (O2E Brands, ~250+ franchise locations, largest US junk removal brand), JDog Junk Removal & Hauling (Authority Brands, veteran-owned franchise), Junkluggers (private franchise), LoadUp (PE-backed tech-enabled marketplace), The Junk King (private franchise, ~75+ locations), Junk Doctors.
PE sponsor activity: Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Authority Brands), Roark Capital (Neighborly Holdings), JAB Holding Company, Court Square Capital Partners, Wind Point Partners.
Multiple drivers: commercial account revenue percentage (recurring B2B), dumpster rental integration (Bagster-style add-on revenue), franchise brand strength, modern dispatch/routing technology (Service Autopilot, Workiz, Jobber, ServiceTitan), route density.
Things that compress: residential-only revenue without commercial accounts, weak dispatch technology, single-territory operations, no franchise brand or weak franchise, owner-operator dependence.
Sellers pay nothing on CT Strategic Partners’ buyer-paid advisory.

Named M&A transactions (2021-2025)

Target	Buyer	Year	What it tells us
Authority Brands continued growth	Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management	2022-2025	Authority Brands (parent of College Hunks + JDog) continues franchise platform expansion.
College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving continued growth	Authority Brands	2022-2025	Major franchise platform continues regional expansion.
1-800-Got-Junk franchise growth	O2E Brands	2022-2025	Largest US junk removal brand continues franchise expansion.
LoadUp marketplace growth	PE-backed	2022-2025	Tech-enabled junk removal marketplace continues market expansion.
Multiple regional junk removal tuck-ins	Various PE-backed platforms	2022-2025	PE sponsors continue selective regional consolidation.

The named buyer landscape

Authority Brands portfolio (Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management)

College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving — ~270+ franchise locations.
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling — veteran-owned franchise.
Authority Brands is the largest residential-services franchise platform with 16+ brands including College Hunks, JDog, and others.

O2E Brands (1-800-Got-Junk parent)

1-800-Got-Junk — ~250+ franchise locations, the largest US junk removal brand.
WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, Shack Shine, You Move Me — sister brands under O2E Brands.

Independent franchise + tech-enabled platforms

Junkluggers (private franchise) — ~70+ locations.
LoadUp (PE-backed tech-enabled marketplace) — on-demand junk removal in 30+ markets.
The Junk King (private franchise) — ~75+ locations.
Junk Doctors, Trash Daddy, plus regional independents.

PE sponsors active in this space

Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Authority Brands parent of College Hunks + JDog), Roark Capital (Neighborly Holdings parent of multiple residential brands), JAB Holding Company, Court Square Capital Partners, Wind Point Partners, plus multiple consumer-services PE funds.

What each buyer will pay for vs. what they reject

Will pay premium for: commercial account revenue percentage (recurring B2B revenue from property management, retail, real estate, e-commerce fulfillment haul-aways), dumpster rental integration (Bagster-style or independent dumpster rental adds material revenue per stop), franchise brand strength, modern dispatch/routing technology (Service Autopilot, Workiz, Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro), route density, multi-state platform scale, named property management or real estate accounts.
Will compress or reject: residential-only revenue without commercial accounts, weak dispatch technology, single-territory operations, no franchise brand or weak franchise affiliation, owner-operator dependence, weak truck fleet, single-revenue-stream operations.

The operator-level KPI playbook buyers will diligence

Revenue mix

Residential cleanout revenue.
Commercial account revenue (property management, retail, real estate, e-commerce).
Dumpster rental revenue.
Estate cleanout / move-out revenue.
Construction site cleanup revenue.
Donation / recycling pickup revenue.

Operations

Truck count and fleet age.
Jobs per truck per day.
Average ticket per job.
Route density.
Drive time as % of total time.
Dump fees as % of revenue.

Technology

Dispatch/routing software: Service Autopilot, Workiz, Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Junk Removal Authority OS.
Online booking integration.
Customer app and digital communication.
Photo-based estimating capability.

Customer acquisition

Customer acquisition cost (CAC).
Top customer-acquisition channels: Google search, franchise brand, referral, commercial accounts.
Repeat customer percentage.
Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Workforce

Crew count and tenure.
Driver licenses and DOT compliance.
OSHA compliance and workers’-comp EMR (junk removal has elevated physical risk).
Background-checked workforce.

Dangers and traps

1. Residential-only revenue

Commercial account revenue is the multiple-builder; residential-only compresses.

2. Weak dispatch technology

Modern dispatch/routing software is non-negotiable for premium platforms.

3. Single-territory operations

Multi-state platforms achieve premium multiples.

4. No franchise brand affiliation

Independent operators face brand-recognition disadvantage.

5. Owner-operator dependence

Build the operations bench.

6. Weak truck fleet

Fleet age and condition affect operating costs and customer experience.

7. No dumpster rental integration

Dumpster rental + junk removal is a margin-builder.

8. Workers’-comp EMR exposure

Junk removal has elevated physical risk; above-industry-average EMR compresses.

Our POV in 2026

Junk removal M&A is dominated by Authority Brands (Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management) with College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving and JDog Junk Removal, and O2E Brands with 1-800-Got-Junk. Junkluggers, LoadUp, The Junk King compete in the franchise + tech-enabled landscape. Commercial account revenue is the multiple-builder.

The right time to prepare is 12-18 months before going to market — build commercial account revenue, integrate dumpster rental, modernize dispatch technology, develop franchise brand affiliation if independent.

Preparing your business for sale: 12-18 months out

Get multi-year audited or reviewed financials.
Build commercial account revenue (property management, retail, real estate, e-commerce).
Integrate dumpster rental for ancillary revenue.
Modernize dispatch/routing software (Service Autopilot, Workiz, Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro).
Develop franchise brand affiliation if independent.
Modernize truck fleet.
Document customer acquisition cost and channel mix.
Build the operations bench.
Resolve workers’-comp EMR exposure.
Run a competitive process. College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving (Authority Brands under Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management), 1-800-Got-Junk (O2E Brands), JDog Junk Removal & Hauling (Authority Brands), Junkluggers, LoadUp, The Junk King, Junk Doctors, plus PE sponsors directly (Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Roark Capital, JAB Holding Company, Court Square Capital Partners, Wind Point Partners).

About the Author

Christoph Totter is the founder of CT Acquisitions, a buy-side partner headquartered in Sheridan, Wyoming. We work directly with 76+ buyers, search funders, family offices, lower middle-market PE, and strategic consolidators, including direct mandates with the largest home services consolidators that other intermediaries can’t access. The buyers pay us when a deal closes, not the seller. No retainer, no exclusivity, no contract until close. Connect on LinkedIn · Get in touch

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Frequently asked questions

What is the typical multiple for a junk removal business in 2026?

Single-territory franchise operators ($200-500k SDE) typically sell at 2.5x-4x SDE. Profitable independent operators with diversified revenue ($400k-1M SDE) go 3x-5x SDE. Small multi-territory franchise or independent operators ($1-3M EBITDA) go 4x-6x EBITDA. Regional junk removal platforms ($3-10M EBITDA, multi-state) go 5x-7x EBITDA. Premium scale platforms ($10M+ EBITDA, named commercial accounts, dumpster rental integration, modern dispatch) reach 6x-7x+.

Who are the active buyers of junk removal businesses right now?

Authority Brands portfolio (under Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management): College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving (~270+ franchise locations), JDog Junk Removal & Hauling (veteran-owned franchise). O2E Brands portfolio: 1-800-Got-Junk (~250+ franchise locations, largest US junk removal brand), WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, Shack Shine, You Move Me. Independent franchise + tech: Junkluggers (~70+ locations), LoadUp (PE-backed tech-enabled marketplace), The Junk King (~75+ locations), Junk Doctors. PE sponsors: Apax Partners + Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Authority Brands), Roark Capital (Neighborly Holdings), JAB Holding Company, Court Square Capital Partners, Wind Point Partners.

What hurts a junk removal business’s valuation most?

Residential-only revenue without commercial accounts (commercial is the multiple-builder), weak dispatch/routing technology, single-territory operations, no franchise brand affiliation or weak franchise, owner-operator dependence, weak truck fleet, no dumpster rental integration, workers’-comp EMR above industry average (junk removal has elevated physical risk), and customer-acquisition cost concentration in a single channel.

Why is commercial account revenue so important?

Commercial accounts (property management companies, retail chains, real estate firms, e-commerce fulfillment centers) provide recurring B2B revenue with predictable cash flow vs. one-time residential cleanout revenue. Operators with 30%+ commercial revenue mix achieve premium multiples. Commercial-account-heavy junk removal operators are particularly attractive to PE-backed franchise consolidators (Authority Brands, O2E Brands) for platform-level revenue diversification.

Do I have to pay a broker fee?

No. CT Strategic Partners runs a buyer-paid M&A advisory model. The seller pays nothing. The buyer pays the success fee at closing.

How long does it take to sell a junk removal business?

Once you go to market with a buyer-paid advisor, a typical process runs 4-7 months from initial outreach to closing. Add 12-18 months of preparation work before going to market.

Should I franchise-affiliate before selling?

Franchise affiliation (College Hunks, 1-800-Got-Junk, JDog, Junkluggers, The Junk King) provides brand recognition and platform-buyer access but typically reduces operating EBITDA via royalty fees (6-10% of revenue). If you have 24+ months to runway, franchise affiliation can boost multiples; if selling within 12 months, focus on operational improvements (commercial accounts, dispatch tech, dumpster integration) instead.

When should I start preparing if I plan to sell in 2027 or 2028?

12-18 months before going to market is the right window. Highest-leverage pre-sale work: build commercial account revenue mix, integrate dumpster rental, modernize dispatch/routing software, develop franchise brand affiliation if independent and runway allows, document customer acquisition channels.