The Long Island junk company built from one bad weekend
Mike Scalise started this company after spending an entire weekend clearing out his grandmother's house in Amityville and realizing that Long Island had no good options for honest, reliable junk removal.
Thirteen years, four trucks, and 8,400+ jobs later — we're still the same company: locally owned, personally run, and showing up on time.
Jobs Completed
In Business
5-Star Reviews
Towns Served
Why Mike built Long Island Junk Co.
In the fall of 2012, Mike Scalise spent a weekend cleaning out his grandmother's house in Amityville after she passed. She'd lived there for 40 years. The house was full — furniture from three decades, appliances, boxes, and decades of accumulated items that needed to go somewhere.
Mike called three junk removal companies. One never called back. One quoted a price on the phone and then doubled it when they showed up. The third never showed up at all. He ended up renting a truck and doing it himself over two exhausting days.
By Monday he'd made a decision: Long Island needed a junk removal company that actually showed up, charged what they quoted, and treated customers like adults. He bought a used truck with money he'd saved, got his NYS Waste Transporter license, and took his first paying job four days later.
What Mike found was that there was a huge underserved market — estate cleanouts, basement clearing, and renovation debris removal that sat between the overpriced national franchises and the unreliable Craigslist guys. He built a company for the space in between: professional enough to be trusted, local enough to care.
Today Long Island Junk Co. employs eight people, runs four trucks across Nassau and Suffolk County, and has completed over 8,400 jobs. Mike still takes calls personally, still drives the truck when needed, and still shows up to estate cleanouts to make sure the job is done right.
“Used them for an estate cleanout after my father passed. Extremely respectful. Recommended items for donation before anything went to the dump. Mike's company is the real deal.”
- Arrive in the scheduled window — always
- Quote matches invoice — no exceptions
- Leave the space cleaner than we found it
- Donate and recycle before the landfill
The people behind every pickup
Long Island Junk Co. is a small company on purpose. Every person you deal with — from the first call to the final sweep — is a Long Islander who lives and works here.
Mike started Long Island Junk Co. with one pickup truck and a weekend he'd never get back after clearing out his grandmother's house in Amityville. What he found was that estate cleanouts, basement clearing, and renovation debris removal were underserved by both the overpriced national franchises and the unreliable one-man operations on Craigslist. He built a company that shows up on time, charges flat rates, and recycles or donates everything possible before it hits the landfill.
Diane joined full-time in 2021 after handling calls part-time for years. She manages all scheduling, customer communications, and callbacks. If you've called the office, you've probably spoken with Diane. Customers consistently call her out by name in reviews.
Ray was Mike's first hire in 2015 and has never left. He runs day-to-day operations, manages crew assignments, and handles the most complex jobs personally. Nine years of Long Island junk removal experience means there's nothing Ray hasn't seen.
Bobby has been driving for Long Island Junk Co. for six years and is one of the most requested crew members by returning customers. He specializes in estate cleanouts and is known for his careful handling of sentimental items during difficult jobs.
13 years on Long Island
One Truck. One Weekend. One Decision.
Mike Scalise spent an entire weekend clearing out his late grandmother's house in Amityville. Exhausted, he realized no good option existed on Long Island — the national franchises were overpriced and impersonal, and the Craigslist guys were unreliable. He bought a used truck that Monday and took his first paying job by Thursday.
Second Truck, First Employee
Two years of word-of-mouth growth led to hiring Ray Ortega as the first full-time employee. Ray still runs operations today. Adding a second truck allowed the company to run two jobs simultaneously and cut wait times for the first time.
Dumpster Rental Launch
After years of customer requests, Long Island Junk Co. launched roll-off dumpster rental service. Six containers were added initially. The service grew rapidly among Nassau and Suffolk contractors and homeowners doing major renovations.
Habitat ReStore Partnership
Mike formalized the company's long-standing practice of donating usable items by becoming a certified Habitat for Humanity ReStore donor partner. Itemized donation receipts are now standard for all qualifying jobs.
Four Trucks, Eight-Person Crew
Fleet expansion brought the company to four trucks and eight full-time crew members. Diane Scalise joined full-time to handle scheduling and customer service — transforming callback times from hours to minutes.
8,400+ Jobs Completed
Over 8,400 completed jobs across Nassau and Suffolk County. Still locally owned. Still answering the phone. Still showing up on time. The only things that changed are the truck count and the review count.
Licensed, insured, and certified
We carry every credential required to operate a junk removal and dumpster rental company in Nassau and Suffolk County. Don't hire anyone who can't show you these.
NYS Licensed Waste Transporter
License #WT-0049821 — the most important credential for any junk removal company in New York State.
Nassau County Waste Hauler Permit
Issued by Nassau County; required for any hauler operating in Nassau municipality. Current and in good standing.
Suffolk County Waste Hauler Permit
Issued by Suffolk County; required for commercial hauling throughout Suffolk. Renewed annually.
General Liability Insurance — $1M
Every job is covered by $1M per-occurrence general liability insurance. Workers' compensation is maintained for all crew members.
Habitat ReStore Donor Partner
Certified donor partner for Nassau and Suffolk Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations. Donation receipts provided.
All of Nassau & Suffolk County
Our four trucks cover a 40-mile radius from our Medford base, reaching every town in Nassau and Suffolk County. If you're on Long Island, we're your junk crew.
4.9 stars · 187+ reviews
Called at 8am on a Tuesday. They were at my house by 11am and had my garage completely cleared by 1pm. Fair price, hard-working crew, zero complaints.
Estate cleanout for my late mother's house in Huntington. Mike's crew was respectful, efficient, and sorted donations from trash. Incredible company.
Used them for a dumpster rental for our Massapequa kitchen renovation. Best price on Long Island, delivered on time, no driveway damage. Would use again.
Work with a company you can actually trust
Licensed, insured, locally owned. 13 years serving Nassau & Suffolk County. Same-day service available.
Mon–Sat 7am–7pm · Licensed & Insured · Nassau & Suffolk Counties