Short answer: we do not publish a flat hot tub price, because the cost depends on how much truck space the cut-up tub fills and how hard it is to get out of your yard. Our full-service rate is $50 per cubic yard of truck space with a $150 minimum, and that covers draining, cutting the shell apart, carrying the pieces out, hauling and the dump fee. If you would rather do the cutting yourself, a 10-yard dumpster is from $319 with 1 ton of disposal included on our Light Load plan (a cut-up tub is usually well under a ton), or $380 with 2 tons on Standard. The cheapest route on paper is hauling the pieces yourself: the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex charges $11.75 per pickup-truck load as of October 1, 2026, and unincorporated Hillsborough County residents get 10 cubic yards of bulky-waste drop-off free each year. Where the tub ends up depends on the county: in Pinellas the shell is burned for electricity and the metal is pulled out and recycled; in Tampa it goes through the city’s McKay Bay facility.
Why is there no single price for hot tub removal?
Two hot tubs the same size can be very different jobs. One sits on an open concrete pad beside the driveway with a gate wide enough for a wheelbarrow. The other is sunk into a wooden deck inside a screened lanai, and a pool cage panel has to come out before anything moves. The tub is the same; the work is not.
That is why our hot tub removal page prices the job the way we price every junk removal job: $50 per cubic yard of truck space, $150 minimum, confirmed in writing before anyone picks up a saw. The price includes labor, draining, the cut-down, carry-out from anywhere on the property, loading, hauling and disposal fees. There is no separate dump fee and no hourly meter. Text a photo of the tub and the path to the street and we can usually give a firm number without a visit.
How is a hot tub actually cut up and carried out?
Every tub we remove goes through the same four steps. First it is drained, to a spot you approve, usually a lawn area you point us to. It helps if you stop adding chemicals a few days before we come.
Second, the power has to be dead. Nearly every tub we see is hardwired to its own breaker, not plugged into a wall outlet. We ask that a licensed electrician disconnect it, or at minimum that the breaker is off and the circuit has been confirmed dead, before our crew touches the control box. We are haulers, not electricians.
Third is the cut-down. The outer cabinet, usually wood or a plastic composite, comes off first. Underneath is an acrylic shell with a fiberglass backing and, on most tubs built in the last twenty years, a thick layer of spray foam. We cut the shell into sections with a reciprocating saw. The pump, heater, control box and copper wiring come out separately so they can be recycled as metal rather than thrown out with the shell.
Fourth is the carry-out. If a screen panel has to come out of a pool cage to get the sections through, we tell you before we start. Then the pad gets swept and we leave. Most residential removals take two to four hours on site. An empty shell runs roughly 500 to 900 pounds, which is why “the two of us will carry it to the curb” so often ends with the tub still in the yard a year later.
Where does the old tub go in Pinellas County?
Our Pinellas loads go to the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex at 3095 114th Ave N in St. Petersburg. The county does not simply bury garbage. The complex runs a Waste-to-Energy Facility that burns an average of 2,700 tons of trash a day at 2,000 to 2,200 degrees and turns the heat into electricity, up to 75 megawatts, enough for about 45,000 homes and businesses. Burning cuts the volume of what comes in by 90 percent.
So the acrylic shell, the foam and the wood cabinet from your tub become fuel. Metal that was still attached gets pulled out of the ash afterward; the county recovers roughly 60 million pounds of metal from the residue every year and recycles it. The ash goes to Bridgeway Acres Landfill on the same site, where it is used as daily cover over the waste that cannot be burned. Only about a quarter of the trash Pinellas creates is landfilled at all.
We pull the heavy metal before the load ever gets there: the pump motor, heater, steel frame and wiring go to a scrap metal recycler. Very little of a hot tub has to be buried once the metal is out.
Where does the old tub go in Tampa?
Tampa is a different county with different rules. Our Tampa and Westchase loads run through Hillsborough facilities, and the tipping fee is built into the quote.
City of Tampa residents with an active residential solid waste account can haul their own junk to the McKay Bay Scale House at 114 South 34th Street. Furniture, appliances and mattresses are free there with proof of your account; mixed loads and construction debris are charged. The city’s fee schedule effective October 1, 2026 lists McKay Bay disposal at $130 per ton. A cut-up hot tub is a mixed load of plastic, foam, wood and metal, so expect to pay by the ton. Bring a government ID and a utility bill in the same name; the page says both are required.
Will the city or county pick up a hot tub for free?
Partly, and only if it is already cut into pieces a crew can lift. None of the official pages mentions hot tubs by name, so here is what they do say.
St. Petersburg. The city’s special pickup page hauls furniture, carpet and appliances free up to 3 cubic yards total, scheduled through SeeClickFix or by calling 727-893-7398. Anything outside the free list, including building materials and large amounts of accumulated waste, is charged at $25.65 per cubic yard. A hot tub is not on the free list and will not fit in 3 cubic yards anyway, so expect the per-yard charge and ask Sanitation before you put the pieces out. My guide to St. Petersburg’s pickup rules has the full picture.
Tampa. Residential accounts get one free S.W.E.E.P. collection a year of up to 10 cubic yards, on a date set for your address; details are on the S.W.E.E.P. page. Accepted items are furniture, appliances, mattresses, grills, toilets, carpet, taped flat glass, tires and tree limbs. Building materials such as wood, tile, pipe, doors and drywall are refused. A hot tub shell is neither, so call Customer Service at 813-274-8811 before you count on it. Outside your S.W.E.E.P. date, a special pickup costs $19.03 per cubic yard under the fee schedule effective October 1, 2026 (the city’s FAQ page still shows last year’s $18.12, so go by the schedule).
Unincorporated Hillsborough County (Westchase, Brandon, Riverview, Carrollwood and the rest of the county outside the city lines). The county’s curbside bulky pickup is charged per item, generally $30 to $50, scheduled at 813-272-5680 before anything goes to the curb; hot tubs are not on the price list, so you would have to ask. The better deal is self-haul: the county’s five Community Collection Centers, open Monday through Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., give residents 10 cubic yards of free bulky-waste disposal a year, resetting October 1. Northwest County at 8001 W. Linebaugh Avenue is the one nearest Westchase. You unload by hand, sort materials by type, and show a photo ID plus your tax bill.
Pinellas self-haul. The Solid Waste Disposal Complex is open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its fee page lists a flat $11.75 per load for pickup trucks and vans and $4.25 for cars as of October 1, 2026; anything bigger than a passenger vehicle, or anything pulling a trailer, is weighed and charged $63.57 per ton. For a tub already in pieces, a few pickup loads at $11.75 each is the cheapest disposal in the region. It just does not include the cutting, the electrician or your Saturday.
What about the chemicals and the cover?
We do not take chlorine, bromine, muriatic acid or any other spa chemical, and neither will a dumpster. In Pinellas, the county’s Household Hazardous Waste Center at 2855 109th Avenue N in St. Petersburg takes them free from county households, Tuesday through Friday and the first and third Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a government ID. The page lists chlorine, muriatic acid, cleaners and clarifiers by name. Hillsborough runs household hazardous waste drop-offs on select Saturdays at its collection centers; the Community Collection Centers page linked above says which Saturday goes with which site.
The cover goes with the rest of the tub unless it is in good shape, in which case list it for free online before we come.
When does a dumpster beat junk removal for a hot tub?
If the hot tub is the only thing you need gone, our crew is almost always the better buy, because the cutting is the hard part and you are paying us to do it. A dumpster makes sense when the tub is one piece of a bigger project: a deck coming down around it, a lanai being rebuilt, a backyard cleanout with a shed and a fence in the pile.
Then a 10-yard dumpster from $319 on our Light Load plan holds a cut-up tub with room to spare, and its 1 ton of included weight covers most tubs (Standard is $380 with 2 tons if you are tossing other heavy things too). The rental is 2 days plus one free, with extra days at $25. Our own job records from January to October 2026 show 10-yard rentals picked up after a median of 3 days, with 83 percent back within a week, so a weekend project rarely runs into extra-day charges. A dumpster in your driveway needs no permit; one on the street in St. Petersburg does, and the street permit guide covers that.
Two warnings. You still need the electrician and the saw; a dumpster does not cut anything. And if deck boards or concrete footings are going in too, read what can and cannot go in a dumpster first.
Ready to get the tub out of the yard?
Text or call 727-240-7033 with a photo of the tub and the path to the street, and we will send a firm price in writing. We remove hot tubs across Pinellas County and in Tampa and Westchase. Book junk removal in St. Petersburg, Clearwater or Tampa, or rent a dumpster in St. Petersburg or Tampa if the tub is part of a bigger job.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to remove a hot tub in Tampa Bay?
Elephants prices hot tub removal at $50 per cubic yard of truck space with a $150 minimum, including draining, cutting, carry-out, hauling and disposal. The total depends on the tub’s size and how hard it is to get out, so we confirm a flat price in writing before starting.
Can I put a hot tub out for the city to pick up?
Not whole. St. Petersburg’s free special pickup covers up to 3 cubic yards of furniture, carpet and appliances and charges $25.65 per cubic yard for other items; Tampa’s free S.W.E.E.P. pickup does not list hot tubs. In both cities, call Sanitation first and expect to cut the tub into liftable pieces.
Where does a hot tub go after it is removed in Pinellas County?
The shell, foam and cabinet go to the Pinellas County Waste-to-Energy Facility, where they are burned to make electricity. Metal is pulled from the ash and recycled, and we send the pump, heater and wiring to a scrap metal recycler before the load ever gets there.
Do I need an electrician before a hot tub is removed?
Yes. Nearly every hot tub is hardwired to its own breaker, and we ask that a licensed electrician disconnect it, or at least that the breaker is off and the circuit is confirmed dead, before our crew touches the control box.
Is it cheaper to rent a dumpster for a hot tub?
Only when the tub is part of a bigger demolition or cleanout. A 10-yard dumpster is from $319 with 1 ton included on our Light Load plan, or $380 with 2 tons on Standard, but you still have to cut the tub apart yourself. For a tub on its own, junk removal is usually the better buy because the cutting is the hard part.
What do I do with leftover spa chemicals?
Take them to the Pinellas County Household Hazardous Waste Center at 2855 109th Avenue N in St. Petersburg, free for county residents, open Tuesday through Friday and the first and third Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hillsborough County collects household hazardous waste on select Saturdays at its collection centers.
