Dumpster rental is for more than just your daily trash. Many people who live out of town or beyond the edge of common municipalities have to resort to the use of a dumpster as their trash service, but this article goes beyond daily dumpster use and digs into certain situations where a dumpster rental might be the best option.
How Dumpster Rental Works
Most people have probably seen these waste receptacles sitting in front of homes that are undergoing a renovation. They look almost like box cars and not like the typical dumpsters that sit behind restaurants and in alleys. They are for rubbish; rubbish being waste material and not food waste. Rubbish is stored in a separate part of a landfill because of its rate of decomposition.
A dumpster rental company will bring the container to your house and typically sit it by the curb or in your driveway. You fill it will scrap material and rubbish, and when you have either used all the space in the container or you have no more waste to throw away, simply call the dumpster rental company, and they will come and haul it away.
Best Times to Rent Dumpsters
There are more possible situations than can be covered in one article, however, there are a few that seem to recur quite often that are worth mentioning.
- If you are a do-it-yourselfer and you are going to rip out walls, flooring, roofing, windows, siding, etc, then renting a dumpster is a must. That rubbish has to go somewhere, and this is the most efficient method of containing it and hauling it away.
- Large yard projects where you are removing shrubs, trees, sod, play equipment, etc. are great candidates for a these waste containers. This kind of material cannot go in city trash hauling containers and cannot be hauled by a truck at a cost effective price.
- These receptacles are perfect if you are moving out of a house and need to do some serious trimming. Bookshelves, dressers, tables, exercise equipment, doors, rugs, and the like are tailor made for these waste containers. Sure, you might not fill the whole thing, but there is nowhere else to put all that rubbish, so renting a dumpster makes total sense.
Trash Dumpster Rental Costs & Sizes
Looking at the data HomeAdvisor gathers on homeowner projects, the average cost to rent a trash dumpster anywhere in the country is $421. The top of this cost range is $1000, and it bottoms out at $200. Residential projects will likely need a $150-$300 Dumpster, whereas big, time intensive renovations will be closer to $800-$1000. Most dumpster rental companies are going to have several different sizes of dumpsters, and most will assume a week’s worth of rental time. Of course, these are just averages. Your local companies will likely have different options for you and your particular area.
Dumpster sizes are going to vary state-to-state and company by company. A typical company is likely to either have only the huge size, which will hold 30-40 cubic yards of waste or several smaller sizes, such as six, nine, and 12 cubic yard containers. If you discuss what you are looking to toss out with your rental company, they will usually know which size is best.
Bit of Advice on Trash Dumpsters
The nature of these containers can cause some problems if you are not adequately prepared for its arrival.
- First, make sure that your street or driveway is clear for where you want the container to go. Sitting it too far from your house can cause you to have to walk everything a long distance, which is not ideal.
- Second, you might have to park far away from your house if the Dumpster is taking up your parking space.
- Lastly, these containers can be pretty tall. If you are not very tall or will have trouble heaving the rubbish up into the container, you might need to create or buy some steps or solid boxes to make this process easier on your body.
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We have some major yard work to do this spring, and I think we may need to rent a dumpster to haul all the waste. If you fill up the dumpster before your rental time is up can you have it empties and then continue filling it? Will that cost extra? Thanks for this information!
I’m glad that you point out how a dumpster would be good to have if you are moving. Being able to have a place to throw away junk so you don’t have to move it with you is a huge benefit. It also helps to have a dumpster when you plan to for when you clean the house right before you move.
You said “these containers can be pretty tall”. Doesn’t a typical dumpster have a flip-down door so we don’t have to throw garbage from atop?
We’re doing a major renovation on our summer house and I am quite annoyed at the volume of waste it generates every day as we don’t have any waste containers yet. This article suggests the most efficient method of hauling the trash away. Thanks for the additional information!
Hello, We are moving into a large, currently empty home. We will have tons of boxes, heavy plastic and other incidentals that come with starting from scratch and establishing a home. I am thinking that a dumpster will be best for disposing of the massive trash we anticipate. Am I right?