If you're searching for a permanent dumpster rental, a temporary roll-off usually covers it, kept 1 to 30 days or swapped when you call on a longer job. The terms get used loosely, so this post sorts out what each one means and which fits your job. Family Trash rents dumpsters for home projects and offers Charleston construction dumpster rental from James Island. The difference comes down to how long you need the dumpster and how the swaps work, and it's the same roll-off rental either way.
What is a temporary dumpster rental?
A temporary rental is the standard roll-off. Tony brings the dumpster to your driveway or job site, you fill it over the rental period, and he picks it up when you call. The included time is 5 days on the 7, 13 and 17, and 7 days on the 22. Rentals run up to 30 days, and past that you call and Tony works it out. The same setup covers a weekend garage cleanout or a remodel that runs several weeks.
A temporary rental fits jobs with a start and a finish: a kitchen demo, a flooded room, clearing out a parent's house or tearing off an old deck. For a garage, a bathroom or a one- or two-room cleanout, the 13-yard dumpster is the usual size. A full kitchen or several rooms goes in the 17. Concrete and dirt go in the low 7-yard.
What do people mean by a permanent dumpster?
A permanent dumpster is the kind that stays behind a restaurant or an apartment building, with a lid and a weekly pickup from a trash company on a route. That's commercial trash service. Family Trash rents roll-off dumpsters and a flatbed for moving equipment, and it doesn't run a trash route.
A search for a permanent dumpster usually means one of two setups. The first is a job site dumpster that stays in place for several weeks. The second is a long project where Tony swaps a full dumpster for an empty one each time you call. Both are roll-off rentals, and both last longer than a weekend job.
How do swap-outs work on a long job?
When a dumpster is full, call or text (843) 800-0689 and ask for a swap. Tony picks up the full dumpster and sets an empty one in the same spot, and you keep working. On a build that runs a month or more, calling for swaps as each one fills keeps a dumpster on site for the length of the job.
Contractors use the 17-yard or the 22-yard dumpster on long builds. A 17-yard comes with 1.5 tons over 5 days, and a 22-yard comes with 2 tons over 7 days. A full renovation or a new build goes in the 22. Our page on commercial dumpster rental covers contractor jobs in more detail.
How do you figure out which one you need?
Start with the timeline. If the project has a clear end inside 30 days, one standard rental covers it. Pick the size, pick the drop date and start loading.
If the work runs past a month, plan around swaps. Ask yourself how fast the debris builds up. A framing crew fills a dumpster faster than a slow interior renovation, and a crew loads more during demo than during finish work. Look at what you're throwing away: a long concrete job in the 7-yard calls for more swaps, while a bigger container fits bulky, light debris. And look at where the dumpster sits. On a tight site, a smaller dumpster swapped more often fits the space.
Tell Tony the job and how long it runs, and he'll tell you whether one drop covers it or whether swaps fit better.
How do the phases of a long build change the plan?
Each stage of a long build leaves different debris behind, so the dumpster plan can change as you go. Demolition comes first and leaves the heaviest and bulkiest load: old drywall, framing, flooring, cabinets and sometimes concrete. You load the most during demo. If there's slab or footing concrete, rent a 7-yard for it alongside the bigger dumpster.
Framing and rough-in produce offcuts, packaging, wire and pipe scraps, and you load more slowly then. Finish work leaves cardboard, trim scraps, paint cans and the packaging from cabinets, fixtures and appliances. Flatten every carton as it comes off, since cardboard fills a container fast when it goes in folded. Near the end, the cleanup goes in the last dumpster: leftover material, broken pallets and the final sweep.
How is a long rental priced?
The price shows in the online booking, or you can call or text for it. Delivery, pickup and disposal are included. Each size comes with its included days and weight, and your booking terms cover weight over the included tons. For days past the included time, call and Tony works it out. Our page on dumpster rental cost in Charleston explains what sets the price.
Where does a long-term dumpster sit?
Pick a spot you can leave alone for weeks: out of the path of delivery trucks, clear of the driveway entrance your crew uses, and reachable for the truck each time it swaps. Plan the spot once, so each new dumpster goes in the same place. On your driveway or your own lot, no permit is needed. For a long job in a City of Charleston street, you pull a city permit before delivery. On a long job, check that the permit covers every week the dumpster is out.
Keep the area around it tidy over the weeks. Load debris inside the walls, keep the load level with the top, and pick up loose nails and scraps at the end of each day.
Questions about short and long rentals
How can I tell whether my job needs a temporary dumpster?
If your debris has an end date, you want a temporary roll-off. If your business produces trash every day with no end, you're describing weekly commercial trash service, which is a different service.
Can I keep renting for the same site?
Yes. Each dumpster is a rental, and Tony swaps a full one for an empty one each time you call. That way a dumpster can stay on site for the length of a build.
Does Family Trash rent the kind with a lid that gets emptied weekly?
No. Family Trash rents roll-off dumpsters for jobs. For a container emptied weekly on a route, use a commercial trash hauler.
How do I know when to call for a swap?
Call when the load is level with the top edge. If you can see that a demo day will fill it, call the day before and Tony will tell you when he can be out.
If you aren't sure which size or setup fits, call or text (843) 800-0689. You can see the towns we serve to check your address.
Need a dumpster in Charleston? Call or text Tony at (843) 800-0689, or order online.
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