How to Rent a Dumpster for Your House: A Step-by-Step Guide

To rent a dumpster for your house, figure out what you're throwing away, pick a size and dates, clear a spot, and call or text to book it. If you haven't rented one before, the steps below cover it from start to finish. Family Trash offers James Island construction dumpster rental and home rentals across Charleston, and homeowners book the same way contractors do.

Step 1: Figure out what you're throwing away

Before you book, walk the job and look at what's going in the dumpster. The material matters more than the volume, and it's the first thing you'll be asked about.

Soil, dirt, concrete and brick go in the 7-yard dumpster, which sits low so heavy pieces go over the side easily. A load of only clean concrete or dirt has no overweight charge and goes to a recycle plant. Mix in wood or trash and it goes to the landfill, charged by weight.

Household clutter, old furniture, wood, drywall, yard brush and remodeling debris go in the 13-yard dumpster or larger. Shingles go in the 13 for a small roof and the 17 or 22 for a bigger one.

Paint can go in, and so can oil if it's in a sealed, wrapped container. Tell us what's going in when you book.

Step 2: Pick a size

Once you know the material, size comes down to how much there is. Loose junk takes up more room in a dumpster than it looks like it will in a room, so count the big pieces: each couch, mattress, dresser and appliance takes a good share of the space.

These are the sizes for common house jobs:

• One or two rooms, a garage, a bathroom, a small kitchen, a deck or a fence: the 13-yard, with 1 ton included.
• A full kitchen, several rooms, or flooring across a few rooms: the 17-yard, with 1.5 tons.
• A full-house cleanout: the 17 or the 22, depending on the house. Tell us the house and what's going.
• A full renovation, a new build, or a house plus the garage and yard: the 22-yard, with 2 tons.

If you're between two sizes, tell us the job and we'll tell you which fits. Family Trash carries the 7, 13, 17 and 22, plus a 14-foot flatbed, which is a daily rental for moving equipment and materials. The dumpster size comparison shows the sizes side by side with their dimensions.

Step 3: Pick your dates

Rentals run 1 to 30 days, and longer if you call. The 7, 13 and 17 come with 5 days included, and the 22 comes with 7. Book a window that covers the messy part of the project with a little extra time.

Pick the delivery date for the day before you plan to start loading, or the first morning of the job. You don't need to have anything loaded on delivery day.

Step 4: Have a spot ready

Think about the spot before delivery day. The dumpster needs a flat, solid place where the truck can reach it. A driveway is the usual spot, and a dumpster on your own driveway or property needs no permit.

Measure the space. The 13-yard is 12 feet long, the 7 and 17 are 14 feet, and the 22 is 16 feet, and all four are 7 feet wide. The truck needs room in front of the spot to back in and set the dumpster down, and the spot needs clearance overhead from branches and wires.

Downtown, where lots are tight, Tony angles the dumpster to fit or sets it out front. If it has to sit in a City of Charleston street or right-of-way, you need a city permit, which you pull. The city's Traffic Operations Division says it monitors "the placement of storage devices and dumpsters in the public right-of-way." Outside the city, check with your town before you book a street spot.

Step 5: Book online or by phone

Online booking takes about two minutes. You enter your address, pick the dumpster, then give your name, a card and the date you want it. The price shows in the online booking, and payment is by card.

If you'd rather talk first, call or text (843) 800-0689. Toni and Tracy answer the phone and will ask what kind of project you have. Delivery, pickup and disposal are included in the price. There's no fuel fee within 25 miles of James Island, and past 25 miles a fuel fee applies. The dumpster rental cost page explains what sets the price.

Step 6: Tony calls to confirm

Tony calls every online order to confirm. That call is the time to mention a tight driveway, a gate code, an item you're unsure about or a change in dates. Spanish-speaking callers get a call back from Tony, who also speaks Portuguese and Italian.

Step 7: Delivery

Tony delivers on the date you picked and sets the dumpster where you asked. You don't need to be home for delivery. For timing on the day, call and we'll give you a window.

Before he arrives, move cars out of the driveway, open any gate on the way to the spot, and mark the exact spot with a cone or a chalk line if you have a preference.

Step 8: Load it

You load the dumpster on your own schedule, over an afternoon or over two weeks, within the rental window you picked. Break furniture down, lay long pieces flat, put heavy debris on the bottom and keep the load level with the top edge. Carry debris straight from the room to the dumpster so you handle it once.

Step 9: Pickup

When you're done, call or text and Tony picks it up. Clear the path to the dumpster the night before. The load goes to the landfill, or to a recycle plant if it's a clean load of concrete or dirt from the 7-yard.

Common questions about renting a dumpster

When you've sized up the job, call or text (843) 800-0689 or book online. Family Trash is family-owned, licensed and insured, and open seven days a week.

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