For a wedding, festival or big gathering, put a roll-off dumpster on site so all the trash goes in one place, and size it to your event. Any of these can bring a few hundred people together, and each one makes more trash than a curbside cart holds. With a roll-off on site, the bags go straight in instead of stacking up by the back door.
Tony Gentile runs a family rent-a-dumpster service in Charleston, SC from James Island, and he can drop a dumpster before the event and pick it up after.
Why use a roll-off instead of stacking bags?
At a large party, the kitchen trash fills up halfway through the night, and the full bags pile up next to the kitchen trash. By morning you have a stack of bags with nowhere to put them. Raccoons and stray cats tear into bags left out overnight, and wind spreads the paper plates across the yard. Driving it to a drop-off in your own truck means several trips the day after the event.
With a roll-off, the trash is in one place. Your helpers carry bags to it during the event, and when the last guest leaves, the trash is already contained.
What size fits a gathering?
Event trash is bulky for its weight: paper plates, cups, food scraps, decorations, packaging, flattened cardboard and broken folding chairs. That material goes in the 13, 17 or 22.
For a graduation cookout, a family reunion or a one-day party with a few dozen guests, the 13-yard dumpster is a good place to start. It measures 12 by 7 by 4 feet and includes 1 ton and 5 days. For a large wedding, a church festival, a multi-day event, or anything where vendors break down tents and tables at the end, look at the 17-yard dumpster or the 22-yard dumpster. The 17 includes 1.5 tons and 5 days, and the 22 includes 2 tons and 7 days.
Tell us the guest count, how many days the event runs and what the caterer and rental company take away themselves. We'll help you pick the size from that. Our dumpster size guide compares all four sizes side by side.
How do you estimate event trash?
Think in bags. Count how many 30 or 40 gallon bags you filled at your last big gathering, then scale that to this guest count. A pickup bed holds about 2 to 3 cubic yards, so a 13-yard dumpster equals roughly four to six pickup loads of bagged party trash.
Add the extras from the end of the night. Cardboard from rented tables and supply deliveries, broken décor, burned-out candles, centerpieces nobody takes home and leftover food trays all go in. If the event includes building and tearing down a stage, a dance floor or a tent, count that material too.
Where should the dumpster go?
Put it close enough that helpers aren't walking the length of the property with heavy bags, but off to the side and out of the photos. Downwind of the dining area is better in summer heat, since food scraps start to smell.
A driveway works well. So does a flat paved or gravel area near the back of the venue. Leave a clear path for the truck, because Tony needs room to back in and set the dumpster down, and the same room to pick it up. Keep tent stakes, string lights and parked cars out of that path on pickup day. If you're renting a hall or a farm, check whether the venue allows a dumpster and where they want it.
For a block party, a dumpster on a driveway or private lot needs no permit. A dumpster parked in a City of Charleston street for a block party needs a city permit, and you pull it. The city's Traffic Operations Division monitors "the placement of storage devices and dumpsters in the public right-of-way," so start there for a street spot.
How do you set up trash stations around the event?
Set out a few lined trash barrels: by the food, by the drinks, near the restrooms and near the exits. Put a second barrel next to each one for bottles if you plan to recycle them. Assign one or two people to swap full liners and carry the bags to the dumpster, so no barrel overflows during dinner.
Break down supply boxes as they come off the trucks and lay the cardboard flat in the dumpster before guests arrive. With flat cardboard on the floor of the dumpster, there's room above it for the bagged trash later.
At the end of the night, do one walk of the grounds with bags before anyone leaves. Pick up cups and napkins from the lawn, the parking area and under the tables. The trash goes straight into the dumpster, and the grounds are clear the next morning.
What safety steps matter at an event?
Let grill coals, fire pit ash and sparkler wire cool completely before they go in. Hot ash in a dumpster full of paper and cardboard can start a fire. Keep children from climbing on the dumpster, and keep the area around it lit if the party runs after dark. Tie food bags shut so fewer yellow jackets come around during an afternoon event.
How should you time the rental?
For a one-day event, have the dumpster dropped a day or two ahead so you can set up and toss packaging as it arrives. The 13 and 17 include 5 days, which covers setup, the event and the morning cleanup. A weekend festival fits in those 5 days too, and the 22 includes 7 if the event runs longer.
If you fill the dumpster before a multi-day event ends, call for a swap-out and Tony will bring an empty one. You don't need to be on site for delivery or pickup. Call or text with your date, and we'll tell you when we can be out.
What goes in an event dumpster?
Bagged trash, food waste, cups, plates, cardboard, decorations, and broken chairs and tables all go in. Tell us what's going in when you book. If you want to recycle bottles and aluminum separately, Charleston County's recycling and convenience center page lists drop-off sites.
Book online, or text or call (843) 800-0689. Family Trash is open seven days, and Tony answers after hours. The price shows when you book, and our dumpster rental cost page explains what's included.
Common questions about event rentals
How do I pick a size for a large wedding?
Count the bags from your last big gathering and scale them to the guest list. A one-day party with a few dozen guests can fit the 13. A large wedding, especially one where tents and rentals come down on site, can need the 17 or 22.
Can Tony drop the dumpster the day before and pick it up the day after?
Yes. Tell us the event date when you book so the drop-off and the pickup are both planned.
Can bagged food waste go in?
Yes. Bag food waste and tie the bags before they go in, and call for pickup soon after the event, since food scraps smell quickly in summer heat.
Can the dumpster go on a farm or field venue?
Sometimes. Describe the spot or text a photo when you book, and we'll tell you what works.
Family Trash is family-owned and based on James Island. Once you have your date, text or call (843) 800-0689.
Need a dumpster in Charleston? Call or text Tony at (843) 800-0689, or order online.
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