A roll off dumpster is an open-top metal container that a truck rolls off its bed onto your driveway and hauls away once you fill it. The name comes from the delivery: the truck sets the dumpster down for your job, then comes back, pulls it onto the bed and drives it away.
People rent roll-offs for project work: a kitchen tear-out, a roof, a garage cleanout, a deck rebuild, or a move with half the house going out. Family Trash offers Charleston roll-off container rental from James Island: Tony drops the dumpster off, you fill it on your own time, and he picks it up.
How does a roll-off get delivered?
A roll-off truck has a long bed that tilts. At your spot, the driver tilts the bed and the dumpster slides down onto the ground. At pickup, the loaded dumpster is pulled back up onto the bed and driven away.
That means the truck needs a straight, clear run to the spot, with room overhead. Keep the drop area free of low branches and power lines, since the bed tilts up high to set the dumpster down. A driveway usually works. If you're not sure about your spot, text or call and describe it.
You don't need to be home for delivery or pickup. Tell us where the dumpster should sit, and give us any gate code.
Where can a roll-off sit?
Tony fits a dumpster in almost any spot. On tight downtown Charleston lots, he angles it to fit or sets it out front. A roll-off parked in a City of Charleston street needs a city permit, which you pull yourself. The city's Traffic Operations Division says it monitors "the placement of storage devices and dumpsters in the public right-of-way." Permits have come up only twice since Tony started the company. Our dumpster permit page covers the steps.
On a downtown street, plan on the 13 or the 17, and give us the address when you book. A roll-off on your own driveway or lot needs no permit.
How is a roll-off built?
A roll-off is a steel container with four walls and an open top. It has steel rails along the bottom for sliding on and off the truck bed. Unlike the closed, lidded dumpster behind a restaurant, it suits project debris: you can carry in cabinets and drywall, throw in bags, or have a roofer drop shingles straight off the roof edge.
The walls are different heights on each size, and that changes how you load it. The 7-yard is about 2 feet tall, low enough to tip a wheelbarrow of dirt or broken concrete over the side. The 13 is about 4 feet tall. The 17 is about 5 feet, and the 22 is about 6 feet, so on the two bigger sizes you'll lift debris higher to clear the wall.
What sizes are there?
We rent four roll-off sizes and a flatbed.
The 7-yard dumpster measures about 14 by 7 by 2 feet and is for heavy clean loads: soil, dirt, concrete, brick and block. It includes 1 ton and 5 days, and our concrete and dirt dumpster page explains the clean-load rule.
The 13-yard dumpster measures about 12 by 7 by 4 feet. It fits one or two rooms, a garage, a bathroom, a small kitchen, a deck or fence, or a small shingle roof. It includes 1 ton and 5 days.
The 17-yard dumpster measures about 14 by 7 by 5 feet and includes 1.5 tons and 5 days. It fits a full kitchen, several rooms or flooring across a few rooms. The 22-yard measures about 16 by 7 by 6 feet and includes 2 tons and 7 days. It fits a full renovation or a new build. For a full-house cleanout, the choice between the 17 and the 22 comes down to the size of the house.
Shingles are heavy and go in the 13, 17 or 22. The 14-foot flatbed is a daily rental for moving equipment and materials, such as forklifts, pallets of tile or pavers, and concrete mix.
If you're between sizes, describe the job and roughly how much there is, and we'll point you to the right one. The dumpster size guide compares them side by side.
How do you load a roll-off?
Put the heavy, flat pieces in first along the floor, then fill the corners and build up in layers. Break furniture down and cut long lumber so it lies flat. Stop loading when the pile is level with the top of the walls.
Cleanout and remodel debris goes in, paint included. Tell us what's going in when you book.
How long does a roll-off stay?
The 7, 13 and 17 include 5 days and the 22 includes 7 days. Rentals run 1 to 30 days, and you can keep one longer by calling. If the work isn't done and the pile is level with the top edge, call for a swap-out. Tony picks up the full one and sets an empty one in its place.
What is a front-load dumpster?
A front-load dumpster is the metal container with the sloped lid behind a restaurant, an apartment complex or a shopping center. It has sleeves on the sides. A garbage truck slides its forks into the sleeves, lifts the container over the cab, empties it into the truck and sets it back down.
Front-loads are for ongoing waste. With a front-load service, the container stays in place and the hauler empties it on a set schedule. A business that makes trash every day uses one.
Roll-off or front-load: which one do you need?
Ask whether your waste has an end date. A project, a cleanout, a remodel or a tear-off makes a burst of debris and then stops, which fits a roll-off. Trash that a business makes every day fits a front-load.
Family Trash rents roll-off dumpsters and a flatbed, with no set pickup schedule.
Common questions about how a roll-off works
Why is it called a roll-off?
Because of the delivery. The truck tilts its bed and the dumpster rolls off the back, then it's pulled back on for pickup. The truck needs a straight, clear run to the spot for the same reason.
Can a roll-off go in a backyard?
Sometimes. Text a photo of the spot, and we'll tell you if it works.
How is it different from the dumpster behind a restaurant?
The one behind a restaurant is a front-load, which stays in place and gets emptied on a schedule by a truck that lifts it over the cab. Tony brings a roll-off for your project and picks it up when you're done.
Who loads the roll-off?
You do. Tony delivers it, you fill it on your own schedule, and he picks it up.
If you have a project coming up, text or call (843) 800-0689 and describe the job.
Need a dumpster in Charleston? Call or text Tony at (843) 800-0689, or order online.
(843) 800-0689 Get instant pricing