For construction site cleanup, size the roll-off to each phase, keep heavy material separate, and call for a swap when the load is level with the top edge. With the right size close to the work, the crew puts debris straight into the dumpster all day.
Tony runs a family-owned construction dumpster rental business on James Island and would like to work with more contractors. Here is a plan for the dumpster on a build or a remodel, demo through final cleanup.
How do you size the roll-off for each phase?
Size the roll-off for the debris the work makes. Each phase of a job makes a different kind of debris.
Demo makes the most debris in the shortest time: drywall, plaster, old framing, cabinets, flooring and fixtures. Framing makes bulky wood scrap and packaging. Hanging drywall makes offcuts and bags of scrap. Finish work makes cardboard, packaging and trim cutoffs at a slower pace.
On a remodel or a build, the 17-yard dumpster or the 22-yard dumpster fits the mixed debris from demo through finish. Contractors use the 17 or the 22. The 17 includes 1.5 tons and 5 days, and the 22 includes 2 tons and 7 days. On a smaller job, like one bathroom or a small kitchen, the 13-yard dumpster fits, with 1 ton and 5 days.
Plan a separate dumpster for any phase that breaks out concrete or digs dirt. A slab, a footing, a driveway apron or a pile of excavated soil gets its own 7-yard. If a later phase needs a different size, book it as a second rental once the first dumpster is picked up.
Why keep the heavy material separate?
Clean concrete, dirt, brick and block go in the 7-yard, which includes 1 ton and 5 days. Clean concrete or dirt goes to a recycle plant, so a 7-yard of it has no overweight charge and can be filled to the rim.
If a crew member tosses scrap lumber or a bag of trash into it, the load goes to the landfill and is charged by weight. Tony tells customers this when he drops the 7-yard off. Settle it with a short word at the morning meeting: this dumpster is for concrete, that one is for the rest. Keep the lumber pile on the far side of the site from the 7-yard. Our concrete and dirt dumpster page covers slab and footing jobs.
When should you call for a swap-out?
When you call, Tony picks up the full one and sets an empty one in the same spot, so the crew can keep loading.
Demo day, a drywall hang and a roof tear-off each make a lot of debris at once. On those days, have one person check the load through the day so you know when to call.
Where should the dumpster sit on a job site?
Put the dumpster close to where debris leaves the building: under the eave on a tear-off, or near the main door on an interior gut. Shorter carries mean fewer trips. Keep it out of the way of material deliveries, the crew's parking and any lift or forklift path.
Pick a spot close to the work with nothing low overhead. Tony fits a dumpster in almost any spot, and on tight downtown lots he angles it or sets it out front. If the dumpster has to sit in a City of Charleston street, the city requires a permit, and you pull it. The city's Traffic Operations Division says it monitors "the placement of storage devices and dumpsters in the public right-of-way." Downtown, the 13 or 17 is the usual fit, so give us the street when you book.
How should the crew load it?
Stop loading at the top edge. Put heavy, flat pieces on the bottom and spread them across the floor. Break down cabinets and pallets, and cut long lumber so it lies flat. Bend nails over or pull them so nobody gets hurt reaching in.
Keep people clear of the dumpster while material is coming off a roof or out of a window, and call out before you drop anything from height. Keep the area around the dumpster clear of loose debris at the end of each day.
Where do shingles and tile go on a build?
Shingles and tile are heavy, and both go with the mixed debris in the 13, 17 or 22. A small shingle roof fits the 13. A bigger roof goes in the 17 or 22. Give us the number of squares on a roof job, or the square footage of tile, so the included tons fit the work.
What else can go in?
Paint and the rest of what a crew tears out go in. Tell us what's going in when you book. The SC Department of Environmental Services has a page on construction and demolition debris for builders and contractors.
Who do you talk to?
Tony's wife Toni and his sister-in-law Tracy answer the phone. Tony picks up his own phone too, and he answers after hours. Tony does every delivery and pickup himself, so a schedule change on your end is a phone call or a text. Repeat customers book by text at (843) 800-0689.
Tony speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, and he calls Spanish-speaking callers back himself.
What does a job-site rental include?
Delivery, pickup and disposal are included. A job site inside 25 miles of James Island carries no fuel fee, and a site past 25 miles has a fuel fee. See our commercial dumpster rental page for more on business use.
Common questions from contractors
Do swap-outs follow a schedule?
No. You call when you need one, and we'll tell you when we can be out.
Can I keep a dumpster on site for a full build?
Yes. Rentals run 1 to 30 days, and longer if you call.
Can the dumpster be set the day before the crew starts?
Yes. Give us the start date when you book, and plan the drop for the day before.
What if site access changes mid-job?
Call or text and tell us what changed. If a staging area moved or a new fence went up, Tony will plan a different approach.
Do I need to be on site for delivery?
No. Tell us where the dumpster goes and any gate code, and Tony will set it there.
Text or call (843) 800-0689 with the trade, the phase and the site.
Need a dumpster in Charleston? Call or text Tony at (843) 800-0689, or order online.
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