What Size Dumpster Do I Need?

The question we get on almost every call is some version of "what size do I actually need?" The honest answer depends less on how big the pile looks and more on two things: how much volume it takes up, and how much it weighs. Get those two right and the size picks itself.

The five sizes, in plain terms

We run 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 yard roll-offs. A 10 yard suits a single room, a garage clearout, or a small deck tear-off. A 15 covers a bathroom or kitchen remodel. A 20 is the workhorse size for a whole-home cleanout or a roofing job. A 30 handles a larger remodel or addition. A 40 is built for new construction and bigger commercial jobs.

Volume vs. weight - the mistake almost everyone makes

Furniture, boxes, carpet and general household junk are bulky but light - you run out of room before you run out of tons, which argues for a bigger box. Concrete, brick, tile, stucco and fill dirt are the opposite: a 10 yard of broken concrete can weigh more than a 30 yard of couches. Heavy, dense material belongs in a smaller, dedicated container, not mixed in with everything else.

St. Tammany Parish specifics that change the math

Around Slidell, wind-damaged roofing and waterlogged material after a summer storm or a passing tropical system are two loads that surprise people. Wet shingles and saturated drywall or insulation weigh noticeably more than the pile looks like it should, so we often steer storm-cleanup jobs toward a smaller, dedicated container rather than a bigger one. New-construction sites out toward Covington or Mandeville usually run the opposite direction - bulky framing scraps and packaging fill a 30 or 40 yard's volume long before the weight allowance is a concern.

Access matters as much as capacity

A 30 or 40 yard container needs roughly 60 feet of straight approach and about 23 feet of vertical clearance for the truck to raise the hoist. Some of Olde Towne Slidell's narrower blocks, and some canal-front lots around Eden Isles with a single approach, only have one workable path in - which can rule out the bigger boxes on certain sites regardless of how much debris there is. Describe your lot and we'll factor it in before we quote a size.

When in doubt, call

A two-minute phone call describing the job beats guessing from a size chart every time. We'd rather put you in a 15 than have you pay for air in a 30, and we'd rather you call for a second container than overload the one you have.