Wrong Size Dumpster in Clermont, FL

What happens when the container is too small

A container that is too small fills up before the work is done, and the work stops while a second container is arranged. A kitchen remodel that fills a 10-yard before the cabinets are out, a garage cleanout that fills a 10-yard before the boxes are out, a whole-home cleanout that fills a 20-yard before the second floor is cleared — all of them stop the job, and the second container takes a day or more to arrive.

The sign that a container is too small is the material still on the floor when the container is full. If the job is a whole house, order the 30-yard from the start. If the job is a kitchen, a roof or a garage, order the 20-yard from the start. If the job grows while you load — a wall comes out that was meant to stay, a floor reveals a second layer — call before the container is full, and the provider can arrange a second container or a swap.

Do not load above the rim to make a small container hold more. A load above the rim cannot be picked up safely, and the provider will ask for it to be levelled before the truck can take it. The work stops either way, and the second container is still needed.

What happens when the container is too large

A container that is too large sits in the driveway half empty for a week, and the job pays for space it never uses. A kitchen remodel in a 30-yard, a garage cleanout in a 40-yard, a small cleanout in a 20-yard — all of them are containers that are too large for the job, and the driveway is blocked for a week by a container that is half empty.

A container that is too large is also harder to load. A 30-yard is around 6 feet tall, and a 40-yard is around 8 feet tall, and both need a ramp or a second pair of hands. A homeowner loading alone will find a 20-yard far easier to load than a 30-yard, and a 30-yard far easier than a 40-yard. The size that matches the job is also the size that is easiest to load.

A kitchen remodel in a container twice the size

How to pick the right size

Match the size to the job, not to the house. A small cleanout is a 10-yard job. A kitchen, a roof, a garage or a flooring job is a 20-yard job. A whole house, an estate cleanout or a major remodel is a 30-yard job. A large construction job or a commercial cleanout is a 40-yard job. The size pages explain the usual fit for each job, and the guides explain the size for a roof, a kitchen and a garage cleanout in detail.

If you are between sizes, order the larger one. A container that is slightly too large is a container with room to spare. A container that is slightly too small is a container that fills up before the work is done, and the work stops. The provider can help you choose — describe the job, the material and the rooms, and the provider will match the size to the job.