Dumpster Rental in Houston, TX

Houston Dumpster Rental Tips

If you've never rented a roll off dumpster before, learning a few of the basics can greatly simplify your experience. We hope you find this short guide helpful. For a more in-depth look at these topics and more, see the links in the menu bar above.

What Can I Use a Dumpster For?

Roll off containers are great for large household trash removal projects. Spring cleaning, foreclosures, estate cleanouts, and moving in or moving out of a home are common examples. Dumpster rental is also the ideal solution for construction debris removal. Remodeling projects, reroofing, and new construction projects often require a temporary waste dumpster on site.

How Does the Process of Renting a Dumpster Work?

1. First, decide what size roll off container you may need based on the amount of rubbish or debris you need removed. If you're not sure, just call a local dumpster rental service and describe your project and debris. Most are very helpful. Keep in mind, you're better off having too large of a dumpster then too small. You can't over fill the dumpster above the top and a full dumpster that has to be "switched out" for a new one ends up costing you double.
2. Call one or more of the preferred waste dumpster services above. Ask about their pricing, standard rental period, weight included in the price, materials not allowed in the trash container, and other rental policies.
3. Schedule a date for delivery of a temporary trash or construction dumpster to your home, job site, or place of business.
4. When your finished loading the trash or debris into the roll off dumpster, call the company back and they will pick the trash container up and haul it away to the landfill, transfer station, or recycling center.

Who Should I Rent A Dumpster From... and Who Should Be Avoided?

Rent directly from a locally owned and operated dumpster service with an established track record of reliable and affordable dumpster rentals. These are the types of companies Hometown Dumpster Rental strives to bring you.

There are a lot of "national brokers" in the dumpster business that may not be the best choice for renting a dumpster. These are roll off companies that often portray themselves as a local trash hauling company, but are actually an out of state middleman that takes your order and then outsources it to a local company. Renting a dumpster from a national broker typically costs more because the broker is collecting an additional 10-15% of the cost of the dumpster.

Renting a trash container from a national broker may also result in poor service due to a lack of coordination or miscommunication with the local company that will ultimately be delivering the dumpster. For instance, a national broker may promise you delivery of a 20 yard dumpster on Friday morning. When the order is forwarded to the local company for delivery, the local dumpster service already had a full delivery schedule for Friday and does not have any 20 yard dumpsters in stock. There's nothing more frustrating than being promised a 20 yard dumpster for Friday morning and have a 10 yard dumpster arrive too late on Monday afternoon. But these scenarios do happen, especially when you're not dealing with the local trash hauler directly.

National brokers that do not actually have a local presence include: Dumpster Source, Domestic Dumpsters, Dumpster Direct, Book A Dumpster, Dumpster Central, Budget Dumpster, DumpsterDot, and more.

Contact a locally owned and operated trash hauler with a good reputation and you greatly reduce your odds of receiving poor service.

How Are Dumpster Sizes Quoted?

Dumpster sizes are quoted in the amount of cubic yards held by the dumpster. Thus, a "20 yard dumpster" will hold 20 cubic yards of debris. A 3ft X 3ft X3ft "cube" would be 1 cubic yard. The most common roll off dumpster sizes are 10 cubic yards, 20 cubic yards, 30 cubic yards, and 40 cubic yards.

For each dumpster rental provider, we provide the dumpster sizes in both cubic yards and in feet (length X width X height) to help you better understand the size of trash container you may need for your particular cleanup project.

How Are Dumpster Rental Prices Quoted?

Houston dumpster rental prices depend on the service provider. Most companies quote one flat rate for delivery, pickup, and disposal, though some add delivery charges in separately. The rental rate is often for a standard period of time (ie. up to 7 days) and includes a certain amount of weight (i.e. up to 3 tons).

When comparing rental quotes between two companies, it's important to understand:

• How much time is included in the price
• How much weight is included in the price
• Any additional fees that may be applied for any reason

Extra charges may apply if you need the roll off dumpster for longer than a provider's standard rental period. This is a typically a per day fee (ie $5 or $10 per day), but some providers will negotiate with you up front if you need it for slightly longer than their standard period.

Extra charges may also apply if your dumpster is heavier than the included weight. Each dumpster is weighed before it is dumped and the dumpster service pays the landfill or transfer station based on the weight of the debris. If you're debris is heavier than the allotted weight included in your rental agreement, then a "per ton overage" fee will likely apply (ie. $30 - $90 per ton over, depending on the landfill fees in your area). Pay particular attention to the amount of weight included in your price if you are disposing of heavy construction debris like bricks, cement, roofing shingles, or demolition debris. Most home cleanouts will typically not go over the allotted weight because the debris is lighter.

What Are Factors That Impact Dumpster Prices?

1. Dumpster size - Larger roll off containers typically rent for more.
2. Location of the delivery address - If you are located far from a landfill or recycling center, then it costs more for the service provider to deliver and pick up from you. Remote locations may cost more.
3. Dump fees in your area - The cost for a trash hauler to dump trash or waste in a landfill or recycling center varies significantly by city and state. Local dumpster services pass on the the cost to dump to the customer. If you're in a city or state with high dump fees, then dumpster rental prices are typically higher.

Why Are They Called "Roll Off" Dumpsters?

The dumpster rolls off the back of the truck and onto your driveway, street, or parking lot. You may hear roll offs referred to as trash dumpsters, construction dumpsters, roll off containers, temporary dumpsters, driveway dumpsters, open top dumpsters, and more.