Yard waste and landscaping debris
Brush, branches, leaves, sod and the dirt underneath it. The green stuff and the heavy stuff usually need different containers.
Rated 5.0 across 395 Google reviews. We run out of Lemont, our own trucks, and the people who answer the phone are the people who dispatch them.
The short answer
Light yard waste, meaning brush, branches, leaves and clippings, is bulky rather than heavy, so it is one of the few jobs where you want a bigger container than the pile suggests. Sod, dirt and clay are the opposite: heavy for their volume, and they go in the 6 yard on the same axle limit as concrete. A full landscaping job is often both, which is a two container conversation and a normal one.
Brush and branches take more room than you think
A brush pile does not compact the way construction debris does. Branches bridge, leave voids and take up volume without adding weight, so the container fills long before the tonnage does. That is the one category where sizing up usually costs less than a second haul.
Sod and dirt are the heavy exception
Stripped sod carries the soil with it, and soil is dense. It goes in the 6 yard for the same reason concrete does: the truck has an axle rating and a larger container full of dirt is over it. Say what proportion of the job is soil when you call.
Timing around a landscaping crew
If a crew is on site, the container being late costs you their day, not ours. We run out of one yard in Lemont with our own trucks, and the people who answer the phone are the people who dispatch them, which is the whole reason to use a local hauler rather than a national booking site.
Container sizes and what each one carries
| Size | Dimensions | Weight limit | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 yard | 12' x 5' x 3' | filled level full | The only container rated for concrete, brick or dirt. Fits one driveway lane. |
| 10 yard | 12' x 7' x 3.5' | 2 tons | Single-room remodels, garage clean outs, small tear-offs. Same driveway footprint as the 12 yard with a lower wall. |
| 12 yard | 12' x 7' x 4' | 3 tons | Bathroom remodels, garage and basement cleanouts, deck tear-offs. |
| 16 yard | 14' x 7' x 5' | 4 tons | Large household cleanouts with bulky furniture, bigger remodels. |
| 20 yard | 18' x 8' x 4.5' | 4 tons | New construction, full-home cleanouts, larger commercial jobs. |
| 30 yard | 18' x 8' x 6.5' | 5 tons | New builds and commercial jobs with high-volume, lighter debris. |
Answer four questions and you will have a size in about a minute.
Yard waste and landscaping debris: common questions
What size dumpster do I need for yard waste?
For brush, branches and leaves, size up rather than down: the material is bulky and does not compact, so a container fills on volume long before it reaches its weight limit. For sod and dirt it is the 6 yard, on the axle limit.
Can I put dirt and sod in a yard waste dumpster?
They go in the 6 yard container. Soil is heavy for its volume, so it is treated the same way as concrete and brick rather than as light green waste.
Do you take tree branches and stumps?
Branches yes. Tell us about stumps on the call, because a large stump is a weight and a handling question rather than a volume one.
Can I put grass clippings and leaves in?
Yes. They are light, so the limit you will hit is the container's volume rather than its tonnage.
How much does a yard waste dumpster cost?
We quote every job on the phone, because the price depends on the size, the town and what you are throwing away. How the price is built: one flat rate however long you keep it, a week plus a three day grace period, ten days maximum, and the same rate whether you fill it the first afternoon or keep it the full ten days. Weight is included up to the container's limit, 3 tons in the 12 yard, 4 tons in the 16 and 20, 5 tons in the 30. The 6 yard is rated to be filled level full, which is what makes it the container for concrete, brick and dirt. Mattresses are $25 each. Tell us the town, what is going in it, roughly how big the job is and the date you need it, and you will have a number on that call.
Tell us what is going in it
The town, the material, the rough size of the job and your date. Two minutes and you have a number.
