For a contractor the product is not the container. It is the container being there at 7:30 on the morning you were told it would be. A missed delivery costs a crew a morning, and no apology gets that back.
We are small enough that the person who took your booking is the person driving the truck. There is no dispatch queue and no broker in the middle marking up someone else's schedule. That is the whole argument, and it is why most of our repeat work is trade work.
Weight is what gets you
Volume is the number people quote and weight is the number that bills. Plaster and lath is the classic example: a gut of two rooms of 1920s plaster runs past a one-ton allowance before the walls are fully down, because what you are throwing away is sand and horsehair, not drywall. Tile with a mortar bed behind it does the same thing. So does wet carpet, and so does a roof that has been shingled over more than once.
This is exactly why contractor work is priced by agreement instead of off the standard rate card. The one-off rental comes with a fixed tonnage allowance that heavy debris burns through, and nobody wins a job while worrying about a scale ticket. Tell Steve what the loads actually are — plaster gut, tear-off, mixed demo — and the quote is built around that weight, not around an allowance designed for household cleanouts.
Why we cannot take masonry
Asphalt pavement, brick and concrete are banned from disposal in Massachusetts, and they are banned because they are recyclable rather than because they are dangerous. They have to reach a facility that processes them. Clean gypsum wallboard, wood and metal from construction and demolition sit on the same ban list.
In practice this means a mixed load with masonry in it gets flagged at the gate, which is why masonry in one of our containers carries a $200 base fee. If your load is mostly one banned material, a dedicated haul to the right facility is cheaper for you and faster for everyone. Tell us what is coming out before delivery day and we will point you at where it should go.
The dry run fee, and how to avoid it
A dry run is $175 and it is the fee we least enjoy charging, because it means we drove out and came back with nothing. Three causes account for nearly all of them:
- A vehicle parked in the placement spot. Somebody's, always.
- A locked gate and nobody on site holding the key.
- A delivery address that turned out to be the office rather than the job site.
All three are fixable the night before with one text to whoever opens up. Put the site contact's number in the booking, not the office number.
Swaps on a phased job
On a phased demo you usually want the same spot occupied continuously rather than a box sitting full for three days. A swap, where the full container leaves and an empty one lands, is $100. Extra days on the box you already have run $25 a day.
If you know the phasing when you book, say so. It is easier to plan the second delivery into the week than to find a truck for it on the morning you discover you need one.
Permits are the customer's job
A driveway or an on-site placement needs nothing from the town. A container on a public way commonly does, and obtaining that permit is the customer's responsibility, not ours. The requirements differ town by town across our service area, so check with the building or public works department rather than assuming the neighboring town's rule applies.
Booking around a crew
We deliver 7am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday. Same-day and short-notice deliveries carry a $75 rush fee, shown on screen before you commit rather than added afterward. Orders placed after 2pm roll to the next operating day. Choosing the flexible window instead of a fixed morning or afternoon slot is the fastest way onto the schedule when the calendar is tight.
Need this on a schedule?
Request a commercial accountSizes for job site work
Single-room remodels sit in the 10 and 12. Roofing and multi-room work is the 15. Heavy demolition and full tear-offs belong in the 20. Weight matters more than cubic yards on a demolition job, which is why the tonnage on a contractor agreement is set from the job, not from a standard allowance.
Custom commercial pricing and quotes
Commercial rates and included tonnage are set per agreement, not off a rate card — volume, schedule and what the loads actually weigh all move the number. Call 617-459-7536 and Steve will price the work itself, or send the outline and he calls you.
Call 617-459-7536 Request a quote online
Just need one container, once? A single roll-off still books online in about a minute at the published rate.
Questions from the trades
What size dumpster for a demolition job?
Size on weight, not volume. Plaster, tile, mortar and layered shingles reach a standard tonnage allowance long before they fill the box — which is exactly why contractor work is quoted per job instead of off the rate card. Tell Steve what the loads are and the agreement is priced around that weight. Call 617-459-7536 and describe the debris, not just the yardage.
Can I put concrete, brick or asphalt in the container?
No. Those are banned from disposal in Massachusetts and have to go to a processing facility. Masonry found in one of our containers carries a $200 base fee. If you have a clean load of it, a dedicated haul is the cheaper route and we will tell you where it should go.
How do I avoid the dry run fee?
Keep the placement spot clear, make sure someone with a key is reachable, and put the job site address and the site contact number on the booking rather than the office ones. Those three account for nearly every dry run we charge.
Can I get a container the same day?
Often, yes. Same-day and short-notice deliveries carry a $75 rush fee and orders placed after 2pm roll to the next operating day. Choosing the flexible delivery window rather than a fixed morning or afternoon slot gets you on the schedule fastest.