A storefront project runs on a deadline that has very little to do with construction. It is about the lease starting, or the reopening you already announced, or the six weeks before Thanksgiving when absolutely nothing can be in the way of the front door.
So the useful question is not what size container you need. It is what has to come out of the space first, because in retail and food service the answer usually involves something that cannot go in a container at all.
Refrigeration comes out first
A walk-in cooler, a reach-in, an ice machine or a rooftop condensing unit holds refrigerant, and federal law requires a certified technician to recover it before the equipment is scrapped. We cannot take a unit that still has a charge in it.
The refrigeration contractor pulling the equipment can usually do the recovery in the same visit. Ask for the recovery certificate and keep it: that document is what proves the work was done properly, and it is the one people forget to collect.
Food waste and grease
Neither goes in a roll-off. Massachusetts bans commercial organic waste from disposal for any business generating half a ton or more a week, which covers most restaurants of any size, and grease has an entirely separate collection chain. If you are closing out a kitchen, the walk-in gets emptied to your organics hauler before we arrive rather than into the container.
Cardboard is banned too
Recyclable cardboard and paper are on the state disposal ban list, which is why a retail cleanout that is mostly flattened boxes belongs in your recycling stream and not in ours. It is also the cheapest material you will ever move, so keeping it separate is worth the floor space it costs you.
Fixtures, shelving and flooring
Gondola shelving, slatwall, checkout counters, drop ceiling grid and old signage are bulky and light, so a fit-out strip usually fills a box on volume well before weight. Flooring flips that. Carpet tile and vinyl composition tile are dense, and a floor pull can double the weight of a load that was cruising.
One caution on older buildings. Vinyl floor tile from before the early 1980s may contain asbestos, and so may the black mastic under it. That is a licensed abatement job, not a container job. If the space is old and nobody has tested the floor, test the floor before anyone puts a scraper to it.
Delivering around opening hours
We deliver 7am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday. For a store that opens at ten, a morning slot puts the container in the lot before the first customer parks. For a restaurant, the gap between the lunch rush and dinner prep is usually the calmest moment of the day, and an afternoon window lands in it.
Put your opening hours in the placement notes when you book. It costs nothing and it is the difference between a delivery nobody noticed and a truck in the fire lane at noon.
Plaza and landlord approval
Most plazas and shopping centers require the landlord's sign-off on placement and a certificate of insurance naming the property owner. Email [email protected] with the certificate holder details and we will send it over.
Ask the property manager where they want it rather than picking a spot yourself. The constraints they care about are the shared compactor run, the fire lane, accessible parking, and in winter the corner of the lot the plow contractor uses to stack snow.
Need this on a schedule?
Request a commercial accountSizes for a fit-out
A fixture swap or a single dining room refresh fits the 12 or 15. A full strip-out, especially one that includes flooring, is a 20-yard job and sometimes two of them.
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 store and restaurant owners
Can a walk-in cooler go in the dumpster?
Not until the refrigerant is recovered by a certified technician, which federal law requires before the equipment is scrapped. The refrigeration contractor removing the unit can usually handle the recovery at the same time. Ask for the recovery certificate and keep it.
Can restaurant food waste go in a roll-off?
No. Massachusetts bans commercial organic waste from disposal for businesses generating half a ton or more per week, which covers most restaurants. Food waste goes to your organics hauler and grease goes through its own collection chain.
Can you deliver before we open?
We run from 7am, Monday through Saturday, so for most retail hours a morning delivery lands well before opening. Put your opening hours in the placement notes when you book and we will pick the window that stays out of the way.
What about old vinyl floor tile?
Vinyl tile from before the early 1980s and the black mastic under it may contain asbestos, which is a licensed abatement job rather than a container job. If the space is old and the floor has never been tested, have it tested before removal starts.