What Goes In Your Dumpster?
Tap what you are throwing out. Watch the container fill up as you go. We work out what size you need and roughly what it will weigh.
Most people size a container by picturing the pile. That works until the pile has a bathtub in it. This does the arithmetic instead: every item carries a volume and a weight, and the box on screen fills as you tap.
Watch which of the two bars fills first. If the weight bar gets there before the space bar, you have a heavy load and the tonnage allowance is your real limit, not the size of the container. That single distinction is behind most of the surprise fees in this industry.
Why two limits, not one
Every container has a volume, measured in cubic yards, and a weight allowance, measured in tons. You are done when you reach either one. A 15-yard box full of pillows will never trouble its tonnage; the same box a third full of plaster will blow straight past it.
Over the included tonnage runs $25 per tenth of a ton, which works out to $250 a ton. Stepping up one size costs a fraction of that. When the estimate lands close to a limit, take the larger box.
Items we cannot take
The picker marks these with a dashed border and leaves them out of the estimate. They are not arbitrary: most are banned from disposal in Massachusetts under the state waste bans, so the disposal facility is not allowed to accept them from us or anyone else.
Fine to load
- Household junk & general debris
- Furniture (sofas, tables, chairs)
- Drywall & plaster
- Wood, lumber, flooring
- Roofing shingles
- Metal & aluminum
- Cardboard & paper
- Non-freon appliances
- Windows & doors
Keep these out
- Paint, solvents, chemicals
- Oil, gasoline, fuel
- Propane & gas tanks
- Pesticides & herbicides
- Asbestos-containing materials
- TVs, computers, e-waste
- Refrigerators & freezers
- Air conditioners (freon units)
- Tires — no exceptions
- Dirt, soil, gravel, stone, masonry
- Concrete & bricks
- Leaves, grass, brush & yard waste
- Medical / biohazard waste
- Mattresses & box springs
- Clothing, shoes, linens & textiles
A prohibited item found at the transfer station carries a $200 removal fee plus whatever the facility charges us. Two minutes sorting beforehand is the cheapest part of the job.
Questions about this tool
How accurate is the estimate?
Close enough to pick a size, not close enough to be a quote. Item weights vary with age, material and how wet things are. It leans slightly high on purpose, because under-estimating costs $250 a ton and over-estimating costs nothing.
What if I am between two sizes?
Take the larger one. The price difference between neighboring sizes is smaller than a single ton of overage, and far smaller than a second delivery.
Do I have to give my email to see the result?
No. The estimate appears as you tap. There is no form, no sign-up and nothing to dismiss.
The other estimators
Dumpster Weight Calculator
Pick your debris type, enter the amount, and get the weight along with the size that actually fits it.
Roofing Shingle Calculator
Enter the roof, pick the shingle and tell us how many layers are coming off. Layers are the part that changes the answer.
Drywall and Plaster Calculator
Give it the room size and what is on the walls. It works out the square footage, the weight and the container that holds it.
Deck Removal Calculator
Enter the deck size, the boards and whether the frame is coming out. Decks fill a container by space long before they reach the weight limit.
Know your size? Book it now
Pick a size, pick a date, and we'll bring it out. You'll see the exact price before you pay.
Book online