Roofing dumpster: 10, 20 and 40 cubic yards

Why weight decides before volume

On almost every residential job, volume is in charge: you fill the box, it leaves. A roof is the exception. Shingles are dense and they stack flat — 25 bundles weigh one ton. A shingle dumpster already weighs tons while it is barely a third full. It is the only house project where the eye is that wrong.

Two numbers never to confuse. Capacity is what fits: a 20 yard swallows up to 175 bundles, which is 7 tons of shingles. The included tonnage is what the rental has already paid for: 2 tons on the 20 yard, 4 tons on the 40 yard. Shingles therefore reach the included tonnage long before they fill the dumpster. The included tonnage is not a capacity limit — it is a billing threshold.

Beyond it, the excess is billed from the disposal centre's weigh ticket, never rounded up: the real weight of your load, nothing estimated. The Pricing page lists everything that is included and the only possible extras. Fill to the rim, never above the walls.

From 50 bundles on, both sizes work, and you are the one who decides. The 20 yard if the roof is all you are throwing out. The 40 yard if you want to use the leftover tonnage to empty the garage or the basement in the same rental: the box is already in the driveway, it may as well work twice. The dumpster size guide compares the three sizes in detail.

Where to place the dumpster during the work

A roof does not empty like a basement. Shingles come down the slope, usually on one side of the house, and they come down fast. So the spot gets decided before the first bundle is torn off: moving the box mid-job means a truck trip.

• Under the drop zone, on the side the shingles fall. Every foot saved is one less wheelbarrow to push.
• Clear of the foot of the ladder and of the roofers' path. A ladder pushed back because the box sits badly is a risk repeated every morning of the job.
• Clear of the household's walkways: the front door, the shed, the recycling bin. The job lasts a few days, the house keeps living.
• Reachable by the truck, which backs in straight and lifts the box. Allow clearance in length — 14 ft by 8 on the ground for a 20 yard, 20 ft by 8 for a 40 — and look up: power lines, low branches, roof overhang. A dumpster that cannot be picked up stays there.

The driveway itself is protected: every Megabac dumpster arrives with PROTEC-O-SOL planks, included, which spread the load over asphalt, concrete or pavers. Our drivers' extra tip: lay four flattened cardboard boxes or a thin sheet of plywood on the spot, so the steel never touches the surface directly. Tell us on the phone what your driveway is made of — the driver arrives prepared.

On the street rather than in the driveway? On your own property, no permit; on the street, your city's rule applies. The permit checker gives it municipality by municipality, and the list of cities we serve shows how far the trucks go.

What leaves with the shingles

Shingles travel in the mixed dry materials dumpster. It is not a single-material dumpster like concrete, brick, asphalt or soil: everything the re-roofing takes off can go in, and the rest of the house too. These materials require a special disposal stream: sorting fees apply if they end up in the box. Not sure about something? Name it during the call — the answer is immediate.

For roofing contractors

A roofer does not rent one dumpster: he keeps several in rotation. The rental includes 15 days for contractors instead of 7 — enough to absorb a rained-out week without going back to the phone.

• Rotation. A full box is freed up with one call, and the day counter stops at that call — even if the truck comes later. Across two or three roofs in a row, the box follows the crew.
• Several addresses at once. Give us the addresses and the days: deliveries and pick-ups are planned together, Monday to Friday.
• Weight announced upfront. You know what a roof weighs before we do. Give the bundle count when you book and the size is right the first time, with no overage to explain to your client.
• At your client's address, it is their rental. When you book for a client's address, the homeowner's 7 days apply — and that is already generous: a roof takes one to three days, and most roofers have the box leave as soon as the job is done, loading included. Your client gets the driveway back the same evening.
• Beyond 15 days, the duration is open to discussion: loyalty and volume have their advantages. We talk it through on the phone, case by case.

The rest of the contractor conditions — profiles, sizes, how to book — live on the Contractors page. For a homeowner having a roof redone, everything is on the Homeowners page.

Questions from roofing jobs