Dumpster Rental vs. Curbside Pickup: What’s the Difference?

April 6, 2023

Benjamin Ehinger 8 min read

You might think you can just put out any trash you want to the curb and your curbside trash pickup company will take it. While the curbside pickup options will vary based on your location, most won’t take larger items and will have plenty of restrictions.Sometimes, you need a dumpster rental instead of putting your junk out for regular trash pickup. There might be times when you need a dumpster rental in Tampa or a dumpster rental in Dallas for your trash. It will all depend on the type of project you’re taking on, along with what you need to toss out.Before you decide between a dumpster rental and curbside pickup, you want to make sure know the differences. Let’s look a bit closer at both, along with what it will look like if you try to haul your own waste to the landfill.

Junk Removal with a Dumpster Rental

There are many times when a dumpster rental is a great choice for your junk removal project. With the right residential dumpster rental, you’ll have the space you need for larger projects. Some of the common home projects you might want a roll-off dumpster rental for include:

Home Renovations – Small and large projects can benefit from a driveway dumpster.
Decluttering – Whether you’re clearing out the garage or the entire house, dumpster rentals work great for decluttering.
Tree Removal – Handling tree removal on your own will require the right roll-off rental size.
Yard Waste and Landscaping – Anytime you will have a large amount of yard waste from landscaping, a dumpster rental makes a lot of sense.
Moving – Sometimes, moving is the best time to declutter, and using a dumpster rental when you’re moving can make it much easier.
Roofing Projects – Anytime you have work done on your roof, you will need a small dumpster rental for the waste materials.

All of these projects can be handled with a home dumpster rental, which makes things much easier. Often, you will need a dumpster rental when doing work on your home because the trash has to go somewhere. Without a dumpster, it could be dangerous and you might end up injured.There are many benefits to renting a dumpster for your home clean-up project. Some of the common benefits include:

You gain a central place to toss out all of your trash
It’s easier to dispose of larger items including old furniture
You don’t have to haul anything away to the landfill and you can even recycle some materials
Just about anything can be tossed out with a roll-off dumpster rental
Often, dumpster rentals are very affordable compared to other junk removal options

With so many benefits, a dumpster rental might be the perfect option for you.

Junk Removal with Curbside Pickup

The main benefit you gain from using curbside pickup for your trash and waste materials is the low cost. It’s often less expensive and it can be more convenient if you don’t have a lot of trash to toss out. Usually, curbside pickup is done once a week, sometimes twice monthly for recycling.Curbside trash pickup, however, it’s always available. Plus, you might only be able to toss out one oversized item per month and there will likely be other restrictions. In some areas, if you cannot fit your waste in the assigned trash receptacle, the curbside pickup won’t take it.If you’re taking on a smaller project, this might be okay, but you might not have enough room. Make sure you check the restrictions in your area. Some of the common curbside trash pickup restrictions include:

You cannot toss out liquids or hazardous material
Propane tanks and oil tanks will not be allowed
Construction and demolition debris may not be allowed
Electronics cannot be tossed out with some curbside pickup services
Furniture may not be able to be picked up or you might be limited to just one piece a month
Yard waste might only be allowed during certain times of the year
There might be a weight limit on how much you can toss out with your refuse container
Rugs, carpet, and other flooring items may not be allowed or may have to be cut into specific sizes

Many other restrictions might be part of your curbside pickup. Before you start any project that is going to result in the trash you need to toss out, check to ensure you can put it out to the curb. If you can’t, it will likely be best to get a local dumpster rental for your trash.

Hauling Away Your Trash to the Landfill on Your Own

It might seem like it’s cheaper to haul away your own trash to the landfill. Maybe you know curbside pickup won’t take your things, but you’re trying to not have to pay for a dumpster rental in Chicago, a dumpster rental in Charlotte, or a dumpster rental in any other location.Do you think hauling away the trash yourself will be cheaper? Let’s look at the actual cost of hauling trash away yourself and what you can expect.When you plan to haul the trash away yourself, there are many things that can impact the price. The type of trash you need to get rid of will make a difference, but so will the number of trips you have to make and how far away the landfill is. You will pay for the gas for the truck you use and a rental fee, if you don’t have a truck to use, already.Assuming 50 cents per mile for hauling away your trash on your own, you can expect to spend $30 if the landfill is 30 miles away. This is per trip, so if you have to make multiple trips, you can expect this cost to go up. Your dumping fees will also be around $51 per ton, based on the national average.This doesn’t include the time you will need to spend to haul the trash away yourself. Plus, you will put wear and tear on your truck. If you have to rent a truck to haul away your trash, it will end up costing you even more.When you need to toss out three or more truckloads of trash, you can expect the cost to be at least $200, often more, especially if you have a larger amount of trash to toss out. A 10-yard dumpster rental will hold 3 truckloads of trash. This would take you three trips to and from the landfill to dispose of. If you need a larger dumpster, you can go all the way up to a 40-yard dumpster rental, which holds 12 truckloads of trash.While it might be a little bit cheaper to haul away trash yourself, it’s important to factor in the time it takes, too. Driving to and from the landfill and loading up the trash in your truck will eat into your time for the project. With a dumpster rental, you can simply toss everything in the dumpster and let Waste Removal USA haul it away for you.Hauling trash away on your own isn’t exactly cheap and it will cost you quite a bit of time. Instead, you can rent a dumpster and save time.

Dumpster Rental vs. Curbside Pickup: Which is Right for You?

Making the right decision when getting rid of your waste materials is important. Whether you use a curbside pickup, a dumpster rental, or haul away the trash yourself, might depend on the size of the project.If your project is only going to create 1 to 3 trash bags full of trash, you can likely use a curbside pickup. Of course, this is assuming the materials are okay for you to put out on the curb. You might even be able to use this option if you will only have one oversized item to toss out.However, when your project will create more trash than what will fit in three trash bags, you might need to skip curbside pickup.Hauling away trash on your own makes sense if you own a truck, and your trash will all fit in one load. Then, you can save money and haul the trash away to the landfill on your own. However, if your trash is going to be more than one truckload, it might be time to move on to renting a dumpster.Dumpster rentals are fit for a variety of projects that create more trash and waste materials. You can toss out 3 to 12 truckloads of trash in one dumpster rental and it will be hauled away for you. When you’re taking on a project that will create lots of trash, it’s time to use a home dumpster rental.If you’re not sure if you need to rent a dumpster, Waste Removal USA will help you make the right decision. We can match your project to the right roll-off rental size. You can also use our online dumpster weight calculators to help you figure out if you should use a dumpster rental or curbside pickup.