The smallest box we run, and the hardest working. About 3 pickup loads, low walls for easy loading, and the right home for heavy debris like concrete and dirt.
A 10 yard dumpster holds about 3 pickup truck loads. It measures 14 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and 3.5 feet tall, with an included weight allowance of 1 to 2 tons. Those numbers tell you exactly what this box is for: modest volumes, easy loading over low walls, and heavy material that would overload a bigger container. If your project is small, or your debris is heavy, this is usually the right call. Call (833) 748-4153 and describe your job, and we will confirm it in a minute.
People underestimate the 10 yard box because the number sounds small. Three pickup loads is a real amount of debris. It is a garage full of junk. It is a half bath torn down to the studs. It is a small kitchen floor and a pile of old cabinets. It is a concrete patio broken up and loaded flat. What it is not is a whole house cleanout or a multi room renovation, and the honest thing is to say so up front. The pages for our 20 yard dumpster and 30 yard dumpster cover those bigger jobs. The 10 yard earns its keep on focused projects, tight driveways, and heavy loads.
| Spec | 10 yard dumpster |
|---|---|
| Length | 14 ft |
| Width | 7.5 ft |
| Height | 3.5 ft |
| Capacity | About 3 pickup loads |
| Included weight | 1 to 2 tons |
| Standard rental | 7 days, longer rentals available |
The 3.5 foot wall height is the feature people notice first on delivery day. You can toss debris over the side without a ramp or a ladder, and you can carry awkward items like a rolled carpet or a broken up cabinet and drop them in without a lift over your head. For a homeowner working alone, or for a crew loading heavy broken concrete by hand, low walls save real effort across a day of loading. The 14 foot length fits in most New York driveways, including the short driveways in front of Buffalo doubles, Rochester bungalows, and older Long Island capes, where a 22 foot container would block the sidewalk or stick into the street.
Small cleanouts. A single room cleanout, a garage clear out, a basement corner that has been collecting boxes for years, or a shed demolition. If everything fits in one room, it usually fits in a 10 yard box. Break furniture down where you can, and load flat items like doors and shelves along the bottom to build a level base.
Half bath and small bath remodels. A toilet, a vanity, a tub surround, tile, and drywall from one small bathroom is a classic 10 yard load. The debris is mixed and light, with a little heavy tile, and the box fills neatly over a weekend of work. A full bath with a cast iron tub is a different story: call us first, because cast iron is extremely heavy and changes the plan.
Heavy debris: concrete, brick, dirt, and stone. This is the 10 yard box at its best. A concrete patio, a brick chimney taken down to the roofline, a garden wall, a dirt pile from a fence or deck project, or a sidewalk section all belong in a small container. Heavy material hits the weight limit long before it fills the box, so a small box is the only safe choice. Our concrete dumpster rental page explains the heavy debris rules in full.
Small roofing jobs. A one car garage roof, a porch roof, or a small ranch roof tear off fits a 10 yard box when the shingle layers are few. Shingles are heavy, so roofers often prefer a 10 yard box for a small roof rather than risking an overloaded 20 yard. The roofing dumpster rental page covers how roof size and shingle layers drive the choice.
Yard and landscaping debris. A small tree removal, a hedge row pulled out, sod stripped from a patch of lawn, or a season of brush cut back. Keep soil and stumps in mind: soil is heavy, and large stumps are heavy and awkward, so mention them when you book.
A 10 yard box will not hold a whole house cleanout, a multi room renovation, a full kitchen remodel with cabinets and countertops, or a large deck removal. Bulky furniture is the usual surprise: a sofa, two armchairs, a mattress set, and a dresser can fill a third of the box before you have touched anything else. If your project list keeps growing as you describe it, that is a sign to step up to the 15 yard dumpster or the 20 yard dumpster. One right sized container beats two trips with a small one, and the phone call to decide costs nothing.
Rule of thumb: if you are cleaning out more than one room, or renovating more than one small space, ask us about the 15 or 20 yard box. Call (833) 748-4153 and describe the rooms involved.
Heavy debris is the reason the 10 yard box exists, and it comes with rules worth knowing. Fill a concrete load level, not heaped, because the driver needs a level load to tarp and haul safely. Keep concrete, brick, and dirt in their own load where you can, rather than mixing them with light junk, because mixed heavy loads are harder to sort at the disposal site and can complicate the haul. Never load above the top rail: an overloaded container cannot be picked up, and the driver will ask you to remove material before the truck moves. If you are breaking up a patio or a sidewalk, break it into pieces one person can lift, and load the heaviest pieces low and evenly across the floor of the box. Call us before you start if your heavy project is large, because a big concrete job may need two 10 yard boxes in sequence rather than one box pushed past its weight allowance.
Household junk, furniture, mattresses, carpet, drywall, wood, siding, roofing shingles, concrete, brick, dirt, and yard waste are all fine in a 10 yard dumpster. New York law keeps some items out of every dumpster, whatever the size:
Mattresses are generally accepted. Dried out paint cans are usually fine, but wet paint is not. If you are unsure about a single item, call (833) 748-4153 before you load it.
The delivery truck needs about 60 feet of clear space to drop the container and roughly 23 to 25 feet of vertical clearance. The 10 yard box itself is only 14 feet long, so it fits driveways that cannot take a 22 foot container, but the truck still needs its run up room. Park cars out of the driveway, move basketball hoops and bins, and check for low wires and low branches over the drop spot. Tell us about tight turns, steep grades, and narrow streets when you book. A short driveway in Yonkers, a tight lot in Queens, or a snow narrowed street in Buffalo in February all call for a short conversation before delivery day, and that conversation is part of the booking call.
Driveway placement protects your pavement when the ground is soft, and boards under the container rails spread the load on asphalt in summer heat or on pavers. Mention your driveway surface when you book and we will note it for the driver. If the box has to sit on the street, a permit is usually required, so read the permit section below before you settle on street placement.
A dumpster placed entirely on private property, such as your driveway, generally needs no permit anywhere in New York State. A dumpster placed on a public street or in the right of way usually needs a municipal permit. In New York City, container permits are issued by NYC DOT, not DSNY, and the standard Commercial Refuse Container permit covers one container for up to 5 consecutive days, obtained by the carting company. Upstate cities run their own programs: Buffalo requires a Public Works permit applied for at least 7 business days ahead, Rochester requires a right of way permit, Syracuse issues right of way permits through its Central Permit Office, Albany uses a Sidewalk and Barricade Permit, and Yonkers requires an Engineering Department permit with proof of liability insurance on file. Permit rules vary by municipality, so call us for guidance on your city before you book a street placement. And remember Dig Safely New York: call 811 before any ground disturbance.
Load heavy and flat first, then fill gaps with smaller items. Break down boxes and furniture where you can, because air space is wasted space in a small container. Keep the load level with the top rail, and never let debris stick out over the sides. If you run out of room with a little debris left, that is the time to call us: we can arrange a pickup and, if needed, a second container, so your project keeps moving. The standard rental period is 7 days, and longer rentals are available. If you need a container quickly, call and ask about availability for your area and your date.
About 3 pickup loads: a garage cleanout, a half bath remodel, a small deck or shed demolition, or a concrete patio broken up. It will not hold a whole house cleanout or a multi room renovation.
Yes, it is the best size for concrete, brick, dirt, and stone. Heavy debris hits the weight limit before it fills the box, so a small container keeps the load legal and haulable. Fill it level, not heaped.
Usually yes. At 14 feet long it fits most New York driveways, including short driveways on older homes. The delivery truck still needs about 60 feet of clear space and 23 to 25 feet of vertical clearance.
Not if it sits entirely on private property such as your driveway. Street placement usually needs a municipal permit, and in New York City those permits come from NYC DOT, not DSNY.
The standard rental period is 7 days, and longer rentals are available. Call (833) 748-4153 to arrange the schedule that fits your project.
Yes, mattresses are generally accepted in a dumpster. Hazardous waste, wet paint, tires, batteries, propane tanks, electronics, and asbestos containing material are not allowed.
