Almost everybody asks the same question standing in the driveway, and almost everybody guesses. Guess low and you are paying for a second haul plus a second delivery. Guess high and you are renting empty air. What size dumpster do I need is the most common question we get, and the honest answer depends less on your house and more on what is coming out of it.
We rent roll-offs across New London County and we also fill them ourselves on our own renovation jobs, so this is written from both ends of it.
What size dumpster do I need for my project?
Match the size to the job rather than the house. A big house with one small bathroom coming out still only needs a small container.
| Size | Roughly equals | Typical job |
|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | 3 pickup loads | One room cleanout, small bathroom demo, deck removal, concrete or dirt |
| 15 yard | 4 to 5 pickup loads | Small kitchen or bath gut, garage cleanout, roof tear-off on a small ranch |
| 20 yard | 6 pickup loads | The one most people need. Kitchen gut, average roof tear-off, flooring across a floor |
| 25 yard | 7 to 8 pickup loads | Whole floor renovation, larger roof, siding tear-off, big estate cleanout |
| 30 yard | 9 pickup loads | Full gut, whole house cleanout, new construction debris |
If you are between two sizes, go up one. The price difference between a 15 and a 20 is small next to the cost of a second delivery, and nobody has ever regretted the extra room.
Weight is what actually gets people, not volume
This is the part that surprises homeowners, and it matters more here than in most of the country because our housing stock is old.
Every container has a weight limit as well as a volume limit. Some debris hits the weight limit while the box still looks half empty:
- Roof shingles. A single layer off an average roof is heavy. Two or three layers, which is common on older Connecticut homes, can max out a container that is nowhere near full.
- Plaster and lath. If your house predates about 1950 you probably have it, and it weighs several times what drywall does.
- Tile, concrete, brick, and dirt. These go in a small container by design. A 10 yard box of concrete is heavier than a 30 yard box of framing lumber.
- Wet carpet and padding. Water weight is real, especially out of a basement.
Tell whoever is delivering it what is going in. A crew that knows you are tearing off three layers of shingles will put a different box in your driveway than one that thinks you are cleaning out a garage.
What does not go in a roll-off
The general list is consistent across haulers: no paint or solvents, no chemicals or oil, no tires, no propane tanks, no appliances containing refrigerant, and no asbestos. Older homes around here can have asbestos in floor tile, pipe insulation, and siding, and that has to be handled separately by an abatement contractor.
Connecticut has its own disposal rules for a handful of materials, and the state DEEP solid waste guidance covers what has to be diverted. When in doubt, ask before it goes in the box. Sorting a contaminated load costs more than setting the item aside would have.
Where the container sits
A roll-off truck needs a clear straight approach and enough overhead room, so watch for low branches and wires. On the ground, think about three things:
- Driveway surface. Plywood under the rails spreads the load. Fresh asphalt in August is the one to be careful with.
- How long it stays. A box sitting on grass for two weeks leaves marks.
- Street placement. If it cannot go on your property it may need a permit from the town. That varies by town out here, so check before delivery day rather than after.
How to fill it so you only need one
Load flat and heavy first. Break down anything hollow, because a cabinet box thrown in whole wastes the space of four broken-down ones. Keep the load level with the top rail, since anything mounded above it legally cannot be hauled and you will be out there moving it yourself while the driver waits.
Renting one in New London County
We keep 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 yard containers and we deliver across the county. We have put out roughly 200 of them since July 2025, and we previously held the contract with the Town of Lisbon, so the logistics side is not new to us.
The practical advantage of renting from a contractor is that we have filled these ourselves on full gut renovations and know what your project is actually going to produce. If you describe the job, we will tell you the size rather than selling you the biggest one.
You can see sizes and get a number on our dumpster rental page, or tell us about the project and we will match the container to it.
