Dumpster rental for deck and fence removal

A dumpster for deck or fence removal from RO RO Rentals is one 15-yard roll-off: 405 cubic feet, $499 flat, with delivery, 7 days, up to 2 tons (4,000 lbs) of disposal, and pickup. At EPA’s published weight for lumber, a can filled to the rail with wood stays under that allowance.⁠¹ The concrete footings are what push a load over.

Plan for both limits, space and weight, before you swing the first pry bar.

Wood runs out of space first

EPA’s 2016 volume-to-weight table lists clean dimensional lumber, painted or stained wood, and treated wood at the same 169 lb per cubic yard.⁠¹ Run that against the can:

• A full can of deck lumber: 15 cubic yards × 169 lb = about 2,535 lbs. That leaves about 1,465 lbs of the 4,000 unused.
• Wood it takes to reach 4,000 lbs: 4,000 ÷ 169 = about 24 cubic yards. The can holds 15.

On a wood-only job, the top rail is your limit, not the scale. Pack tight and more wood fits, so the can weighs more. The math is a guide, not a bill. Every load is weighed at the disposal facility and billed by certified scale weight. The disposal weight allowance policy spells it out.

Loading a dumpster for deck removal

On a wood job, space is the limit. Air in the can is space you lose.

1. Pull the decking first. Lay boards flat on the floor of the can, not on edge.
2. Cut joists, beams, and rails to length. Short enough to lie flat. A long board leaning on the wall wastes the space under it.
3. Break fence panels down. Knock the pickets off the rails, or cut panels into sections that lie flat.
4. Fill gaps with short ends. Cutoffs, balusters, and lattice go in the holes.
5. Stop at the top rail. Debris goes no higher than the top rail. Nothing sticks up past it.

To size a pile, measure it in feet: length × width × height. Compare it to 405 cubic feet. Divide by 27 for yards. If it runs over one can, an additional haul is $300. Not sure? Text a photo of the pile to (843) 284-3707.

Footings are the heavy part

A footing pulled out whole is solid concrete. Iowa DOT says normal-weight concrete typically weighs 140-150 lb per cubic foot.⁠² That flips the math:

• Concrete alone: 4,000 lbs ÷ 140-150 lb = about 27 to 29 cubic feet reaches 2 tons.
• Concrete plus a full can of wood: the 1,465 lbs the wood leaves covers about 10 cubic feet of solid concrete.

Measure one footing. For a round one, in feet: diameter × diameter × depth × 0.785. Multiply by the number of posts.

Example: a footing 1 foot across and 2 feet deep is about 1.6 cubic feet, or about 220 to 236 lbs. Six of them come to about 9.4 cubic feet, close to the line with a full can of wood. Twenty come to about 31 cubic feet and 4,400 to 4,700 lbs. That is past 2 tons before a single board goes in.

Past 2 tons, you pay $85 per ton, billed off the certified landfill scale ticket. Heavy materials may require reduced fill levels. Count the footings and tell us before delivery. If the job is mostly concrete, read the concrete and dirt dumpster page first.

Treated lumber, stain, and old posts

Pressure-treated lumber is not on our prohibited list. Deck boards, joists, posts, and pickets ride with the rest of the load. SC Regulation 61-107.19 Appendix I lists lumber, treated lumber included, among the debris Class Two (C&D) landfills may accept.⁠³

Leftover stain and sealer stays out. Paints, stains, and sealants that are liquid or partly liquid are prohibited. Appendix II of the same regulation bars liquid waste such as paint and paint thinner from Class Two landfills.⁠⁴ Appendix I lists dry paint cans among the debris they may accept.⁠³ If anything in the can is still wet, it stays out. Same goes for solvents, fuels, and the propane tank under the grill.

Railroad ties and creosote posts: ask first. Berkeley County Landfill treats creosote-treated poles, railroad ties, and items containing lead-based paint as special waste.⁠⁵ North Charleston does not collect creosote-treated materials.⁠⁶ If your posts are old ties, or you know the paint is lead-based, text a photo to (843) 284-3707 before delivery. Restricted materials need approval before delivery.

Prohibited material can get a load refused. You pay the cleanup and special disposal. The full list is in the prohibited and restricted materials policy.

Why the curb will not take it

Curbside pickup caps out fast:

• City of Charleston: under City Ordinance Sec. 14-51, the City will not collect lumber generated by a hired contractor or builder. It collects construction or renovation refuse generated only by an owner or resident, up to 90 gallons per trash collection cycle.⁠⁷
• North Charleston: at most 90 gallons of building materials per pickup.⁠⁸ No trash generated by contractors.⁠⁶
• Summerville: Town Code Sec. 12-99 says the Town does not pick up construction debris.⁠⁹
• Goose Creek: Code Sec. 93.076 keeps concrete out of city collection, at the owner’s expense.⁠¹⁰

90 gallons is about 12 cubic feet. A full can holds 405, about 34 times that.

Where the can goes

On your driveway, you usually need no permit. On the street, placement may need a permit, and getting it is on you. Check dumpster permits by city before you pick a spot, and read the guide to a dumpster in your driveway for placement.

Your rental runs 7 days. If the tear-out runs long, extra days are $10 per day.

Next step

Call or text (843) 284-3707 with the address, what you are tossing, and the day you need it. Say how many footings are coming out. Or request a quote online. We serve Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties from our yard in Goose Creek.