Storm debris dumpster rental: what the curb takes, what the can takes

A storm debris dumpster rental covers what curbside crews will not take. During the Hurricane Dorian recovery, the City of Charleston said debris from insurance-covered home repairs should be removed and disposed of by the private contractor, not put out for municipal pickup.⁠¹ That load fits a 15-yard roll-off: $499 flat for delivery, 7 days, up to 2 tons (4,000 lbs) of disposal, and pickup.

Use the curb for what the crews take. Use the can for what they will not.

Sort storm piles to your town’s list

Charleston County tells residents to sort storm debris into five “Don’t CHEAT” piles.⁠²

• C, Construction debris: building materials, drywall, lumber, carpet, furniture, mattresses, plumbing.
• H, Hazardous waste.
• E, Electronics.
• A, Appliances.
• T, Trees and vegetation.

North Charleston’s Hurricane Guide uses its own “Don’t C.H.E.A.T. the environment” list.⁠³

Lists change. The City of Charleston used C.H.E.A.T. after Hurricane Ian in 2022.⁠⁴ After Tropical Storm Idalia in 2023, it used C.H.A.T., with no Electronics category.⁠⁵ Sort to the list your county or city puts out for that storm.

NOAA’s National Hurricane Center puts the Atlantic hurricane season at June 1 to November 30, with the peak on September 10.⁠⁶⁠⁷ Save these storm-debris numbers from Charleston County Emergency Management before a storm hits:⁠⁸

• Charleston County Environmental Management: (843) 720-7111
• Berkeley County Water & Sanitation: (843) 572-4400
• Dorchester County Public Works: (843) 832-0070

Where the piles go

Charleston County’s placement rules:⁠⁹

1. Curbside, within 15 feet of the road.
2. Between the street and the sidewalk, if there is one.
3. Not on the road. Not on the sidewalk.
4. Not against trees, water or gas meters, telephone poles, or power towers.
5. No regular household garbage in storm piles.

Skip plastic bags. In its Hurricane Dorian release, Charleston County told residents to keep vegetative debris out of plastic bags: paper leaf bags were collected, and debris in plastic bags went to the regular waste hauler.⁠¹⁰

Cut it to size. After Dorian, Goose Creek and Moncks Corner limited debris pieces to 4 feet long, 4 inches in diameter, and 50 pounds.⁠¹¹

Beat the deadline. After Dorian, Berkeley County required vegetative storm debris on the public right-of-way by September 22, 2019, and debris set out later might not be collected by county crews.⁠¹²

Check the beetle rules. After Tropical Storm Debby in 2024, Charleston County told residents in Asian Longhorned Beetle regulated areas to take woody storm debris from host trees to the Bees Ferry or Hollywood Convenience Centers.⁠¹³ Pieces half an inch or more in diameter are regulated.⁠¹³

What the curb will not take

Repair debris is the big gap.⁠¹ The City of Charleston’s Dorian collection also excluded non-vegetative bulk items such as household appliances, bedding, and furniture, which went back to the normal bulk trash schedule.⁠¹⁴

Everyday collection rules, outside storm notices:

• City of Charleston: under City Ordinance Sec. 14-51, no bricks, lumber, mortar, plaster, roofing, guttering, or tree debris generated by a hired contractor or builder. Construction or renovation refuse from an owner or resident only, up to 90 gallons per trash collection cycle.⁠¹⁵
• North Charleston: no roofing shingles and no trash generated by contractors.⁠¹⁶ At most 90 gallons of building materials per pickup, and no mixed piles.⁠¹⁷
• Mount Pleasant: no contractor-generated debris from construction, demolition, remodeling, or landscaping. The town says the contractor should haul it away.⁠¹⁸
• Goose Creek: no contractor-generated building or yard debris.⁠¹⁹
• Summerville: no pickup for yard piles mixed with boards, lumber, tile, bricks, or plastic.⁠²⁰
• Dorchester County: construction and demolition containers for residents at five convenience sites. Contractor and commercial dumping there is banned. Violations are a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500 and/or 30 days.⁠²¹

Brush past the curb limits is its own job. The yard waste dumpster page has the weight math for limbs and brush.

Where a storm debris dumpster fits

A roll-off takes the repair debris: wet drywall, carpet and pad, ruined cabinets, torn-off shingles, fence panels, deck boards. Load it no higher than the top rail. Tell us what is going in when you book, brush included.

The can holds 15 cubic yards, 405 cubic feet. EPA’s 2016 volume-to-weight figures, run against the 4,000 lbs included:

Debris	EPA lb per cubic yard	Cubic yards inside 4,000 lbs	Full 15-yard can
Mixed C&D	417⁠22	About 9.6	About 6,255 lbs
Drywall	467⁠23	About 8.6	About 7,005 lbs
Asphalt roofing	731⁠24	About 5.5	About 10,965 lbs
Carpet	147⁠25	All 15. Weight allows 27.2.	About 2,205 lbs
Branches	127⁠26	All 15. Weight allows 31.5.	About 1,905 lbs

By EPA’s figure, a full can of mixed C&D weighs about 6,255 lbs.⁠²² That is 2,255 lbs, about 1.1 tons, over the 2 tons included, billed at $85 per ton. Heavy materials may require reduced fill levels. For a roof tear-off, the roofing dumpster page runs the math by squares.

These are table figures, not your load. Every load is weighed at the disposal facility and billed by certified scale weight. The disposal weight allowance policy spells it out.

What stays out of the can

These get loads refused. Prohibited:

• Refrigerators, freezers, and appliances containing refrigerants.
• Liquids, oils, fuels, chemicals, and solvents. Liquid or partly liquid paints, stains, and sealants.
• Pressurized containers: propane tanks, aerosols, gas cylinders.
• Tires, batteries, and automotive fluids.
• Electronics, unless we explicitly approve them.
• Hazardous waste, asbestos, and medical or biohazard waste.

Under EPA’s Section 608 rules, the final person in the disposal chain must make sure refrigerant is recovered from household refrigerators, freezers, and window air conditioners before final disposal.⁠²⁷ Charleston County’s storm list gives hazardous waste, electronics, and appliances their own piles.⁠²

Restricted materials need approval before delivery. Prohibited material can get a load refused, and you pay the cleanup and special disposal. The full list is in the prohibited and restricted materials policy.

Placement and rental time

Driveway placement usually needs no permit. Street placement may need one, and you get it. Check dumpster permits by city before you book. Keep the can off the curbside strip. That is where Charleston County wants storm piles.⁠⁹

Your rental runs 7 days. Extra days are $10 per day. An additional haul is $300.

Next step

Call or text (843) 284-3707 with the address, what you are tossing, and the day you need it. Text a photo of the pile to the same number. Or request a quote online.