Bin & Dumpster Rental near you

Rental companies offer several bin sizes, from small containers for a bathroom renovation or a garage clean-out to large ones for a roof tear-off, a gut renovation or a demolition. Each company describes its own sizes and what they suit, so tell it about your project, the materials involved and roughly how much you expect to throw away, and let it recommend one.

Every rental company publishes a list of banned materials, for the safety of its drivers and because many of these products don't belong in a landfill. Household hazardous waste tops the list: the City of Toronto defines it as products that are corrosive, flammable, explosive or poisonous, names paint, motor oil, antifreeze and propane tanks among them, and keeps them out of the garbage by collecting them free at depots and through other programs. Montreal takes paint, cleaning products, used oil, aerosols, batteries and bulbs at its municipal drop-off centres.

A bin that sits entirely on your own driveway or lot usually doesn't need a street permit, though some municipalities regulate containers on private property too, so check. Once it goes on the road, a sidewalk or a lane, a permit is the norm. Toronto requires a Street Occupation Permit for a disposal bin placed on the roadway or in a public laneway. In Montreal, the city says a temporary permit to occupy the public domain for work is needed to install a construction debris container on the public domain, and in the Ville-Marie borough the container may go in the street or the lane but not on the sidewalk.

A loaded bin puts a lot of weight on its rails or wheels, and summer heat softens asphalt, so dents, gouges and cracks are a real risk. Rental agreements often leave driveway damage to the customer, so read that clause before delivery day.

Each rental comes with a weight allowance, and the load is weighed where it's taken for disposal. Going over the allowance usually brings an extra charge, and a bin far too heavy for the truck may not be picked up until some material is taken out. Concrete, brick, soil and shingles are the usual culprits, which is why companies often want them in a dedicated bin.

Overfilling is the other common problem. Companies generally ask that debris stay level with or below the top of the walls so the load can be covered and hauled safely, and a driver can refuse a bin that's heaped up or has pieces sticking out. Spread heavy material across the floor, stand flat pieces along the sides and load in layers rather than piling up one end.

Much of what comes out of a renovation can be recycled or reused if it isn't all thrown in together. Some rental companies take mixed loads to sorting centres, while others offer bins for a single material; ask which applies and where the debris ends up.

A bin works best when debris builds up over days or weeks and you or your contractor can load it as the work goes on. When the job is one afternoon of furniture, appliances and boxes, when items are heavy or have to come down stairs, or when there's no room for a bin and a street permit isn't practical, a junk removal crew is usually simpler: the crew does the lifting and leaves with everything the same day. Our junk removal page explains what crews take and refuse.