Dumpster rental glossary

28 terms, each defined in 40 words or fewer so the definition stands on its own.

All terms

Aggregate

Crushed concrete, brick and asphalt processed for reuse as road base and fill. The largest destination for US C&D debris.

Broker

A company that takes your container order and subcontracts a local hauler to fulfil it, keeping the difference. Owns no trucks.

C&D debris

Construction and demolition debris: concrete, wood, drywall, asphalt shingles, brick, metal and glass from building work. The US generated about 600 million tons in 2018.

Cubic yard

27 cubic feet — a cube three feet on each side. The unit roll-off containers are sold in, and it measures volume only, never weight.

Diversion rate

The share of a project’s waste, by weight, kept out of landfill through recycling or salvage. The number building inspectors ask about.

Driveway protection

Boards or mats laid under a container’s rails and the truck’s wheels to spread the load and prevent cracking or gouging of a driveway.

Dry run fee

A charge for a truck that arrives and cannot deliver or collect — blocked driveway, parked car, overloaded container, locked gate.

Franchise

A locally owned operator licensing a national brand and system. Usually owns trucks, so it behaves like a hauler with national branding.

Front-load bin

The 2 to 8 cubic yard bin with a plastic lid that a truck lifts over its cab. Rented monthly for ongoing service, not by the project.

Gate rate

Another name for a tipping fee — the per-ton price at the scale house where a hauler drops your debris.

Hauler

The company that owns the trucks and drivers, and usually the disposal site. The party that actually performs the service.

Household hazardous waste

Leftover household products that are corrosive, toxic, flammable or reactive — paint, solvents, pesticides, fuel, pool chemicals. Never container material.

Level load

Debris filled no higher than the container rim, so the load can be tarped for transport. A legal requirement, not a preference.

Low-profile container

A roll-off around three to four and a half feet tall, so debris can be thrown over the wall instead of carried through the door.

Occupancy permit

Municipal authorisation to place an object in the public right-of-way for a set period. The permit a street-placed container needs.

Overage charge

The per-ton fee for weight above the tonnage included in your rental. The most common reason a final invoice does not match the quote.

Overhead clearance

The vertical space a roll-off truck needs to raise its hoist and set or retrieve a container — substantially more than the container’s own height.

Right-of-way

The public land a street, sidewalk and verge sit on. Placing a container on it generally needs a permit; your own driveway generally does not.

Roll-off container

An open-top steel container delivered and collected by a truck that rolls it off rails onto the ground. Sized by internal volume in cubic yards, typically 10 to 40.

Roofing square

100 square feet of roof coverage. The unit roofers estimate and order in, and the unit that lets you predict tear-off weight.

Section 608

The Clean Air Act provision requiring refrigerant recovery before an appliance is disposed of. Why fridges, freezers and AC units are refused.

Tipping fee

What a landfill or transfer station charges per ton to accept a load. Set regionally, and the largest single input into what a container costs you.

Tonnage allowance

The weight included in the rental price, in tons. A commercial term set by the hauler, not a property of the container.

Transfer station

A facility where collection trucks tip loads for consolidation into larger vehicles before the trip to a landfill or processor.

Universal waste

A federal category at 40 CFR Part 273 covering batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment, lamps and aerosol cans, handled outside normal trash.

Walk-in door

The hinged rear gate on a roll-off that swings open so debris can be wheeled in rather than lifted over the side.

Waste ban

A state rule barring specific materials from landfill or incinerator disposal. Enforced at the facility, so a banned item can get an entire load rejected.

Waste management plan

A document filed with a building permit stating how construction debris will be sorted, where it will go, and how diversion will be proved.