Yard and landscaping cleanup: container, weight and what you cannot throw in
A 15 yard container. The size is straightforward; the trap is mixing green waste with soil and sod, which have completely different outlets and rates. Expect $300 to $675 for the rental, and check the material list below before you start — this job produces 3 things worth verifying.
- Recommended
- 15 yd³
- Constraint
- Limited by material separation
- Weight limit
- 1.5–3 tons
- Typical cost
- $300–$675
How much debris this job produces
Brush and branches are 10 to 20 cubic yards for a substantial clearing, but at only 250 to 500 pounds per yard. Add sod or soil and the weight quadruples per yard.
Why this size and not the next one
The size is straightforward; the trap is mixing green waste with soil and sod, which have completely different outlets and rates. The 15 is the least-stocked common size. Plenty of haulers skip it entirely, so if you ask for one you may be quoted a 20 at the same price. Ask before you assume it is available.
What goes wrong on this job
- Many haulers require a dedicated green-waste container because the material goes to compost, not landfill — and that container is often cheaper
- Leaf and yard waste is banned from disposal in Massachusetts and restricted in many other states
- Sod is soil with grass on it. It weighs like soil
Materials from this job that need checking
- Conditional
Yard waste, brush and branches
Many haulers take yard waste in a general container; many others require a dedicated green-waste container because the material has a separate compost outlet. Leaf and yard waste is banned from disposal in Massachusetts, and a majority of states have some form of yard-waste landfill restriction.
Massachusetts: Leaf and yard waste is a banned material. (310 CMR 19.017)
We have not verified this material against your state’s own regulator. That means unknown, not allowed — check with your state before you load it.
Varies by state Yard and green waste MA - Conditional
Sod, soil and dirt
Accepted, but almost always as a clean dedicated load in a 10 yard container at a dirt-specific rate. Mixed into general debris it fails: soil is roughly a ton per cubic yard, so half a 20 yard box of dirt is already over a typical weight allowance.
Hauler policy Heavy debris - Conditional
Pressure-treated wood and railroad ties
Pressure-treated lumber from a deck is normally accepted as C&D. Creosote-soaked railroad ties are a separate problem that many haulers refuse and some states regulate, so ask specifically rather than lumping them in as "wood".
We have not verified this material against your state’s own regulator. That means unknown, not allowed — check with your state before you load it.
Varies by state Construction debris
Sources
- Primary source MassDEP Waste Disposal Bans — Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection · last reviewed 2026-08-17
mass.gov refuses automated requests from this build environment (HTTP 403). The ban list was read from the publisher’s own guide through a search index and cross-checked against the October 2021 amendment document below.