What Size Dumpster Do I Need? A Bentonville, AR Guide

Quick answer by project type

For most home projects in Bentonville, the 20 yard dumpster is the place to start. It is our most popular size, with the right balance of capacity and footprint for kitchen and bath remodels, whole-home cleanouts, roofing and landscaping, and it is the sweet spot for most residential and small commercial projects. Go 10 yard for small kitchen or bathroom remodels, roof tear-offs, concrete, tile or asphalt, single-room or garage cleanouts, or a tight driveway. Go 15 yard for garage, attic or basement cleanouts, flooring and carpet removal, small deck or fence removal and yard waste. Go 30 yard for multi-room renovations, estate or rental property cleanouts, retail or office remodels and demolition debris, and 40 yard for new construction, full-scale demolition, warehouse cleanouts and commercial roofing. Not sure? Call (479) 364-6745 and we help you pick.

A few rules of thumb. Heavy materials such as concrete or dirt go only in the smaller dumpsters, the 10 or 15 yard, because heavier materials have strict weight limits for safety and transport; the 10 yard is best when debris is dense and heavy, not bulky. For a roof, our 10 and 20 yard dumpsters are the picks for shingles, tar paper and underlayment. For yard waste, our 15 and 20 yard bins are great for tree trimmings, soil and landscaping debris. For construction and remodeling, the 20, 30 and 40 handle drywall, flooring and demolition waste: most contractors use the 20 for remodels and the 30 or 40 for new construction and demolition. For most home renovations or move-outs, a 15 or a 20 offers the best balance of capacity and space. And if the job grows, we can swap your dumpster for a bigger one.

The five sizes side by side

All five are open-top roll-offs about 7.5 feet wide. The 10 and 15 are shorter boxes; the 20, 30 and 40 share a length of about 22 feet and simply get taller. Pickup truck loads and standard 33-gallon trash bags are a rough guide to volume. The weight column is the standard allowance each size includes, which depends on the debris.

Most people under-count the pile. Walk the house or the job before you call, estimate how many pickup loads you expect, and tell us what the material is. We look at three things, the type of debris, the scope of the project and the space you have for the box, and we can estimate weight over the phone from roof squares, flooring square footage or yard waste volumes, so you get the right dumpster the first time.

Check the weight, not just the volume

Volume and weight are two separate limits. Furniture and household junk are bulky and light; tile, plaster, concrete, shingles, dirt and wet yard waste reach the weight line long before the box looks full. Each dumpster includes a standard weight allowance based on its size, from 1 to 6 tons. If your debris goes over, we weigh the container and apply an overage fee, with no surprises and no hidden terms. A good rule of thumb from our own pages: if more than half the load is dense material such as tile or concrete, call us, because the 10 yard may save you money on overages. And do not mix dirt or concrete in with household junk without checking first.

Load evenly from front to back and side to side, and keep everything below the top rim so the tarp closes safely: if it is overfilled, we cannot legally haul it. Arkansas law says no vehicle may be driven or moved on any highway unless it is "so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping therefrom" (Ark. Code § 27-35-110(a)). In Benton County, the Solid Waste District adds that haulers' vehicles with open storage areas must be tarped when traveling over 35 mph (8 CAR § 110-612(b)(2)(B)), and the Boston Mountain Solid Waste District has the same 35 mph tarp rule on the Washington County side (District Rules § 9.03(c)).

Measure the drop spot

Check the length first: about 14 feet for a 10 yard, about 16 for a 15, and about 22 feet for the 20, 30 and 40. Our tables list them at about 7.5 feet wide; plan for 8 feet when you measure. Clear about 60 feet of approach for the roll-off truck and allow about 25 feet of overhead clearance, so look up for branches and power lines. A flat, solid surface such as a driveway or a pad works best. Move cars, bins and equipment out of the way before delivery, and mark the spot with cones, tape or chalk if you will not be there. If you are worried about the surface, lay plywood or boards under the rails, or ask us to set the dumpster on protective boards.

In Bentonville, keep it on your property where you can. Bentonville Code § 42-80 says: "No pickups or hauling of refuse shall be made except by city-owned or authorized vehicles. Authorized vehicles shall be those as to which the owner has a written contract with the city." No City page we found mentions roll-offs or construction debris, so we check the City's requirements and the placement with you before booking. A street spot is a further step: the City requires a right-of-way permit for work in the public right-of-way (§ 50-721), and § 82-120 bars obstructing streets and sidewalks. The permit guide covers every town we list.

Why the curb will not do it

Bentonville homes and businesses use the City's collection service, billed with the utility bill (§ 42-71), and yard waste may not go in the normal trash; residents take it to the City compost facility at 2000 NW A St instead. Burning yard debris is prohibited at all times in Bentonville (fire code 307.4.6, as amended by § 14-204). In Rogers, the City's curbside carts may not hold construction materials such as lumber, drywall and shingles, dirt or bathroom fixtures, and the bulky pickup will not take construction or demolition debris. Springdale's and Cave Springs' codes both say the City's contractor is not required to remove debris from building, repair or razing work on private property; that is the owner's job (Springdale § 102-6(a), Cave Springs § 52.05).

The Benton County Solid Waste District's drop-off sites are for household special waste only, with no building materials of any kind and no household trash. Some cities even write the size into the code: in Centerton, a demolition permit requires a 20-yard minimum dumpster on site (§ 11.20.03(F)). A roll-off is for the pile that is bigger, heavier or sooner than any of that allows.

Five ways to get the size right

1. Estimate the debris before you call. Count rooms or pickup loads, or measure the flooring or roof coming off.
2. Allow for bulky items. Furniture and cabinets take more room than they weigh, so break down large pieces and cut long boards down before loading.
3. Ask about weight, not just yardage. Concrete, dirt, brick, asphalt, tile and shingles go by weight and belong in a 10 or 15.
4. Keep heavy, light and green apart. A clean load of concrete or brick is easier to recycle, and yard waste is best as its own load, without bagged trash or treated wood.
5. Call early. In most areas around Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas we offer same-day or next-day delivery when availability allows. Call early in the day for the best chance of same-day service.

Describe the job on the phone, with the materials, the scope and the timeline, and we recommend the size that fits. If the project grows, we can swap the dumpster for a bigger one.