Updated January 22, 2023
It can be tempting to reach out to Waste Management or run to your local Home Depot or Lowe's to buy a Bagster for small home projects, but you should know that there are more cost-efficient options on the market.
Renting a dumpster from a locally-owned and operated company could end up saving you significantly.
In this guide, we'll go over the differences between big box store dumpsters and dumpsters from local rental providers.
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Dumpster Options at Big Box Stores
Most big box home improvement stores across the country, including Amazon, offer Bagster dumpsters from Waste Management.
These are bag dumpsters with a capacity to hold up to 3 cubic yards of material and no more than 3,300 lbs of material.
This is typically the only type of dumpster offered by large home improvement stores, which makes Bagster-style dumpsters only helpful for very small, lighter-weight projects.
National waste haulers, like Waste Management, also offer traditional dumpster rentals, but their rental prices are substantially more expensive than local hauler prices.
With only a $30 pricetag on average, the initial cost of bag-style dumpsters is attractive, but the pick-up/debris disposal costs can range anywhere from $120-$300+ depending on where you live.
At the end of the day, your bag-style dumpster will likely cost as much as, if not more than, a 10 yard local dumpster rental.
Even if you don't think you'll need the extra room, chances are, your debris will take up more space (and weigh more) than you anticipated.
In addition, you likely will find quite a few things lying around your house or property that you'd like to get rid of while you're at it.
It’s easy to underestimate exactly how much will be going in the dumpster, and doing so can be expensive.
If you buy a bag-style dumpster, and you can't fit everything in it, you will have to buy a second Bagster, which will easily surpass the cost of a 10 yard dumpster.
Rushing to contact your local big box store may seem like the quickest and easiest solution, but it could end up being an expensive and time-consuming mistake.
Instead, we recommend reaching out to local dumpster companies with the help of Hometown.
Read more:
- How to Estimate the Weight of a Dumpster Load to Avoid Overage Fees
- Why Large Dumpsters Sometimes Cost Less Than Small Dumpsters
- Why You Shouldn't Necessarily Rent the Cheapest Dumpster
Local Dumpster Provider Options
When you have household junk, garbage, construction/demolition debris, or yard waste to get rid of, we highly recommend renting a dumpster from a locally-owed company.
The average cost to rent a 20 yard dumpster in the U.S. from a local provider is $350-$550, while the same size dumpster typically averages around $100 more in the same area from national chains, like Waste Management, which averages around $450-$650 for a 20 yarder.
Another important point to consider is that local services tend to give all of their customers equal priority while national chains offer the best service to large contractors who are their bread and butter.
When you're spending hundreds of dollars on a service, you want to feel valued.
Finding a local dumpster service is simple when you use Hometown.
We vet every company we publish to ensure they are licensed, bonded, and insured to perform their services.
Hometown's site is easy to navigate and only takes seconds to show you personalized search results.
By simply entering your zip code and answering a few quick questions about your disposal needs, you'll be shown verified, local dumpster rental providers that service your area.
Our single quote request form allows you to get free quotes from multiple providers with only a few minutes of effort.
We make renting an affordable, reliable dumpster as easy as possible!
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