Sizes
What fits in which box
Roll-off companies around Indianapolis and Anderson most often list 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 yard boxes. The number is cubic yards. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so the math is easy once you measure your pile.
| Box | Cubic feet | Same volume as |
|---|---|---|
| 10 yd | 270 | a 10 by 9 foot floor piled 3 feet deep |
| 15 yd | 405 | a 15 by 9 foot floor piled 3 feet deep |
| 20 yd | 540 | a 12 by 15 foot room piled 3 feet deep |
| 30 yd | 810 | a 12 by 15 foot room piled 4.5 feet deep |
| 40 yd | 1,080 | a 12 by 15 foot room piled 6 feet deep |
Measure, then add a margin
Pile or stack what you can, measure length, width and height in feet, multiply, and divide by 27. Furniture and boxes do not pack flat, so add a quarter to the answer. A 15-yard result means a 20-yard box in practice.
Weight decides the price more than volume
Most quotes include a weight allowance. Dense material eats it fast: roofing, plaster, tile, brick, concrete and wet soil. In Anderson, where nearly half the houses were built before 1960, plaster and old roof layers are common in remodels. Tell the hauler what the material is, not only how much.
Some companies want heavy material such as concrete or dirt in its own box. At South Side Landfill, clean fill costs $13 a cubic yard against $25.50 for mixed debris, and a mixed load is billed at the higher rate. Keeping concrete separate can matter.
Keep these out
- Tires (Indiana bars whole tires from landfills)
- TVs, computers and other electronics (barred from household trash by state law)
- Paint, solvents, pool chemicals and other household hazardous waste: ToxDrop in Marion County
- Refrigerators, freezers and AC units unless the hauler agrees; landfills charge extra for anything with Freon
Picking by project
- One room of junk or a small bathroom gut
- Measure first. A 10-yard box holds 270 cubic feet, which is often more room than a single room's contents need. Two Saturday trips to the Citizens' Transfer Station in Indianapolis may do it for $4 to $10.
- Whole-house cleanout or kitchen remodel
- Usually 20 yards and up. Walk the house and add up rooms using the table.
- Roof tear-off
- Shingles are heavy. Ask for a box sized by weight, and ask how many layers the quote assumes.
- Street placement
- Bigger boxes are longer. Measure the parking lane before you order, and put the size on your permit application.
Get prices from local haulers
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