Every Dumpster Fee, Explained (and What's Actually Included)
Published August 15, 2026. We serve Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady and Rensselaer counties.
I'll be straight with you: hidden fees are the number one complaint in this business, and they earned it. Some companies quote a low number, then the bill shows up with charges you never heard of. So here is every dollar you can pay us, why, and the fees we don't charge at all.
What's Included in the Price?
Delivery, pickup, disposal up to your weight allowance, and 5 days of rental time.
When we quote you a size, that number already covers dropping the dumpster off, picking it up, dumping it (up to the weight that comes with your size), and keeping it for 5 days. You don't pay separately for the truck, the driver, or the trip. Here's the included weight by size, so you know where the line is:
| Size | Included weight |
|---|---|
| 12 yard | 1.5 tons (3,000 lbs) |
| 15 yard | 2 tons (4,000 lbs) |
| 20 yard | 3 tons (6,000 lbs) |
| 25 yard | 3.75 tons (7,500 lbs) |
What Surcharges Will I See Before Checkout?
A 3.6% fuel surcharge for everyone, plus an extended-area fee only if you live well outside our normal service area.
Trucks run on diesel, and that cost has to land somewhere, so we put a single 3.6% fuel surcharge in plain sight before checkout, where you see it before you commit. For most of our customers that's the only add-on. The one exception: if you're well outside our regular service area, there may be an extended-service-area fee, and it's shown before checkout too. We charge it for a good reason. It lets us actually come out to places a lot of companies won't touch, so folks in those areas still get a real option instead of being told no. Either way, every number is in front of you before you book. What we don't do is bury a stack of "environmental," "admin," and "processing" fees that quietly pad the invoice after the fact.
What If I Go Over the Weight?
Overage is $150 a ton, on a separate invoice, after we weigh the load.
Every size includes a weight allowance (the table above). If you go over it, the extra is $150 per ton, prorated, and it shows up as its own line after the load hits the scale. We're not guessing and we're not rounding up. You can ask for the scale ticket. The stuff that blows past a weight allowance fast is the heavy material: concrete, dirt, brick, roofing shingles. If you're tossing a lot of that, tell us up front and we'll steer you to the right size so you don't get surprised.
What If I Need to Keep It Longer Than 5 Days?
Extra days are $20 a day when they're available, and the key word is available.
The flat price covers 5 days, which covers a normal project. If you even think you might need more time, tell us as early as you can, by call or text, the moment you have a hunch. Here's why that matters: days added at booking are locked in at $20 a day, but mid-rental your dumpster is often already booked for its next job, so last-minute extra days aren't always open in the schedule. If they are, it's $20 a day. If they're not, we have to pick it up on the scheduled day to make that next drop-off. The earlier you reach out, the better the odds we can hold it for you. And renting for fewer days doesn't lower the price, since what you're paying for is the delivery and the disposal, not the days it sits in the driveway.
The Full List: Every Fee We Can Charge
Here it is, all of it, in one place.
Most orders only ever see the fuel surcharge. Everything else here applies in a specific situation you'll know about up front. No gotchas, nothing invented after the fact:
| Fee | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel surcharge | 3.6% | Every order, shown on the quote |
| Out of service area | Varies by distance | Only if you're well outside our normal area, so we can still reach you |
| Weight overage | $150 / ton | Only if you go over your included weight, prorated, after the scale |
| Extra days | $20 / day | If you keep it past 5 days and days are available |
| Size upgrade | ~$100 | If you need a bigger box after it's delivered |
| Tires | $31 each | No rims, left next to the dumpster's door |
| Appliances (no refrigerant) | Free | Stoves, washers, dryers. Free pickup by our recommended scrap collector — text 518-708-0200 |
| Fridges, freezers, dehumidifiers, AC | Free | Same free scrap pickup as other appliances — text 518-708-0200 |
| Ground-protection boards | $10 | Optional — spreads the rails' weight and protects the surface, especially useful on uneven ground |
| Dry run | $150 | If we come out but can't do the job: no access, or the bin's overloaded and can't be legally hauled |
| Cancellation | May apply | Only within 24 hours of your scheduled delivery, per your rental agreement. Cancel earlier and it's free |
Mattresses and box springs go in free. Most companies charge a per-mattress fee. We don't. Just lay them on the side of the bin so they don't soak up rain.
Got big metal appliances? They skip the dumpster entirely. (Small countertop and plastic appliances can just go in the bin.) We put you in contact with a reliable local scrap service: metal has real scrap value, so they pick appliances up at no charge and the metal actually gets recycled — fridges, freezers, and dehumidifiers included. Text our recommended scrap collector at 518-708-0200 to arrange it. The one way an appliance costs money is if it ends up inside a dumpster load instead of the scrap pile: that bills as a disposal fee ($24, or $51 for refrigerant units).
Washers, dryers, stoves, water heaters, fridges, freezers, dehumidifiers — picked up at no charge, and the metal actually gets recycled. One text sets it up.
Text 518-708-0200*Independent third-party service
The two fees worth going out of your way to avoid are the weight overage and the dry run, because both are fully in your hands: order the right size, keep the load level and legal, and make sure we can actually get the truck to the spot.
Paint, chemicals, propane, and anything with fuel or loose refrigerant can't go in the box at all. That's state law, not us being difficult. Not sure about an item? Ask before you toss it. A two-second question beats a rejected load.
How Payment Works (and Why There's No Deposit)
Pay when you reserve. No separate deposit, ever.
Your card is charged the full price when you reserve — that's the whole transaction, and there is no separate security deposit on top of it. If the load comes in over the weight allowance, the prorated overage bills automatically to the same card after the scale ticket, on its own invoice, so you see exactly what the extra weight was. Commercial accounts that need different payment terms are welcome — call us and we'll set it up.
What Fees Do We NOT Charge?
The stack of surprise fees the industry is famous for.
Here's the part other companies won't put in writing. We don't add a separate environmental fee, we don't add an admin or "processing" fee, and we don't pad the bill with mystery surcharges after you've booked. Every number, the fuel surcharge and any extended-area fee included, is shown before checkout, not sprung on you after. If a dumpster quote looks cheaper than ours, check whether that price includes delivery, pickup, disposal, and the weight. A low headline number that leaves those out isn't actually a low number. It's just a fee you haven't been shown yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you require a deposit?
No. You pay the rental price when you reserve, and that's it — no separate deposit. Overage, if any, bills to the same card after weigh-in. Commercial terms available by phone.
What's included in the dumpster rental price?
Delivery, pickup, disposal up to your size's weight allowance, and 5 days of rental time. The only add-on you'll see before checkout is a 3.6% fuel surcharge.
How much is the weight overage fee?
$150 per ton, prorated, on a separate invoice after we weigh the load at the scale. Concrete, dirt, and roofing hit the limit fastest.
Is there a fuel surcharge or any other surcharge?
Yes, a 3.6% fuel surcharge, shown before checkout, and that's the only add-on for most customers. If you live well outside our normal service area, there may also be an extended-area fee (also shown before checkout) so we can still reach you. No hidden environmental, admin, or processing fees.
Can I keep the dumpster longer than 5 days?
Book them upfront and yes, guaranteed at $20 each. Mid-rental it's sometimes: your bin is often already booked for its next job. Ask as early as you can by call or text, the moment you think you might need more time. Renting fewer days doesn't lower the price, and there's no refund for returning early.
Are there fees for certain items?
Tires are $31 each (no rims, left next to the dumpster's door), mattresses are free, and ground boards are an optional $10. Large metal appliances — fridges included — skip the dumpster; we connect you with a local scrap service that picks them up free. Small and plastic ones go right in.
What's a dry run fee?
It's $150, and it only happens if we send a truck out but can't complete the job, like when the spot can't be reached or the bin is overloaded and can't be legally hauled. Keep the load level and the path clear and you'll never see it.
Is there a cancellation fee?
Cancel more than 24 hours before your scheduled delivery and there's no fee. Within 24 hours of delivery, a cancellation fee may apply, as stated in your rental agreement.
Do you charge to throw away a mattress?
No. Most companies charge a per-mattress fee, but mattresses and box springs go in free with us. Just lay them on the side of the bin so they don't soak up rain.
Do I have to pay to get rid of appliances?
No. We connect you with a local scrap service that picks them up free — fridges, freezers, and dehumidifiers included — and the metal gets recycled. Just don't put them inside the dumpster load; that's the one way they turn into a fee.
Want a real number for your job?
Pick your size and dates and the exact total is on screen before you pay — every fee on the table.
See Your Price →Written by Brendan B., partner at Capital Region Dumpsters, a locally owned and operated roll-off dumpster company serving the Capital Region of New York. Pricing reflects current rates and can change. Last updated August 15, 2026.