Cleanouts
A dumpster for a garage, basement or attic cleanout
A cleanout is mostly light and bulky: old furniture, boxes, shelving, rugs. It fills a container by volume, not by weight, so you can usually go a size bigger without worrying about the scale.
Phones answered Mon–Sat 8 am–8 pm, Sun 8 am–1 pm (Eastern)
One couch, or a whole garage?
If you only have a couple of large items, the City of Grand Rapids will collect them at the curb with a bulk sticker or an online bulk pickup. A single item can't be larger than 6 ft by 5 ft, and refrigerator and freezer doors have to come off first.
Once the pile is bigger than a few pieces, or the items are mixed junk rather than furniture, a roll-off is simpler. A packed single-car garage often fits a 15 yard box. A two-car garage, or a basement and attic done together, more often needs a 20.
Sort as you go
Pull these aside before they reach the container
- Televisions. Grand Rapids doesn't take them at the curb, and Kent County lists three electronics drop-offs.
- Old fridges, freezers, dehumidifiers and window air conditioners: the county's appliance drop-offs in Rockford and Byron Center.
- Half-used cans of stain, solvent, pool chemicals and motor oil: SafeChem.
- Latex paint: dry it out and it goes in the regular trash, per Kent County.
- Anything you might sell or donate. It is far easier to set it aside now than to climb in after it.
How long to keep it
Most garage and basement jobs take a weekend. Attic work is slower because everything comes down the stairs one armful at a time. Ask for a rental period with a day or two of slack, and find out what an extra day costs before you need it.
Load flat items like tabletops and boards first, then the bulky pieces, then bags in the gaps. Keep everything below the top edge of the walls, because the truck can't haul a box that is heaped over.
Ready to book a roll-off?
Have the address, the project and a rough idea of how much is going in. The company on the phone quotes the size, the drop-off date and the price.
Phones answered Mon–Sat 8 am–8 pm, Sun 8 am–1 pm (Eastern)