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At Prime Dumpster, we provide roll-off dumpster rentals across Berkeley, California, and the neighboring Alameda County cities in sizes from 10 to 40 yards. Brown Shingle and Victorian housing stock in the hill neighborhoods, student turnover in the blocks around the university, seismic retrofit work, and construction down in West Berkeley all keep containers busy here.
Berkeley is one of the few cities where sorting your debris changes the bill more than anything else, because the City's own transfer station prices construction material differently from trash and surcharges a mixed load. Below are our ranges, how the City handles a container in the street, what has to stay out, and how the local rates work.
Looking for a dependable waste management solution? Contact us today for a free quote! We're here to give you a straightforward and competitive estimate for all your dumpster rental needs. Find out how easy waste disposal can be with Prime Dumpster.
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Ready to get started? Scheduling your dumpster delivery is a breeze. Just tell us when and where you need it, and we’ll handle the rest. Prime Dumpster is all about quick and reliable service, getting the right dumpster to your site when you need it.
Done with your project or need your dumpster emptied? Just give us a call to arrange a fast and convenient pickup. We’re ready to quickly remove your waste and make your experience hassle-free. Count on Prime Dumpster for timely and efficient service.
The prices below reflect average ranges for a standard five-day rental period. Your account manager will confirm tonnage, overage rates, and other project specifics during your free, custom quote.
| Size | Average Price Range | Approximate Dimensions | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Yard Dumpster | $399–$499 | 12' L × 8' W × 3.5' H | Concrete, brick, and heavy debris; small cleanouts; single-room remodels |
| 15-Yard Dumpster | $449–$569 | 16' L × 7.5' W × 4–5' H | Garage cleanouts, kitchen and bathroom remodels, small roof tear-offs |
| 20-Yard Dumpster | $499–$649 | 22' L × 7.5' W × 4.5' H | Whole-home cleanouts, multi-room renovations, flooring removal, roofing |
| 30-Yard Dumpster | $599–$799 | 22' L × 8' W × 6' H | Major renovations, new residential construction, large commercial projects |
| 40-Yard Dumpster | $699–$899 | 22–24' L × 8' W × 8' H | Commercial demolition, industrial cleanouts, large-scale construction |
Berkeley has the clearest published disposal economics of any city we serve, and they reward a tidy load.
Container size is still the starting point, and getting it right the first time avoids the cost of a second haul on a job that grew.
Then the rate your material earns. The City charges $130.00 per ton for construction and demolition materials and $149.00 per ton for refuse, so clean building debris is already the cheaper of the two.
Now the part that catches people out. If the load is not separated and inspection finds 10% or more mixing of refuse, construction material and compostable material, the whole load is charged at the refuse rate plus a 75% surcharge on that rate. One bag of kitchen trash tossed into a demolition container can therefore reprice the entire haul. That single rule is the strongest argument for ordering two containers rather than one on a mixed job, and your account manager will walk you through it.
Weight is the fourth factor. Plaster, lath, brick foundation work and roof layers from a century-old Berkeley house all run heavy against a per-ton rate, which is why a smaller container is often the right answer.
Perfect For:
Weight Limit: Up to 2 tons (4,000 lbs)
Bags of Trash: Approximately 50-70 large trash bags.
Truck Loads: Roughly 3 pickup truck loads.
*These are general estimates and can vary depending on the type of trash being disposed of and how tightly it’s packed.
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Perfect For:
Weight Limit: Up to 3 tons (6,000 lbs)
Bags of Trash: Approximately 80-100 large trash bags.
Truck Loads: Roughly 4.5 pickup truck loads.
*These are general estimates and can vary depending on the type of trash being disposed of and how tightly it’s packed.
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Perfect For:
Weight Limit: Up to 3 tons (6,000 lbs)
Bags of Trash: Approximately 110-130 large trash bags.
Truck Loads: Roughly 6 pickup truck loads.
*These are general estimates and can vary depending on the type of trash being disposed of and how tightly it’s packed.
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Perfect For:
Weight Limit: Up to 4 tons (8,000 lbs)
Bags of Trash: Approximately 170-190 large trash bags.
Truck Loads: Roughly 9 pickup truck loads.
*These are general estimates and can vary depending on the type of trash being disposed of and how tightly it’s packed.
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Perfect For:
Weight Limit: Up to 5 tons (10,000 lbs)
Bags of Trash: Approximately 230-250 large trash bags.
Truck Loads: Roughly 12 pickup truck loads.
*These are general estimates and can vary depending on the type of trash being disposed of and how tightly it’s packed.
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Pick on volume, then test it against weight and against the sorting rule. Prime Dumpster carries five sizes here.
The 10-Yard Dumpster is the heavy and the tight-site container. Brick, concrete, plaster and tile go here, and on Berkeley's steep narrow hill streets it is frequently the only size that can be set down safely.
The 15-Yard Dumpster handles a garage emptied, one bathroom gutted, or a single roof slope stripped off a shingle house.
The 20-Yard Dumpster covers a flat turned over between tenants, or a remodel running across several rooms. It is the usual choice on a standard West Berkeley or South Berkeley lot.
The 30-Yard Dumpster fits a seismic retrofit, a full renovation, or commercial work producing bulky mixed debris over several weeks.
The 40-Yard Dumpster is our largest container, for demolition and sustained construction. It needs level ground, a clear overhead path, and enough street or site room to tip.
Tell your account manager what you are taking out and whether you can keep materials separate, and they will tell you which size, or which pair of sizes, works out cheapest.
A container on your own driveway or inside a private job site needs no City permit in Berkeley.
For the public right-of-way, Berkeley uses an engineering permit and is explicit about containers. One kind covers a temporary No Parking sign so you can hold a curbside space for a moving container, a truck or a debris box. Another is a street and sidewalk use permit, which the City says is required when a construction or demolition project needs to store materials, equipment or debris in the public right of way, and it names installing a temporary debris bin as an example. Those projects normally need a traffic control plan as well.
The timing rule is the one to plan around. Once a No Parking permit is approved, you must post the signs at least 72 hours before the parking prohibition begins. Added to the review time, a street container in Berkeley is a next-week job, not a next-day one.
Applications go through the Permit Service Center, which you visit by appointment, on 510-981-7500. Berkeley also requires any private refuse hauling business to hold a non-exclusive franchise from the City, which is granted by the City Council after notice and a hearing, so your account manager confirms how both rules apply before your delivery is booked.
Wood, drywall, plaster, lath, flooring, roofing, cabinets, fixtures, furniture and general cleanout debris are all ordinary loads.
CalRecycle is clear that hazardous waste cannot go in the garbage anywhere in California. That covers paint of both kinds, solvents, aerosol cans with product left in them, pesticides, pool chemicals, antifreeze, motor oil and filters, propane and other gas cylinders, fluorescent tubes and batteries of all types. Asbestos and chemically treated wood both have to be handled as hazardous waste, and electronics and tires are barred from the trash statewide.
Berkeley backs that up at the gate with a charge for prohibited hazardous material found in a load, rising for a second occurrence, and the customer has to reload it.
Two more local points. Alameda County bans plant debris from the landfill, so any load with 10% or more plant debris has to be separated for composting, and the transfer station cannot separate a mixed load for you. Painted or treated wood, plywood and particle board are not accepted as compostable material and count as refuse. Check anything unusual with your account manager before it goes in.
If the item you want to dispose of isn’t on this list, give us a call for more guidance or check out our guide of what you can throw in a dumpster.
*Approved items may vary by location. Always check your local laws and regulations to avoid any fines or additional fees.
Berkeley loads go to the City of Berkeley Transfer Station at 1201 Second Street, Berkeley, CA 94710, which the City owns and operates down in West Berkeley. It is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed Sundays, New Year's Day, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The City is warning of construction-related delays at the site through the end of 2026.
The site takes construction and demolition material for recycling and requires it to be loose rather than bagged. There is no pedestrian access at all: everyone has to be inside a vehicle. And loads must be totally covered and fastened, with an unsecured load charged a $15 fee on arrival, which is a good reason to have the container tarped before the truck leaves your address.
The practical takeaway is that Berkeley rewards planning. A container holding one kind of material is cheap to tip, a mixed one is expensive, and the difference is published rather than discretionary. Your account manager will confirm the destination and tell you when splitting a job across two containers saves money.
1201 Second Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
Open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Sundays and major holidays.
Berkeley rentals can usually be scheduled within one to two business days, with delivery arriving in a 24 to 48 hour window, as long as the container is going on private ground. A street placement needs more lead time because of the 72-hour sign posting.
Five things worth doing before we roll:
Mind the Saturday close as well. The transfer station shuts at 4:30 p.m. and is closed Sundays, so a container filled on a Saturday evening will be hauled at the start of the following week.
Client Reviews
Prime Dumpster serves every part of Berkeley, from the hill neighborhoods above the campus down through the Elmwood and South Berkeley blocks to the warehouses and light industry of West Berkeley near the marina, and we run the same routes through the nearby Alameda and Contra Costa County cities. Give us the address and the project and we will arrange delivery, pickup and disposal to suit your build.
Tell us about your project and your zip code. We will size the container, work out whether sorting saves you money, and give you a clear price on the call.
Your Prime Dumpster account manager handles the details, from tonnage and overage rates to permit contacts and delivery timing, so you can focus on the work.
Berkeley rentals run from $399 to $499 for a 10-yard container up to $699 to $899 for a 40-yard container over five days. The City's per-ton disposal rate and whether your load is sorted both move the total. Your account manager confirms included tonnage and overage rates before delivery.
For anything past a couple of loads, renting is cheaper. Self-hauling costs you a gate charge each trip, fuel, and your own time, and Berkeley allows no pedestrian access, so you need a vehicle for every visit. A container is one haul.
Yes. A three-seat couch takes roughly a fifth of a 10-yard container, leaving plenty of space for a mattress, a dresser and boxes. Bulky furniture fills the volume well before it comes near the weight allowance.
No paint, solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, antifreeze, motor oil, propane tanks, batteries or fluorescent tubes. Asbestos and treated wood are hazardous waste in California. Electronics and tires are barred, and Berkeley charges for prohibited material found in a load.
The 10-yard container starts lowest at $399 to $499. In Berkeley, though, the cheapest total usually comes from sorting rather than from downsizing, because an unsorted load is charged at the refuse rate plus a surcharge while clean construction debris earns the lower rate.
Three days normally costs the same as five, because the price covers delivery, the haul and the disposal rather than the days. Weight and sorting drive the bill. Ask your account manager about included tonnage and the per-ton overage before you load.
In Berkeley you can load lumber, drywall, plaster, lath, flooring, roofing, cabinets, doors, windows, carpet, furniture and household junk. Clean concrete, brick and asphalt are accepted. Keep plant debris and household trash separate from construction material to hold the lower rate.
| Business Name: | Prime Dumpster |
| Address: | Berkeley, California 94704 |
| Phone: | 415-426-1126 |
| Website: | https://primedumpster.com/ |
| Monday-Saturday | 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM |
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