Dumpster Rental Cost in Scranton, PA: What Drives It

The typical range, and why we quote by phone

Dumpster rental pricing in Scranton typically ranges from $350 to $750. Where a job lands depends on the dumpster size, the type of debris, the delivery location and the rental duration. Our pricing is flat-rate and includes delivery, pickup and disposal. No hidden fees: the price you are quoted is the price you pay.

We quote by phone rather than post a price list, because the things that decide the number, what is going in, how heavy it is and how far the truck runs, change from job to job. A 15 yard of carpet in Dunmore and a 10 yard of broken patio in Old Forge are different jobs on the road and at the scale. Call (570) 354-0618 with three things ready: what you are working on, a rough idea of how much debris you expect, and your delivery address and date. We accept major credit and debit cards, and payment is processed when your booking is confirmed to secure your delivery date. Contractors can ask about flexible billing options.

What a flat rate covers

A flat-rate quote bundles delivery and pickup, the standard rental period of up to 7 days (your quote confirms the days), disposal up to the included weight allowance and driveway-safe placement into one number. That is the whole job for most customers. The rest of this guide is about the few things that can change it, and how to keep them from changing it.

The biggest cost inside any flat rate is disposal. We work with local disposal and recycling facilities in the Scranton area, and we separate materials like metal, concrete and asphalt whenever possible. Pennsylvania treats remodel and tear-out debris as its own kind of waste: 25 Pa. Code § 271.1 defines construction/demolition waste as "Solid waste resulting from the construction or demolition of buildings and other structures, including, but not limited to, wood, plaster, metals, asphaltic substances, bricks, block and unsegregated concrete." DEP adds that "Construction and demolition (C&D) waste accounts for about 17.5% of Pennsylvania's municipal waste." A clean load of concrete and a mixed cleanout are different loads at the facility, which is why we ask what is going in.

The things that move it

Size and weight. Each dumpster includes a standard weight allowance: about 1–2 tons on a 10 yard, 2–3 on a 15, 3–4 on a 20, 4–5 on a 30 and 5–6 on a 40, depending on the debris. If your load exceeds the limit, additional weight is billed at a clear, pre-defined rate. Concrete, dirt, brick and shingles use the allowance up fast, so heavy debris goes in a 10 or 15 yard.

Days. The standard rental period is up to 7 days, and your quote confirms the days. Need longer? Call (570) 354-0618 and we extend your rental for an additional fee. Finished early? Just call and we schedule a prompt pickup.

Distance. Delivery location is part of every quote. Our yard is on N Keyser Ave in North Scranton, and approx. road miles from it to each town's Census point are: Scranton and Dickson City 3, Taylor 4, Dunmore, Throop and Clarks Summit 5, Blakely 6, Old Forge 7, Archbald and Dalton 9, Jermyn 10, Olyphant, Mayfield and Moosic 11, Jessup 12, Carbondale 13 and Moscow 14. Approximate figures, but they explain why the longer runs can cost a little more.

Extra service. Additional pickups, swaps of a full box for an empty one, a step up to a bigger size and extra dumpsters are all priced as part of the quote. For contractors and ongoing projects we offer scheduled rotations and flexible arrangements.

Items that cost you at the facility

Some items cause trouble at the gate. Pennsylvania's Covered Device Recycling Act puts a disposal ban on covered devices; DEP's FAQ says that "no person may dispose of a covered device or any of its components with their municipal waste", and that "licensed waste haulers and transfer stations may not intentionally accept covered devices for disposal from any source of waste". Covered devices are "desktop and laptop computers, computer monitors, computer peripherals, and televisions." So an old TV or a computer tossed in at the end can cost more than it is worth.

Keep these out, along with the rest of our no list: paint, solvents and oils; fuel; tires; batteries; hazardous chemicals; gas cylinders and propane tanks; medical waste; asbestos; and appliances holding refrigerant. Lackawanna County's household hazardous waste event takes many of them from county residents, by pre-registration. The what-goes-in guide says where each one goes instead.

What the do-it-yourself options look like

For a small job, a City or Borough program may do. For anything bigger, the limits add up:

Every do-it-yourself trip is a secured load too: "No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping" (75 Pa.C.S. § 4903(a)). Add the drive, the stickers, the appointments and the trips, and past a handful of pickup loads one roll-off usually wins on money and on weekends.

Local rules that can add to a job

None of these change our flat rate, but they can add time to a job. A roll-off on a Scranton street needs a City permit, a flashing light and reflectors, and may stay in the right-of-way for only one day unless an off-duty police officer is engaged (City Code § 400-17), so we arrange the City's street permit or check the rules with you before booking. Carbondale and Clarks Summit require a permit for a dumpster in the street, and Clarks Summit limits it to two weeks at a time, six weeks at most (Ord. 2015-02 § 104). Archbald and Jermyn require a Borough permit for every temporary dumpster, even on private property, and Archbald, Jermyn, Dalton and Dickson City have collection rules that reserve some hauling to the Borough or its collector, so in those four we check the Borough's rules before booking. And a state highway needs a PennDOT permit to occupy it (State Highway Law § 420(b)(2)), so we never place a container in the right-of-way of I-81, US-11, PA-307 or any other state route.

One more on bigger jobs. If a demolition or renovation may disturb asbestos, DEP says that "Should a project be subject to the NESHAP regulations, a minimum ten-working-day notification of the project is required to be made to DEP." Check the notice and the current fee with DEP before work starts; asbestos never goes in our roll-offs.

Dumpster or junk removal, and getting a quote

For anything beyond a couple of pickup loads, a container you load yourself is usually the better value, because you are paying for the box rather than the labor. For a single couch, a mattress, an appliance or a cleanout with nobody to lift, our junk removal service may suit you better: our team handles all loading, hauling and disposal, priced by volume and labor required, with a clear quote upfront before any work begins. Larger or ongoing jobs are quoted individually. Call (570) 354-0618 — the phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We offer same-day or next-day delivery throughout Scranton and Lackawanna County depending on availability; call early in the day for the best chance of same-day service.