Remodel Debris Budget Calculator
A kitchen tear-out with 20 ft of cabinets, 30 sq ft of stone tops and 150 sq ft of tile floor makes about 6.7 cubic yards and 1.3 tons of debris: 2 Eco Waste bags on one pickup, $516, against $650 for the cheapest roll-off. Each bag holds 4 cubic yards or 1 ton; the first bag on a pickup is $279, and each extra bag on the same pickup is $179.
Pick the project, enter its size, and copy the line into your bid. Every pound comes from the same published figures our size and roofing calculators use.
No sign-up · works on your phoneUpdated 16 sources
The calculator
Your project
Debris and what it costs to haul
Debris
6.7yd³
loose, as it sits in a bag or bin
Weight
1.3tons
2,593 lb
Bags
2
by volume 2, by weight 2
| How | Pickups | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 bags, one pickup | 1 | $516 |
| Each bag picked up as it fills | 2 | $616 |
| 12-yard roll-off | 1 | $650 |
Bags win by $134
How this was calculated
- Bag
- 4 yd³ or 1 ton
- Weight spread
- evenly across bags
- Roll-off
- cheapest size, 14 days
A line for your bid
Prices are Eco Waste’s published rates for Orange County. A 3-ton roll-off allowance and the bag’s 1-ton limit are both checked by weight, so the estimate is a budget, not a quote. Set up job-site service
Worked example
Kitchen remodel: 6.7 yd³, 2 bags, $516
Debris. Cabinets (base + wall): 6.11 yd³, 1,638 lb; Stone or quartz countertop (3 cm): 0.16 yd³, 430 lb; Floor tile: 0.38 yd³, 525 lb. Total 6.65 yd³ and 2,593 lb (1.3 tons).
Bags. By volume 6.65 ÷ 4 rounds up to 2; by weight 1.3 ÷ 1 ton rounds up to 2. So 2 bags.
Cost. On one pickup: 2 × $29 + $279 + $179 = $516. Picked up one at a time as they fill: $616. The 12-yard roll-off: $650. Bags win by $134.
The bid line: Debris removal, kitchen remodel: about 6.7 yd³ / 1.3 tons (estimate). 2 Eco Waste dumpster bags (4 yd³, 1 ton each) on 1 crane pickup: $516. Terms: $29 a bag, $279 for the first bag on each pickup, $179 for each additional bag on the same pickup, $135 per ton past 1 ton a bag from the on-site scale reading.
Whole-house version (that kitchen, 2 bathrooms like the bathroom example, 500 sq ft of carpet and 1,000 sq ft of drywall): 19.6 yd³ and 3.57 tons, 5 bags in 2 pickups of up to 3 for $1,240, or a 20-yard roll-off for $785. At that size the roll-off is cheaper where there’s room for it.
Reference
Debris per unit of work, and what one bag takes
Loose cubic yards and pounds for common tear-outs, computed by the same functions the calculator runs. A bag stops at 4 yd³ or 2,000 lb, whichever comes first. Roofing uses the midpoint of each maker’s published range, one layer.
| Unit of work | Loose yd³ | lb | Units per bag | Bag fills by | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic or porcelain tile, 100 sq ft | 0.25 | 350 | 5.7 | Weight (1 ton) | Published figure + stated analog |
| Carpet and pad, 100 sq ft | 1.08 | 125 | 3.7 | Volume (4 yd³) | Published figure |
| Solid hardwood (3/4 in), 100 sq ft | 1.24 | 275 | 3.2 | Volume (4 yd³) | Published figure + stated analog |
| Drywall 1/2 in, standard (older homes), 100 sq ft | 0.34 | 160 | 11.7 | Volume (4 yd³) | Published figure |
| Drywall 1/2 in, lightweight, 100 sq ft | 0.27 | 125 | 14.9 | Volume (4 yd³) | Published figure |
| Drywall 5/8 in, Type X (garages, ceilings), 100 sq ft | 0.47 | 220 | 8.5 | Volume (4 yd³) | Published figure |
| Kitchen cabinets, base + wall, 10 ft of run | 3.06 | 819 | 1.3 | Volume (4 yd³) | Working estimate |
| Stone or quartz countertop (3 cm), 10 sq ft | 0.05 | 143 | 14 | Weight (1 ton) | Published figure + stated analog |
| Cast-iron tub (60 in), whole | 0.54 | 316 | 6.3 | Weight (1 ton) | Published figure |
| 3-tab asphalt shingles, 1 square, 1 layer | 0.3 | 220 | 9.1 | Weight (1 ton) | Published figure |
| Architectural (laminated) asphalt shingles, 1 square, 1 layer | 0.35 | 256 | 7.8 | Weight (1 ton) | Published figure |
| Concrete tile (standard weight), 1 square, 1 layer | 1.09 | 935 | 2.1 | Weight (1 ton) | Published figure + stated analog |
| Clay tile, 1 square, 1 layer | 1.25 | 1,075 | 1.9 | Weight (1 ton) | Published figure + stated analog |
| Mixed yard waste, 1 loose yd³ | 1 | 250 | 4 | Volume (4 yd³) | Published figure |
| Project (example size) | yd³ | Tons | Bags | Bags, batched | Each on its own | Cheapest roll-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen remodel | 6.7 | 1.3 | 2 | $516 (1 pickup) | $616 | 12-yard $650 |
| Bathroom remodel | 2.1 | 0.58 | 1 | $308 (1 pickup) | $308 | 12-yard $650 |
| Flooring tear-out | 5.4 | 0.31 | 2 | $516 (1 pickup) | $616 | 12-yard $650 |
| Roof tear-off | 7.3 | 2.67 | 3 | $724 (1 pickup) | $924 | 12-yard $650 |
| Interior demo (drywall + flooring) | 8.8 | 1.11 | 3 | $724 (1 pickup) | $924 | 12-yard $650 |
| Landscape clean-up (green waste) | 14.2 | 1.78 | 4 | $1,032 (2 pickups) | $1,232 | 15-yard $650 |
| Whole-house remodel (built from its rooms) | 19.6 | 3.57 | 5 | $1,240 (2 pickups) | $1,540 | 20-yard $785 |
Example sizes are the calculator’s starting values (for a kitchen: 20 ft of cabinets, 30 sq ft of stone, 150 sq ft of tile; bathroom: 50 sq ft tile floor, 80 sq ft wall tile, 100 sq ft drywall, 4 ft vanity, cast-iron tub; flooring 500 sq ft of carpet; roof 20 squares of architectural shingles; landscape a 12 × 8 × 4 ft pile). They are examples to show the math, not averages. Batched means pickups of up to 3 bags.
How to use it
In 4 steps
- 1Pick the project type.
- 2Enter the size: square feet of flooring, drywall and tile, feet of cabinets, squares of roof, or the size of the green-waste pile.
- 3Read the debris, the bags it takes, and the three ways to haul it.
- 4Choose bags or a roll-off, add your markup if you carry one, and copy the line into your bid.
Why budget debris by weight, not by guess
Debris is billed by what it weighs as much as by how much room it takes. A bag stops at 4 cubic yards or one ton; a roll-off includes 3 tons (5 on the 40-yard) and bills $135 for each ton past that, rounded to the nearest ton. Tile, stone and plaster reach the weight limit long before the bag looks full, which is where most debris budgets go wrong. That’s why the calculator works in pounds first and converts to volume with published loose-volume factors.
The pickup plan matters as much as the bag count. The first bag on a pickup is $279 to pick up; every extra bag on that same pickup is $179, and one pickup takes up to 3 bags. Two bags on one pickup are $516 all in and three are $724; the same three picked up one at a time are $924. On a job that fills bags steadily, holding them for one pickup is the cheapest thing you can do.
Heavy loads are different. Concrete, dirt and brick from a hardscape tear-out have flat fill-line prices in a roll-off, so price them in the concrete & dirt calculator. For a job that runs for months, the job-site hauling cost tool turns bags a week into a monthly bill. The guide to budgeting debris in a remodel bid walks through a full estimate, and our contractor page covers invoices and pickup tickets.
FAQ
Debris budget: questions
How much should I budget for debris removal on a kitchen remodel?
Budget by the debris, not the room. The example kitchen here (20 ft of cabinets, 30 sq ft of stone, 150 sq ft of tile) makes about 6.7 cubic yards and 1.3 tons: 2 Eco Waste bags on one pickup for $516. Enter your own sizes for your number.
How many dumpster bags does a bathroom remodel take?
The example bathroom (tile floor and wall tile, drywall, a vanity and a cast-iron tub) is about 2.1 cubic yards and 0.58 tons, so 1 bag. Tile is heavy: 100 sq ft of it weighs about 350 lb.
Is it cheaper to pick up bags together or as they fill?
Together. The first bag on a pickup is $279; each extra bag on the same pickup is $179, so three bags are $724 on one pickup and $924 one at a time. One pickup takes up to 3 bags; a fourth starts another pickup at $279.
When does a roll-off beat bags for a remodel?
Usually from about three bags' worth of light debris, if the site has room for an 8-ft-wide bin: a 12-yard roll-off is $650 for 12 cubic yards and 3 tons, and three bags are $724. The calculator prices both for your job.
Can I put the calculator's number straight into a bid?
Use it as the budget line. It's built on published weights and our published prices, and it prints the arithmetic so you can check it. The final bill follows the actual scale weight, so leave room for heavy surprises like a second layer of tile or roofing.
Something not answered here? Call or text — it’s quicker than guessing.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- [1]Eco Waste dumpster bags (ecowastedumpsters.com/dumpster-bags) and owner confirmation (opens in a new tab)Bag $29, 4 yd³, 1-ton limit; first pickup $279; $135 per ton over (read September 23, 2026). Each additional bag on the same pickup $179, up to 3 bags a pickup (Eco Waste (Karla Bartholomew) correction, Oct 15, 2026: second bag on the same pickup is $179).
- [2]Eco Waste rate sheet, revised 07/01/2026 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)Roll-off prices, included tons, $135 per extra ton rounded to the nearest ton, $15 per day after 14. Read September 23, 2026.
- [3]U.S. EPA, “Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors” (April 2016) (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [4]City of San Diego, “C&D Debris Conversion Rate Table” (May 21, 2008) (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [5]USG Sheetrock UltraLight Panels submittal sheet WB2501 (rev. 4-20) (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [6]USG Sheetrock Firecode X Panels submittal sheet WB2964 (rev. 3-20) (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [7]Caesarstone Technical Data Manual (2021) (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [8]Kohler K-715 Villager cast-iron bath specification sheet (2020) (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [9]USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Wood Handbook FPL-GTR-282 (2021) (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [10]NIST Voluntary Product Standard PS 20-20 (Rev. 1, Oct. 2021), American Softwood Lumber Standard, Table 3 (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [11]U.S. Army FM 5-434, “Earthmoving Operations,” ch. 1, Tables 1-1 and 1-2 (opens in a new tab)Debris weights and loose volumes, as used by the dumpster size calculator. Read 2026-09-22.
- [12]CertainTeed, Landmark technical data sheet (08/24) (opens in a new tab)Weight per square, 211 to 225 lb. One of the roofing calculator's shingle sources. Read 2026-09-22.
- [13]NIST BEES, Generic Asphalt Shingles (opens in a new tab)Laminated shingles about 280 lb per square. Read 2026-09-22.
- [14]Eagle Roofing, technical specifications (2026) (opens in a new tab)Concrete tile 900 to 970 lb per 100 sq ft. Read 2026-09-22.
- [15]Ludowici clay tile product data sheets (LRT-518, LRT-516, LRT-547) (opens in a new tab)Clay tile 900 to 1,250 lb per square. Read 2026-09-22.
- [16]TRI-BUILT ASTM 15 D226 felt data sheet (REV02/2023) (opens in a new tab)No. 15 felt, 11.5 lb per 100 sq ft. Read 2026-09-22.
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Related tools
- Job-Site Bag Schedule & Hauling CostJobs × bags a week × weeks: bags and pickups a month, the monthly bill at $179 per extra bag on a pickup, and a roll-off kept on site.
- Dumpster Bag or Roll-Off?Your volume and weight in; how many bags ($29 each, $279 pickup, $179 per extra bag on the same pickup) vs one roll-off, and which costs less.
- C&D Recycling (Diversion) CalculatorFor contractors closing out a permit: tons by material from your weight tickets to a diversion rate against CALGreen's 65% or your city's stricter number.
Read more
- Construction Debris Removal for Contractors in Orange CountyBags, roll-offs or a demolition haul-off on tight lots, HOA streets and hillside driveways, plus the paperwork a permitted job needs.
- How to Budget Debris Removal in a Remodel BidWeight first, then volume, then the pickup plan: the four numbers a debris line needs, with worked examples.
- CALGreen Construction Waste Management in Orange County: What Contractors Need65% statewide, 75% in Dana Point and Mission Viejo, Green Halo cities, deposits, deadlines and what a weight ticket has to show.
Know what you need? Book the bin.
12 to 40-yard roll-offs and $29 dumpster bags across Orange County. Call or text with the size, the city and the day — Monday to Friday, 7:30 to 4.