How to Rent a Bin: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Choose the Right Bin Size for Your Project
Choosing the wrong bin size is the most common and costly mistake we see. Undersizing means a second delivery and extra cost. Oversizing means paying for capacity you won’t use. Here’s a breakdown of every bin we offer and what it’s built for.
General Debris Bins (Garbage & Construction Debris)
These bins are for mixed renovation waste, household junk, and construction debris. Concrete, dirt, and asphalt are not accepted in these bins — we have a dedicated lineup for those materials (see below). All general debris bins include 1 tonne of weight, with additional weight billed at $0.15/kg beyond that.
12-Yard Bin Dimensions: 6.5 ft wide × 4 ft tall × 12 ft long
Capacity: approximately 75 garbage bags, 110 wheelbarrow loads, or 5 pickup truck boxes.
This is our most accessible residential bin and the right choice for bathroom renovations, single-room cleanouts, small roofing jobs, or a garage purge. The 4 ft height also makes it easier to load by hand without a step stool — something our clients doing solo cleanouts genuinely appreciate.
Pricing: $399/24 hr · $409/3 day · $439/7 day · $529/14 day
16-Yard Bin Dimensions: 7 ft wide × 5 ft tall × 12 ft long
Capacity: approximately 95 garbage bags, 150 wheelbarrow loads, or 6 pickup truck boxes.
The 16-yard is our most popular size for full kitchen or basement renovations and mid-sized roofing tear-offs. It gives you meaningful volume headroom over the 12-yard without requiring the truck access that our larger bins need. If you’re doing a two-bathroom reno or a full main floor demo, this is typically the right call.
Pricing: $419/24 hr · $429/3 day · $459/7 day · $549/14 day
20-Yard Bin Dimensions: 8 ft wide × 5.5 ft tall × 12 ft long
Capacity: approximately 120 garbage bags, 180 wheelbarrow loads, or 7 pickup truck boxes.
Our 20-yard bin is built for larger residential projects and light commercial work, full home renovation waste, multi-room demo, large-scale estate cleanouts, or property management turnovers. At 8 ft wide, delivery requires a clear flat surface with no tight turns. We assess access on booking for this size.
Pricing: $449/24 hr · $459/3 day · $479/7 day · $569/14 day
30-Yard Bin Dimensions: 8 ft wide × 6’8″ tall × 16 ft long
Capacity: approximately 120 garbage bags, 180 wheelbarrow loads, or 7 pickup truck boxes.
Our largest bin is designed for new construction projects, major commercial cleanouts, and large-scale demolition jobs where waste accumulates in significant volume. At nearly 7 ft tall, this bin requires a loader or equipment to fill efficiently — it’s not a hand-load bin for most projects. Delivery requires a clear, level site with ample truck maneuvering room.
Pricing: $499/24 hr · $509/3 day · $529/7 day · $619/14 day
Heavy Material Bins (Soil, Concrete & Clean Fill) If your project involves concrete, dirt, asphalt, or clean fill, these are your bins. They are engineered for the weight density of these materials and priced accordingly. Do not put heavy materials in a general debris bin — the weight overage charges will exceed what a dedicated bin costs, and it creates a serious transport safety issue.
- 5-Yard Concrete/Soil Bin — $375/3 day
- 10-Yard Concrete/Soil Bin — $450/3 day
We see this situation regularly: a client is doing a basement underpinning or a driveway replacement and tries to mix concrete rubble into a general debris bin. The weight limit is hit before the bin is a quarter full by volume, the bin can’t be legally transported, and the project stalls. Book the right bin from the start.
Wood & Brush Bin Any Size Wood Bin — $450/3 days
For clean wood, brush, and tree waste. This bin is the right choice after tree removal, large pruning jobs, deck demolition, or framing waste from new construction. Keeping wood separate from general debris also supports cleaner recycling streams, consistent with the waste diversion goals promoted by the Waste Management Association of Ontario.
Step 2: Know What Goes In — and What Doesn’t
Not everything goes in a bin, and this matters both for your invoice and for legal compliance. At 613 Bins, we operate in accordance with Ontario Regulation 347 (General — Waste Management) under the Environmental Protection Act, and we follow disposal guidelines set by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
Materials We Accept (by bin type)
- General debris bins: renovation waste, drywall, insulation, flooring, furniture, household junk, and asphalt shingles
- Heavy material bins: concrete, soil, asphalt, clean fill, brick, stone
- Wood bins: clean dimensional lumber, branches, brush, tree waste
Items with Additional Fees
Some items require special handling and are accepted with a surcharge:
- Appliances: $50/unit
- Mattresses or box springs: $50/unit
- Tires: $20/unit
Items We Do Not Accept
- Hazardous materials: paint, solvents, motor oil, propane tanks, asbestos, chemicals
- Electronics (e-waste): Ottawa residents can use the City of Ottawa Waste Explorer at ottawa.ca to locate the nearest drop-off for TVs, computers, and monitors
Liquid waste of any kind
Biological or medical waste
If you’re unsure about a specific material, call us before loading the bin. It’s a faster conversation than dealing with a surcharge or a refused pickup.
Step 3: Choose Your Rental Duration
We offer rental terms from 24 hours to 14 days. Based on what we see across hundreds of Ottawa projects each year, here’s how duration typically maps to project type:
- 24-hour rental: Rapid unit turnovers, estate sale post-clearance, same-day crew jobs. Book the bin the day before if your crew starts at 7 AM — our delivery routes are built around geography, not time of day, and requesting an early AM delivery the same day rarely works out as planned.
- 3-day rental: Standard kitchen or bathroom renovation, basement cleanout, small roofing job. Most residential clients land here.
7-day rental: Full basement finish, multi-room renovation, larger roofing projects, or anything where the pace is set by a single contractor working through the week. - 14-day rental: New construction waste accumulation, phased commercial cleanouts, or property management projects with rolling debris volume.
Extensions are available at $15/extra day, subject to bin availability. If you think your project might run long, it’s worth building in a buffer day or two rather than calling us in a rush on the last day of your rental.
Step 4: Understand Delivery, Placement, and Scheduling
Delivery logistics are where a lot of first-time renters run into friction — usually because they haven’t thought through the site until the truck is in the driveway.
Driveway Placement
We deliver Monday through Saturday, between 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM. For projects where a contractor crew arrives first thing in the morning, book the bin for the previous afternoon or evening. This is the most reliable way to guarantee the bin is on site when work starts.
When placing a bin on a paved driveway, we use boards under the contact points to distribute the load and protect the surface, particularly important on asphalt during Ottawa’s warm summer months when fresh or aging pavement can be susceptible to point-load damage. If you have a newer asphalt driveway or concerns about surface damage, mention it when you book.
For gravel driveways, we assess conditions at the time of delivery. Soft or sloped gravel surfaces sometimes require repositioning to ensure the bin sits level and stable.
Street Placement and Municipal Permits
If a bin needs to be placed on a City of Ottawa public road or municipal right-of-way, a Right-of-Way Permit from the City is required before delivery. Permit requirements vary by street classification and ward. We recommend initiating that application at least five to seven business days before your delivery date. Our team can advise on the process, but the permit is the customer’s responsibility. We will not place a bin on a public street without confirmed permit documentation.
Load Level Guidelines
Bins must be filled to the top rail flush with the rim, and no material can extend above it. This is a legal transport requirement under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act; an unsecured load extending above the bin cannot be hauled on public roads. If your project generates more than anticipated, call us before overfilling. A mid-rental swap or a second bin is always a better outcome than a bin our driver can’t pick up. An extra trip charge of $120 applies if we arrive for pickup and the bin cannot be safely transported.
Step 5: Book Your Bin
Once you’ve confirmed your size, duration, and delivery date, fill out our Request Form at 613bins.com. Our team responds and confirms all details delivery address, placement instructions, and any material-specific notes, typically within one business day.
Payment and Deposit
A credit card pre-authorization is processed the day before or the morning of your delivery to secure the reservation. We also accept e-transfer: the deposit is refunded once the bin is picked up and payment is received.
There are no fuel surcharges and no environmental surcharges. What you see on our pricing page is what you pay, plus any applicable item fees or weight overages. Additional weight beyond the included 1 tonne is billed at $0.15/kg, prorated — so a bin that comes in 200 kg over limit adds $30 to your invoice, not a flat penalty.
Discounts
- Military, Veterans, and Frontline Personnel: 10% off your bin rental (excludes additional weight charges)
- Contractor Program: Volume pricing available — contact us directly for application details
Step 6: Pickup and What Happens After
When you’re done loading, contact us to schedule pickup. We collect the bin within one business day in most cases. The bin is weighed at our facility, and your final invoice is confirmed, with any weight overage or item fees applied and itemized.
If the bin is outside the city limits, a distance fee of $80 applies. This is confirmed at booking; there are no after-the-fact location surprises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put roofing shingles in a general debris bin?
Yes — asphalt shingles are accepted in our general debris bins. The weight consideration is significant, though. Shingles are dense: a typical Ottawa residential roof tear-off generates enough weight to approach or exceed the included 1-tonne limit in a 12-yard bin before the bin is visually full. For roofing jobs, we often recommend the 16-yard bin to give you both volume and weight headroom. Tell us your approximate roof size in squares when you book and we’ll help you choose correctly.
What happens if my bin goes over the weight limit?
Additional weight is billed at $0.15/kg beyond the included 1 tonne, prorated to the kilogram. There’s no punitive flat-rate penalty — you pay for what you actually go over. On pickup, the bin is weighed at our facility and any overage is invoiced with a full itemized receipt. If you’re working with heavy materials like concrete or soil, book one of our dedicated heavy material bins from the start — it’s the right tool for the job and will cost less overall.
Can I put concrete or dirt in a regular bin?
No. Concrete, dirt, and asphalt are not accepted in our general debris bins (12, 16, 20, or 30-yard). These materials must go in our dedicated 5-yard or 10-yard soil/concrete bins. This isn’t arbitrary — heavy materials in a standard bin create transport weight issues that can result in the bin being undeliverable or non-transportable under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act. Book the right bin from the start and the project runs smoothly.
Do I need to be home for delivery?
Not necessarily, but we need clear written instructions about placement if you won’t be present — surface type, any overhead obstructions like hydro lines or tree branches, gate codes, and exactly where the bin should go. If our driver arrives and placement instructions are unclear or the site isn’t accessible, a return trip charge of $120 may apply. A quick call the morning of delivery if you won’t be on site goes a long way.
What if I need the bin on a Sunday?
We deliver Monday through Saturday as standard. We can accommodate special Sunday delivery requests — contact us directly to discuss availability and any applicable scheduling fees.
What's the extra trip charge for?
The $120 extra trip charge applies when our driver arrives for delivery or pickup and cannot complete the job — typically because the site is inaccessible, the bin is overloaded above the rim and can’t be legally transported, or placement instructions weren’t provided. It covers the cost of the truck and driver time for a wasted run. The best way to avoid it is clear communication before delivery and a quick call to us before pickup if anything has changed on site.
Why Ottawa Clients Choose 613 Bins
We’re not a national franchise dispatching from a call centre. We’re a local Ottawa operation, and our team knows this city, the permit quirks ward by ward, the tight laneways in older Centretown neighbourhoods, the access challenges on rural properties just outside city limits. When you call 613 Bins, you’re talking to people who have placed bins on properties like yours across every corner of the city.
We also keep our pricing genuinely transparent: no fuel surcharges, no environmental fees tacked on at invoice, and a prorated weight system that means you pay for what you actually use — not a punishing flat overage rate.
For information on recycling and disposal options beyond bin rental, the City of Ottawa Waste Explorer (ottawa.ca) is the most current resource for drop-off locations, accepted materials, and seasonal collection programs in your area.
Ready to book? Fill out our Request Form at 613bins.com or contact our team directly. We’ll confirm your bin, your dates, and make sure your project runs without waste-related surprises.