Demolition debris
Demolition Debris Removal in Scranton, PA
Plaster and lath is two to three times the weight of drywall. We size demolition cans for what Scranton houses are actually built from, and swap them out next day.
Here is the thing that catches contractors who came from newer markets: Scranton houses are not drywall. Pull a wall in a pre-war home and you get wet plaster over wood lath with a mortar scratch coat behind it, and that assembly runs roughly two to three times the weight of drywall for the same volume. The container looks half empty and the load is already heavy. That single fact drives every sizing call we make on demo work.
Add the rest of what these houses are made of. Coal-era brick, cinder block, stone foundation walls, slate, cast-iron waste pipe and radiators, and floor systems built out of full-dimension lumber. A gut of one bathroom in a South Side row home can outweigh a whole kitchen tear-out in a nineties development. We have been loading this stuff out of Lackawanna County since 2011 and we size to weight first, volume second.
Interior gut, chimney takedown, porch removal, garage teardown, or a full remodel that started as a small job: we deliver same-day or next-day, swap next day, and put protection boards down every time. For mixed construction waste on new work see construction dumpsters, and for clean masonry loads read the heavy debris page before you order.
Demolition work we load every week
Interior gut-outs
Down to the studs in a row home or double block. Plaster, lath, trim, doors, old subfloor and lath nails by the bucket. The heaviest volume-to-weight ratio in residential work.
Kitchen and bath tear-outs
Cabinets, cast-iron tubs, tile set in a mortar bed, and the plaster behind all of it. A single bath in an older house fills more container than people expect.
Chimney and masonry takedowns
Coal-era brick and mortar off the roofline down. Extremely dense, so these go in a small can loaded to a fill line rather than a big one filled to the top.
Detached garage teardowns
Back-alley garages with block foundations, plank siding and asphalt roofing. Usually a two-container job because the roofing and the framing want separating.
Porch and deck removal
Rotted wood porches are near universal on these streets. Framing, decking, railings and the concrete or stone piers underneath, which is where the weight hides.
Ceiling and wall plaster only
Skim jobs where the lath stays. Straight plaster is dense and dusty, loads fast, and fills a 15 yard quicker than any crew planning on volume expects.
Old flooring removal
Layers stacked over decades: linoleum, tile, mastic, plywood and hardwood. Pre-1980 floor tile and mastic gets tested before anyone starts pulling it up.
Storefront and office strip-outs
Small commercial demo along the business corridors. Ceiling grid, partitions, flooring and fixtures, scheduled around business hours so the sidewalk stays clear.
Sizing demo loads by weight, not eye
Rule of thumb for local demo: if the load is mostly plaster, lath and masonry, order smaller than your eye says. A 15 yard with a swap beats a 30 yard you cannot legally haul. Save the 20 and 30 yard cans for bulky mixed debris, framing lumber, cabinets, insulation and trim, where volume runs out first. A whole-house gut usually means several pulls, so we set a swap rhythm at the start and keep the same spot in the driveway all week. If you are working from a materials takeoff, send it over and we will call the sizes and the number of pulls before you break the first wall. Sizing details sit on each size page.
15 Yard Dumpster
Single-room remodels, roof tear-offs up to about 20 squares, garage cleanouts.
View this size →20yd³20 Yard Dumpster
Kitchen guts, multi-room renovations, large cleanouts, deck demo.
View this size →30yd³30 Yard Dumpster
Whole-home cleanouts, new construction, commercial projects, additions.
View this size →Asbestos, lead and street placement
Two hazards are genuinely common in this housing stock and neither belongs in a roll-off. Pre-1980 buildings often contain asbestos in pipe insulation, boiler jackets, floor tile, mastic and some siding, and pre-1978 paint is likely lead. Test before demolition, use a licensed abatement contractor for anything positive, and see PA DEP for the state framework. On logistics: many job sites here have no off-street parking, which means a City of Scranton street-occupancy permit and a container that has to sit clear of a narrow one-way. Protection boards go under the rails on driveways and on any surface you care about, standard on every drop.
Not sure this is the right service? Describe the job on the phone and we will point you at the right container even if it is a different service page. Call (570) 774-4910.
Get a flat quote
Two minutes on the phone gets you a size, a price and a delivery slot. No forms.
(570) 774-4910Recommended sizes
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How it works
Demolition Debris Removal in four steps
- 1
Call us
Tell us the project, your address and when you want it. Two minutes on the phone and you have a flat price.
- 2
We deliver
Our driver walks the drop, lays protection boards and sets the container exactly where you want it.
- 3
You load it
Take your time within your rental window. Keep it level with the top rail and we handle the rest.
- 4
We haul it
Call or text when you are done. We pull it, sort what can be recovered and dispose of the rest properly.
Demolition Debris Removal FAQs
Why does plaster fill a dumpster so fast?
It is not the volume, it is the density. Wet plaster applied over wood lath with a mortar scratch coat weighs roughly two to three times what drywall weighs for the same cubic yards, and almost every pre-war Scranton house is built that way. A can that looks two-thirds full of plaster can already be at the weight a truck can safely and legally haul.
Can I put asbestos or lead paint debris in the dumpster?
No. Asbestos-containing material has to be handled and disposed of by a licensed abatement contractor under state and federal rules, not thrown in a roll-off. Lead-painted wood and plaster from a pre-1978 house needs the right work practices during removal. If you are not sure what you have, test it before demolition rather than after.
Do you handle whole-house demolition?
We supply and haul the containers, sequenced to match the demo crew so you are never waiting on an empty. That normally means multiple pulls across several days, a smaller can for masonry and plaster and a larger one for framing and mixed debris. Tell us the schedule and we will set the swap pattern around it.
What about the old cast-iron radiators and pipe?
Pull them and scrap them. Cast-iron radiators, boilers, black pipe, steel storm windows and copper carry real value at a yard around here, and in a container they are just dead weight you are paying to bury. Separating metal before the demo starts is one of the easiest ways to shrink the disposal side of a job.
How quickly can you swap a full container?
Next day is standard, and same-day happens often when you call early enough in the morning. On a gut job we usually agree on a swap rhythm before delivery, so the truck is already scheduled instead of reacting. Winter weather and snow-emergency routes can move a window, and we will tell you straight if that happens.
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Other things we haul
Residential Dumpster Rental
Roll-offs for home cleanouts, remodels and moves — driveway, alley or street.
Learn more →Commercial Dumpster Rental
Scheduled and on-call containers for retail, restaurants, offices and property managers.
Learn more →Construction Dumpster Rental
Jobsite roll-offs and next-day swap-outs for builders, remodelers and GCs.
Learn more →Roofing Dumpster Rental
Weight-rated cans sized for asphalt tear-offs and heavy original slate.
Learn more →Roll-Off Dumpster Rental
10, 15, 20 and 30 yard roll-offs delivered across Scranton and the Lackawanna Valley.
Learn more →Junk Removal Dumpsters
Clear a basement, attic, garage, shed or storage unit on your own schedule.
Learn more →Estate Cleanout Dumpsters
Discreet, patient container service for families clearing a lifelong family home.
Learn more →Concrete & Heavy Debris
Dedicated heavy cans for concrete, coal-era brick, block, stone and coal ash.
Learn more →Yard Waste & Storm Debris
Limbs, brush, stumps and ice-storm cleanup hauled to be mulched, not buried.
Learn more →Where we deliver
Demolition Debris Removal across Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania
Same service, same flat rates, every town below. Pick yours for local placement and permit notes.
Talk to a real person
Need demolition debris removal in Scranton?
Tell us what you are clearing out and we will tell you the right size and the flat price to put it in your driveway. No forms, no waiting on an email — just call and we will sort it out in a couple of minutes.
Serving Scranton, Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania · Mon–Fri 6:30am–6pm, Sat 7am–3pm