Staten Island, NY guide
DSNY's free curbside bulk pickup is a real, useful service — but it stops well short of covering a renovation or construction project. Here's exactly where the line falls, and what a dumpster covers instead.
New York City's Department of Sanitation offers free curbside bulk-item pickup citywide, including Staten Island. Residents may set out up to 6 bulk items per collection day. Recyclable/metal bulk items — appliances, bed frames, bicycles, grills, radiators, water heaters under 50 gallons, metal pipes under 4 feet — go out the night before the recycling collection day. Non-recyclable bulk items, like furniture, bundled rugs and bundled wood with nails removed, go out the night before the regular bulk trash collection day. Mattresses and box springs must be sealed in plastic bags — an unsealed mattress can draw a real fine.
Several categories are explicitly excluded from regular curbside bulk pickup: appliances containing CFC/Freon refrigerant require a scheduled appointment rather than a standard set-out, electronics and e-waste are banned from regular disposal entirely and need a separate e-waste channel, and fire extinguishers and pressurized gas cylinders — propane, oxygen, CO2 — aren't accepted curbside at all.
This is the single most important line for anyone planning a renovation: DSNY's own guidance is explicit that home-renovation projects generating construction debris require a private dumpster arranged through a contractor — only small, homeowner-DIY-scale debris within the 6-item cap can go out with regular bulk collection. A kitchen tear-out, a bathroom remodel, a flooring replacement or any real construction project generates far more material, and far heavier material, than curbside bulk pickup is designed to handle. That's the exact gap a roll-off dumpster is built to fill.
Staten Island also hosts DSNY's Household Special Waste Drop-Off site, a separate program from curbside bulk pickup, intended for household hazardous materials like paint rather than bulk items or construction debris.
As part of NYC's phased citywide rollout, curbside composting became available to all Staten Island residents starting October 6, 2024 — food scraps and plant or yard waste can go out via the brown "Smart Composting Bins" or at neighborhood drop-off points, with no sign-up required. The current enforcement status of the city's broader mandatory-composting rules is still evolving on a phased basis, so check current DSNY guidance directly for the latest enforcement specifics rather than assuming a fixed penalty structure.
The honest breakeven point is simple: a handful of household items — a couch, an old appliance, a few bags of yard waste — fits well within DSNY's free 6-item curbside allowance, and there's no reason to pay for a dumpster for that. Anything beyond that — a room renovation, a roofing job, a whole-house cleanout, or any real volume of construction debris — is exactly what DSNY's own guidance says needs a private dumpster instead.
A kitchen or bathroom remodel generating real construction debris typically fits a 15 or 20 yard. A whole-home cleanout or larger renovation more often calls for a 30 yard.
| Size | Dimensions | Capacity | Weight included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Yard Dumpster | 14 ft long × 7.5 ft wide × 3.5 ft high | 50–70 bags | 1–2 tons | Small cleanouts, roofing shingles, tight driveways. |
| 15 Yard Dumpster | 16 ft long × 7.5 ft wide × 4.5 ft high | 80–100 bags | 2–3 tons | Flooring, bathroom or kitchen updates, multi-room cleanouts. |
| 20 Yard Dumpster | 22 ft long × 7.5 ft wide × 4.5 ft high | 110–130 bags | 3–4 tons | Medium remodels, roofing jobs, light construction. |
| 30 Yard Dumpster | 22 ft long × 7.5 ft wide × 6 ft high | 170–190 bags | 4–5 tons | Whole-home projects, office cleanouts. |
| 40 Yard Dumpster | 22 ft long × 7.5 ft wide × 8 ft high | 230–250 bags | 5–6 tons | Large builds, commercial or industrial jobs. |
Call (718) 808-9313 and describe your project. If it's genuinely construction or renovation debris, or more volume than DSNY's 6-item curbside cap allows, we'll size a container and get it delivered on your timeline, priced flat-rate.
Talk to a real person
Call and describe the job. Flat-rate pricing, a sized container, and a delivery time on the same call.
Mon–Sat 7:00am – 7:00pm
From this guide
Up to 6 bulk items per collection day, split between recyclable/metal items (out the night before the recycling day) and non-recyclable items (out the night before the regular bulk trash day).
No — DSNY's own guidance is explicit that home-renovation projects generating construction debris require a private dumpster arranged through a contractor, not curbside bulk pickup.
Off the Muldoon Avenue exit of the southbound West Shore Expressway (Route 440), open Tuesday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., for household hazardous materials like paint.
A kitchen or bathroom remodel typically fits a 15 or 20 yard. A whole-home cleanout or larger renovation more often calls for a 30 yard.
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