Regardless of why you need a rental dumpster in Indianapolis, you are probably wondering about dumpster rental cost. Renting a dumpster is an extremely convenient way to handle DIY junk removal from your home or business. Whether you are renovating (and tearing out a ton of drywall and carpet) or cleaning out a garage that looks like an episode of Hoarders, a rental dumpster gives you a place to put every piece of construction debris or junk you don’t want anymore. If you are like other customers, though, you want to enjoy this convenience without breaking the bank.

Standard Dumpster Rental Cost Estimates

It can be difficult to give an exact estimate for dumpster rental cost, just because the pricing is contingent upon variables. The amount of dumpster space you require is a variable, as most dumpster rental companies have half a dozen (or more) different dumpster sizes from which to choose. The length of your project is a variable, as a two-day rental is naturally going to cost less than a weeklong rental. The dumpster rental company you choose is a variable, as different businesses charge slightly different rates for their services. Even your location is a variable, as longer-distance deliveries and pickups tend to cost a little more.

According to HomeAdvisor, the average dumpster rental cost in Indianapolis is between $245 and $330. This price is for a two-day dumpster rental and includes both delivery and pickup. If you are trying to put together a preliminary budget for your project, this ballpark range shouldn’t be too far from what you will end up paying.

Going Green: What to Expect from Sustainable Dumpster Rental Companies

Now, say you want to rent a dumpster in Indianapolis, but you want to make sure you are getting it from a “green” dumpster rental company. You want to work with a business that values sustainability and strives to protect the environment while still providing convenient and useful services.

What does a green dumpster rental service look like, exactly? After all, we are talking about the disposal of waste—rarely an extremely “sustainable” activity. However, there are dumpster rental services that play an active role in protecting the environment.

The “greenest” of these services will typically offer waste sorting as part of their dumpster rentals. In other words, you rent a bin, you fill it with whatever you want, and the company comes and hauls the container away. Instead of taking the junk directly to the landfill, though, this kind of green dumpster rental company takes the bin to a sorting facility. There, they sort the trash into different categories: waste that needs to go the landfill, recyclable goods, items that can be repurposed or recycled, items that can be donated, etc.

This kind of recycling-based approach is still relatively rare in the junk removal industry—even as environmental sustainability becomes something that more and more customers are demanding. There is a reason it hasn’t been adopted across the board, though. Simply put, sorting junk is a laborious process, one that requires a lot of time and hard work. Not all junk removal or dumpster rental companies are willing to put in the time to do the work.

With dumpster rentals, though, the recycling-based approach is essential. When customers rent dumpsters, they often fill them with everything in their homes or offices that they may not want anymore. Some of this stuff is garbage and is unusable, but a fair percentage of it really shouldn’t be going to a landfill. That includes electronic waste, which is awful for the environment and human and animal health. It includes furniture that is still in good shape and can easily be donated or repurposed. It includes metals, wood, and other materials that can be reused and recycled. It includes clothing and toys that should go to Goodwill or some other resale shop, rather than being hauled off to a garbage dump.

These days, our society is becoming increasingly cognizant of the ways that human activity affects and damages the environment. If you are going to rent a dumpster, it’s worthwhile to look for a green junk removal service. That way, you know you are at least doing your part of staying green and minimizing your carbon footprint.

The Cost of Green Rentals

The reason many people opt out of rental green dumpsters is that they assume there is an added cost. If someone must sort your junk for you, you’d think that you would have to pay handsomely for that service.

While the answer to the cost question will vary from company to company, you will rarely pay significantly more in dumpster rental costs to get a more sustainable service. Sometimes, you might not even pay more. The companies that offer this type of dumpster rental are cognizant of the fact that customers want an economical solution and have done a lot to make their services financially feasible. Your best bet? Include a few green dumpster rental companies in your crop of potential junk services and get price quotes from them. That way, you can compare the prices of greener options against less sustainable services.

Along the way, make sure you research how your non-sustainable dumpster rental companies handle items such as computers, TVs, appliances, or furniture. Often, companies that don’t offer recycling-based junk removal merely opt not to deal with these items at all. They have long lists of items you aren’t allowed to put in their dumpsters or require you to rent special dumpsters for specific types of waste.

This approach makes sense from the perspective of the dumpster rental companies. They don’t want to deal with sorting your junk but also don’t want to run afoul of any state laws or regulations by improperly disposing of something potentially harmful. As a result, they just decide not to deal with those items at all.

For the customer, though, this approach is not the best. The big convenience of renting a dumpster for a DIY cleanout or renovation is that you can throw anything and everything into the same bin. You don’t have to worry about renting a truck to haul your furniture to the nearest donation spot or figure out where in town you can recycle your huge 50-inch cathode ray TV. You can put everything in your dumpster and rest assured that it will end up in the right place. The convenience and peace of mind that this kind of service provides is often worth paying a little extra.

Finding the Right Dumpster Rental Service

Ultimately, your best course of action is to sit down and do some research. What are the different dumpster rental services around Indianapolis and how do they compare on the sustainability scale? If you were to choose a green service, would you pay more? Or could you find a company that offers greener dumpster rentals for lower dumpster rental costs? (Hint: you can!) By comparing the different options, their pricing, and the perks they offer, you can find a dumpster rental service that provides the service you want at a price that is perfectly reasonable.

As you compare dumpster rental costs, though, try to find companies that will give you concrete estimates or quotes. Services that are cagey about price quotes will often try to hit you with unexpected fees after the fact. Reading online customer reviews should also help you spot—and avoid—these dumpster rental companies in Indianapolis.