Young House Love

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How We Liked Renting A Bagster Dumpster

So. My basement workshop. I owned up to how messy it was a few months ago.

Basement 2 Overall Mess

Then building Clara’s dollhouse prompted me to tidy it up a smidge – as in, look you can actually see some of the floor.

DHouse 1 Clean Basement

And then the deck happened and it all went to crap again. A big sawdusty, scrap wood cluttered pile of it.

Bagster 1 Basement Messy

But I made a promise to myself that once the deck was done I was going to take care of this issue once and for all. And I’m happy to report that after many hours, many calls, and some serious scrap-wood-carrying, some major progress has been made.

Bagster 9 Basement Clean

My secret? The Bagster. I walked by it enough times at Home Depot that I just decided to buy it and give it a try (so if this sounds like a Bagster ad, I promise it isn’t).

Bagster 2 John At Home Depot

The clutter was starting to give me anxiety and get in the way of doing new projects so it just. had. to. go. Bagster is basically a dumpster – just a cheaper, smaller, baggier form of one. So yes, after months of trying to decide how best to reuse or recycle my scrap wood pile, I just:

  • kept the stuff that I thought would be useful for future projects
  • gave everything else that I could to anyone else who would take it (free-scrap-wood ads on freecycle and craigslist worked for some of it, as well as contacting the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and a local wood-collection/pallet place – but there were still tons of scraps that no one wanted – even for free)
  • finally set my eco-induced guilt aside and decided to just Bagster the stuff that no one else would take (some of it was old and rotted anyway)
Bagster 3 Bag At Home

The bag itself was a $29 purchase and once folded it out, it promised to hold 3 cubic yards and up to 3,300 lbs. Assuming you don’t want their big trash truck on your driveway, you have to put the bag within 16 feet of the street (either on your yard or driveway) so that the truck’s crane can still reach it.

Bagster 4 John Folding Out

I have to admit, we both thought it looked kinda small once it was all folded out. We started to wonder if it would even hold all of the old rotting pallets that we wanted to get rid off, let alone my leftover deck scraps.

Bagster 5 Folded Out

It certainly didn’t help when our first piece of scrap (the rotting railing to our old balcony) was nearly too long to fit.

Bagster 6 Putting Railing In

But the railing fit and from there we just started piling other scrap in. By the end of the afternoon, the bag was pretty much at capacity. But the yellow straps could still touch (which are the rules) so I wasn’t worried about them rejecting my bag for pick-up. Although I was a bit worried that it would break when they tried to pick it up and I’d have wood scraps spilled across my driveway…

Bagster 8 Full

Once it was full I logged onto the Bagster website to schedule my pick-up. You tell them the first weekday it’s ready and they promise to send a truck within three business days. The pick-up fee differs depending on where you live, but for our county it was around $100. But thanks to a $20 off coupon code I found by Googling, our cost was only around $80 (not including the $29 for the original bag purchase). But compared to the $300 – $400 estimates that I got for a traditional dumpster, paying around 110 beans felt like a steal (I couldn’t have even rented a truck for the afternoon and paid the dumping fee for all that wood for that price). Plus, look at the awesome curb appeal (not).

Bagster 10 In Front Of House

Thankfully less than 48 hours after filling the bag, this big green Waste Management truck pulled up to take the eyesore away. We didn’t have to be home for the pick-up (the guy didn’t say a word to me), but I’m glad we were so I could capture the excitement / witness the potential disaster of wood raining down on us from a ripped bag.

Bagster 11 Truck Arriving

Out came the truck’s crane and the gentleman hooked up its strap to the two yellow handles on my bag.

Bagster 12 Hooking Up

And then up it went! No ripping whatsoever. It was awesome to see our car-sized container of wood get hoisted up like it was full of foam.

Bagster 13 In The Air

I managed to capture a little bit of the “action” on video. If you listen really carefully you might even be able to hear me holding my breath as it becomes airborne.

This was both literally and metaphorically a huge weight lifted off of me. Some of those rotten pallets (left outside for over a year by the old owners) have been taking up usable space in my basement for a while, and it’s downright invigorating just to have them out of my way. In fact, this may just be the beginning of a little basement organization / makeover project I’ve been dying to get to. Does anyone smell a man cave? Update: And by man cave I mean place-I-can-cut-wood-and-blast-manly-music (no lounge chair and TV or anything…).

Bagster 9 Basement Clean

Have you guys tried out The Bagster? Did it look super small at first (until you packed it to the gills)? Do you have another preferred method of removing renovation or project messes from your house? Sometimes we wish we had a big truck for these random occasions, but then we remember we’d have to pay for it, insure it, and gas it up (a daunting concept for us since we actually get a lot of our reno budget from only having to insure/gas one small car). We’ve decided the ideal situation would be a rich neighbor with a nice big truck that they’re happy to loan us in return for homemade cookies. Hey, a guy can dream, right?

Comments

  1. Elizabeth Beattie says

    I love this idea! But I have to say that we are very lucky out here to have our waste management company provide a free dumpster, twice a year. You call, they drop off and then they pick it up once you have told them it is full. Twice a year! Free! We are getting ready to order one up to clean out our garage. The size of the dumpster is smaller than your traditional sized dumpster but to get it twice a year, and since we are going to call it in at the end of the year, we would then get it two more times before or after we move next March. Win, Win!! And in case you are wondering, we live in Southern California, Inland Empire. I would suggest checking with your local waste management company to see if they do the same. :)

    Reply

  2. Rachel says

    I grew up in the country, so piles of junk wood always meant that we got to have a bonfire! And make s’mores, which really is the most important thing.

    Reply

  3. Christina @ Homemade Ocean says

    I’ve had my eye on the bagster for a while but wasn’t sure about the pick up fee and all that jazz.

    Now that I know there is a coupon…I feel like I would be able to pat myself on the bag if I got one.

    I’ve also never heard of freecycle…checking that out now :)

    Reply

  5. Jennifer says

    The Bagster is such a great idea! I have a carport project where we have to remove lots of rotting boards and I was wondering if this would be able to help us get the job done. I think you answered my question! Thanks!

    Reply

  6. Ashley says

    I pointed these out to DH the other day at Lowes since we may have a need for one down the road. I am glad to hear that they really hold a lot and don’t break. Does anybody know if they can be used for large amounts of yard debris?

    Reply

  7. Jen says

    I’m suddenly feeling grateful for my city! We pay $35 for a dumpster delivered to our house for one day. Or $78 for over the weekend (or two days — three if you have it delivered Friday morning). But you’re inspiring me to get on my backyard mess already!

    Reply

    • Danie says

      That is amazing! Our city does NOT offer that so we had to pay a company to deliver one and they charged just over $300.00 for us to have it for the week (because they don’t offer anything less than a week’s rental in the size we needed…).

  8. Katie says

    We had similar problems with our basement and leftover/remodeling scraps from redoing our house. My husband begged to get the bagster after our basement was practically unusable because of so much clutter! We ended up borrowing a truck from a family member but hated having so much trash to contribute–but it seems like a hazard of renovating! We craiglisted & gave away as much as we could and still had 2 truckloads full after numerous projects!

    Reply

  9. Sarah says

    We could really use that! Just clicked on it and apparently it’s not offered in our area. Bummer! Will keep checking back to see if that changes! Thanks so much for this!

    Reply

  10. Hilarie says

    I was reading prior comments to make sure I wasn’t being repetitive. I only saw one person make this comment (also from Oregon!), so I’ll add…

    I’m from Oregon (but now living in Florida) and am shocked that there aren’t wood recycling places there. Did you look into that at all? I just did a quick look, and the websites that said they did wood recycling (near there) were unclear. (Here’s one: http://www.dwp-inc.com/recycle.htm) The place we used to go to (in Oregon) was $8 for a truck load.

    Reply

  11. Kelly says

    I tore down my deck this summer as well as the back fence and rebuilt both. The Bagster was awesome, held it all and once I called Henrico county they were out in 24 hours, so away it goes! So much more convenient, and we would use it again in a heartbeat.

    Reply

  12. Rose says

    We have a big black garbage cart program here…so if you are willing to take the time to break down the material, you can fit it in…we did a furnace/drywall demo and it took a couple of weekes, but we just crunched everything up and got rid of it that way…as well we tackled cleaning up a fir tree, believe it took me 3 weeks to get rid of all the branches but I just cut them up small and got rid of it that way too!

    Reply

  13. Keri Beth says

    What a great idea! I’ve been getting rid of a lot of junk myself lately. Last weekend I had a free yard sale with a ton of stuff that was in decent shape and just taking up space in our basement/garage/closets, then I arranged a special trash pick-up for all the old broken blinds that used to be in our house, along with a few cheap Target bookshelves that had been collecting mold in the basement and a nasty outdoor rug that had turned mildewy. Another special trash truck comes Monday to pick up our old microwave and dehumidifier for metals recycling, and next Friday I can take our old TV to the dump for electronics recycling. My house must be half a ton lighter.

    Reply

  14. toni from says

    I am so glad that you guys shared this. We are bidding on a house right now, no other bidders so it looks good btw, and this house has some stuff in the backyard that seriously has to go and we have a huge driveway…I am totally doing this…now I just need to figure out how much white rock I can put in it before I reach my limit…the backyard is full of white rock around the cement patio…seriously a 30 foot by 10 foot area of it…what were they thinking? Some we will repurpose to the side yards that do not get much sun, and some we can bury in large pots, we will also try to get some hauled away…free labor via craigslist, but alas, some we might have to just throw out, that and the huge wall of weeds…and by wall I mean a 10 foot by 20 foot wide wall of weeds-kind of scared what we might find in there.

    Reply

  15. Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says

    I have never heard of this. It sounds pretty cool… I don’t think we have a pick up fee here in Birmingham though. The crane thingy came by last week and picked up a pile of rubbish at the street without us even needing to call.
    Did Clara get to watch?

    Reply

  16. Audrey P says

    Awesome! I’m in love with the idea of the bagster. Here in SLC, we have “bulk trash” once a year. People get the notice and rush to throw large junk on the curb. It stays there for about 4-8 weeks as the trucks make the rounds (and maybe 10 months, since some people put things out after the truck has passed, hoping it will come back – it won’t for another year).

    The best part (besides every street being junked up)? The contractors that drive around to houses (especially rentals) that done have bulk trash so they can dump their scraps for free, thus filling the street with nails, screws, saw dust, etc.

    Sorry that was a rant. I’m just super happy for the bagster (and any system besides SLC’s “bulk trash”)!

    Reply

  17. Jessica @ Decor Adventures says

    We’ve used The Bagster and we live in the city with other houses, power lines and cars parked near the bag but it was no problem for them. It’s really a perfect and affordable solution to getting rid of stuff. We plan to use it again for the bathroom remodels.

    Glad your workshops is cleaned up!

    Reply

  18. Jeremy says

    John,
    As one of the two men that read your website you need to create a man cave. I have been poking around my second garage trying to figure out how to maximize the space to make it an actual work shop and have yet to come up with anything. To date all I have added is shelving to hold all my tools and gardening equipment. I need a work bench and a better place to store some kayaks. A man cave with manly tools and manly music blaring is the best definition of a man cave to date. Looking forward to the update.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- thanks Jeremy! And you’ll be thrilled to hear that at least 200 men read our site- at least according to the poll last week. I for one, and thrilled. We need a bigger cave to hold all of us!

      -John

  19. Thad says

    Here in NoVa, Fairfax County provide free bulk pickup. We just pile whatever at the curb and the big truck comes by and scoops it up! We got rid of most of our construction debris that way. Each address gets four per year and you can request additional ones for a fee.

    Cheers!

    Reply

  21. meg shannon says

    Out of all the YHL links I send to my husband, I have a feeling this will be the one that brings the most excitement. Our scrap pile is so big we can’t open car doors on both sides of the car while parked in the garage. Thank you for making my hubby’s day Jon.

    Reply

  22. Sheryl says

    Luckily, I work for a disposal company that owns the landfill, so all I have to pay for is tonnage (minimal)for my projects.

    Reply

  23. Danielle says

    Yes! We used it twice actually. Once for a kitchen remodel and then a second time for a bathroom/yardwork/tons of random crap remodel. Both were a huge help and even though I doubted my husband’s purchase at first I quickly became a believer :)

    Reply

  24. Angela says

    So glad you guys posted about this today! We just tore apart and rebuilt our deck and our backyard is filled with old rotten deck boards. We’ve been struggling with a disposal solution for a few weeks and now we have one. Yay!

    Reply

  25. Stefanie says

    Have you guys ever thought about buying a utility trailer for such things? We purchased a used 5’x8′ utility trailer from CraigsList about 2 years ago for $500 and couldn’t be happier. It makes trips to the dump a breeze and we’ve used it many times when buying furniture, mulch..etc. And we’re able to pull it with our Prius!

    I was initially hesitant about buying it but now I couldn’t imagine life without it. lol.

    Reply

    • Stefanie says

      We’ve ended up using ours for so much more than we initially intended to. Transporting and entire family of bikes to the park, helping friends/family move, hauling away lawn debris, yard sale shopping (you never know what you’ll find!), IKEA purchases (especially handy when it comes to the ‘as is’ section”..etc. It’s like having a pick-up truck without having the extra expense.

      I’m local to you guys and my in-laws just scored a used trailer slightly bigger than ours from some lovely people who were moving out of state and couldn’t take it with them.

      I’m telling you…LIFE SAVER. lol.

      The basement looks awesome btw. Now the hard part is keeping it that way!

    • heather says

      I second having a trailer. There are many that are small enough to fit behind a car. We have a 16′ but then again, we’re hauling a tractor, etc. behind a pickup haha.

  26. Stephanie says

    That is pretty darn cool. I don’t have any renovation debris but it’s good to know!

    Also, you guys aren’t helping my cookie craving. I found a recipe last night for 4-ingredient 10-minute cookies and I can’t. stop. thinking. about. it. It took all I had not to bake cookies at 11pm last night. Just your mention of cookies had me thinking of them again.

    Reply

  27. Riva says

    I had never heard of this Bagster business! But a house in my neighborhood definitely had one in the driveway for a long time for what appeared to be some sort of bathroom remodel and I was so curious for so long as to what it could be. Thank you for inadvertently solving this neighborhood mystery for me!

    Reply

  28. Michelle says

    When we did our kitchen reno I looked into bagster but our local dump place said they didn’t do pick ups and I had to get a dumpster. I had no idea that bagster had it’s own site, now I have to look if it’s available in my area. FYI to anybody…we rented a 3 yard dumpster (you know the kind that are behind a grocery store etc) first and that was filled within 5 minutes, go ahead and get the huge one, don’t be stupid like we were.

    And don’t feel too bad about your basement/work area. We have a 4 car garage that is FILLED with construction materials, tools, things we have bought that haven’t found a place yet…and no cars are parked in it. Which is why I don’t go in it…it’s the man zone.

    Reply

  29. Kari says

    This was the most amazing post about trash day that I have ever read. For reals…the entire time I couldn’t stop laughing and thinking, “only you guys can make trash day so exciting.” Best.post.ever.

    Reply

  30. Trissi V. says

    We almost got one to clean up our back yard…when we moved in the former owner left broken window frames, broken patio stuff and just plain old trash. We also needed to pull out dead cactus. Our bug guy suggested someone to pull out the cactus, we have a lot of nasty little critters that love to live in dead cactus. For $100 he pulled out all of the dead cactus, filled in the holes and took away all of the trash behind the shed.

    Its still the best money I have spent on the house so far and no one ended up in the emergency room.

    Reply

  32. Koliti says

    John, thanks for the “Bagster” info and the action-packed video – it’s always good to know what options are available.

    Now that your space is cleared and the creatives juices can freely flow – can’t wait to see your next project.

    I thought the Bagster-contents were all nicely contained. When I had an outside-BIG-TRUCK-with-TONS-of-boulders-and-men-with-machinery-erect-fence-sections-move-dirt-and-make-A-LOT-of-noise project done last year, I wrote up a short note for my neighbors on all sides and across the street to let them know what was going on and for how long and if they had any concerns to let me know. I did not hear one peep and I felt good that I informed them.

    Reply

  33. Allison says

    Thanks so much for this post! It’s so timely! We are moving into a new home that has carpet that had to go ASAP…smokers were in there YUCK! we have been debating our dumping options but this sounds like a winner if our prices are as good as yours were! Thank you!

    Reply

  34. Barbara says

    I want so badly to do this, but the company doesn’t service my area. This would be sooooooooooo convenient for me, but it looks like I just have to rent a regular dumpster. Boo.

    Reply

  35. Stacy says

    that is awesome! I’m telling my parents and my husband. We have so much crap that just needs to GO! And sometimes aren’t sure how to take care of it. This will totally do it. Thank you for your post – very much appreciated.

    Reply

  36. Dave says

    Oklahoma City does this for free once-a-month (they charge $10/cubic yard for anything over 4 cubic yards, which is about 2 refrigerators in size). And you don’t even have to bag it. Just set it by the curb and they have a big claw that comes out and grabs everything and drops it into the truck. It’s really fun to watch.

    Reply

  37. Christine Williams says

    Fast and free….we use our fire pit. Especially this time of year when it’s a bit chilly outside. Makes for a cozy night out on the patio…especially when kids are asleep. :)

    Reply

  38. Louise says

    Sherry, between me you and the gatepost ;) the hubster is looking pretty hot in that first James Bond – esq pose! even with the bagster hogging most of the pic ha!

    John – the basement looks great! and HUGE can’t wait to see what you do to it to create your dude den

    Reply

  40. Lucy S says

    Oh my gosh, that’s awesome! I wish I had known about that when I finished up my three-bathroom reno project then moved! Good work!

    Reply

  41. Adam says

    Dude, your man-cave sounds almost ideal to me. Add a TV so I could watch Saturday morning soccer (Fulham FC!) and I might take to finding projects to work on with a whole new level of zeal!

    Though man-cave would have to go as a name. The wife would want in on the fun (building and soccer).

    Reply

  43. Chelsea says

    My husband and I tackled our basement and garage a few weeks ago. Apparently dear husband had been hording not only copious amounts of scrap wood, but also had an impressive collection of plastic plant pots and trays (only some of which were recyclable). We managed to squash it into our Subaru Forester and take it to our local solid waste facility (aka the dump) for a whooping $25! I thought it was going to cost over $100. Getting rid of all that junk feels so good! Enjoy your man cave!

    Reply

  44. Traci Curtiss says

    I have to admit I laughed a little reading this and thinking of you peaking out of your window with your camera taking pictures of the experience – like “the Bagster-spy”.
    :-)
    Traci Curtiss

    Reply

  46. Mary says

    We are New Jersey transplants from Texas so of course we have a truck…and a small car. We take my car everywhere but the truck is handy for our weekly Home Depot trip. My dad used to work for WM’s competitor so it’s hard for me to admit that the Bagster is an excellent idea. But I guess I will. Actually, since he worked for the for the waste industry, I has zero clue about any of the trash pickup process until I got to college! He would just take our trash on the way to work! I didn’t know there were schedules and EXACT places to put the trash can. Growing up is hard

    Reply

  48. Diana says

    Just wondering why you didn’t burn the wood in the back yard when the weather got cold? Are there laws against it in your state? They’re trying to ban it here I think.

    Reply

  49. Kelly says

    If you lived on the other side of the country, we would totally let you borrow our big pickup. It’s an old one – my dad bought it the week I was born – but we’re keeping it around for just such occasions. I’ve been curious about the Bagster for some time now and there have been two times where I wish that Waste Management serviced our area. :(

    Reply

  50. Stephanie says

    We live in the country and just burn all of our scrap wood and pallets. We’re only 20 mins outside of Richmond so feel free to drop it off next time, lol!

    Reply

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