6-Yard vs 14-Yard Bin: Which Disposal Bin Do You Need?

Renting a disposal bin sounds simple until you have to pick a size. Go too small and you pay for a second bin. Go too big and you pay for air. And there is one rule that surprises almost everyone: the biggest bin is not the one you want for heavy material.

We started RMAK with bin rentals back in 2015, so this is a question we have answered thousands of times. Here is the short version, then the details.

The 6 yard bin takes everything, including soil, concrete, brick, and gravel. The 14 yard bin takes general garbage and light renovation waste only. No dirt, no concrete.

Why can’t I put soil or concrete in a large bin?

It comes down to weight, not space. A cubic yard of soil weighs roughly a tonne, sometimes more when it is wet. Concrete and brick are in the same range. Fill a 14 yard bin with dirt and you have somewhere around 14 to 18 tonnes sitting in it. No roll off truck can legally or safely lift that, and road weight limits would be blown before the truck left your driveway.

A 6 yard bin full of soil or concrete is right at the edge of what the truck handles well. That is why every bin company, not just us, restricts heavy material to small bins. If someone offers you a big bin for a concrete tear out, ask them how they plan to pick it up.

What fits in a 6 yard bin?

A 6 yard bin holds six cubic yards, which is about the volume of two full size pickup truck beds heaped up. It is the workhorse for heavy jobs. Typical uses include soil from digging a garden, a deck footing job, or a small pool dig, a concrete patio, walkway, or single car driveway tear out, brick and block from a chimney or planter removal, and sod and fill from regrading a yard.

For scale, a concrete patio that is 10 feet by 12 feet and 4 inches thick makes about 1.5 cubic yards of broken concrete. A standard single car concrete driveway tear out often fills one 6 yard bin, give or take.

One tip: keep heavy loads level with the top of the bin, not heaped above it. Overloaded bins may need to be partly emptied before pickup, and that costs you time.

What fits in a 14 yard bin?

The 14 yard bin is for volume, not weight. It holds fourteen cubic yards, enough for most household and renovation cleanouts. Typical uses include a full kitchen or bathroom renovation, drywall, trim, and flooring from a basement finish, furniture and junk from an estate cleanout or a move, roofing tear off from a typical house, and fence boards and deck lumber.

The rule of thumb: if you can throw it in by hand without straining, it belongs in the 14 yard. If it takes a wheelbarrow and a grunt, it belongs in the 6 yard.

Can I mix garbage and dirt in the same bin?

Please do not. Mixed loads are a problem at the other end. Clean concrete and clean soil can go to recycling and fill sites, which keeps disposal costs down. Once you mix in garbage, the whole load has to be sorted or sent to a transfer station at a higher rate, and that cost comes back to you. If your project makes both types of waste, the usual answer is two bins or two swaps of the same bin.

A few things cannot go in any bin: propane tanks, paint and solvents, tires, and hazardous waste. Your municipality has drop off days for those.

How long can I keep the bin, and where does it go?

Most rentals run about a week, and we can leave it longer if the project drags. The bin sits on your driveway on wooden blocks so it does not mark the asphalt. Measure your spot first. You need roughly the length of two cars for the bin plus room for the truck to back in and tilt it off. If you have to put the bin on the street, check with your city, since some GTA municipalities require a road occupancy permit for that.

If you are not sure which size fits your job, just describe the project. Someone who does this every day can size it in about thirty seconds and save you from paying for the wrong bin.

RMAK Disposal and Excavation Services is family owned and started with bin rentals in Mississauga in 2015. We deliver 6 and 14 yard bins across the GTA, from Oakville and Hamilton to Brampton and Pickering. Call or text Antoni at 647-675-6895 for a free quote and straight advice on sizing.