Concrete, Brick & Dirt
Heavy material goes in its own container, and a smaller one than you would guess. A 10 yard of concrete can outweigh a 30 yard of furniture.
(607) 247-9634Tell us the square footage and depthSmall container, and keep it clean
Clean fill — concrete, brick, block, stone, soil — goes to a different facility from mixed waste, and it travels under a weight limit that fills long before the box does. Those two facts produce the only two rules on this page.
Rule one: 10 yard
A 10 yard container filled with concrete is at its legal travelling weight when it looks around a third full. That is not us being cautious — it is axle weight on Michigan roads. For a driveway or patio removal, a 10 yard is nearly always the right box, and two of them beats one larger one every time.
Rule two: nothing else in it
No bags, no timber, no plastic sheeting, no coffee cups. One item of general rubbish re-classifies the whole load as mixed waste and it goes somewhere else entirely. If there is a crew on site, say it out loud at the start of the day.
Rough volumes for common Jackson jobs
| Job | Rough volume | Containers |
|---|---|---|
| Single-car driveway, 4 inch slab | about 5–6 cubic yards | One 10 yard |
| Two-car driveway, 4 inch slab | about 10–12 cubic yards | Two 10 yard |
| Patio, 300 square feet | about 4 cubic yards | One 10 yard |
| Garage slab, 24 by 24 | about 7 cubic yards | One 10 yard, possibly two |
| Front steps and walk | about 2–3 cubic yards | One 10 yard |
| Chimney taken down | about 3–5 cubic yards | One 10 yard |
| Basement floor, 800 square feet | about 10 cubic yards | Two 10 yard, plus a plan for getting it up the stairs |
| Excavation spoil, small addition | varies widely | Ring — wet Michigan clay is the heaviest thing we carry |
Volume is the easy half. Depth is what catches people: a slab that turns out to be six inches rather than four is fifty per cent more material. Core it or chip a corner and look before you book.
Dirt in a Michigan spring
Soil is the single most under-estimated material we handle, and in this county it is worse than average because of the clay. Jackson County sits on glacial till — clay, sand and stone in layers, and the clay holds water for weeks after a thaw or a heavy rain.
Saturated clay is roughly half again as heavy as the same soil dry. A container that would have taken a full load of October dirt will reach its limit at two-thirds in April. If you are digging in spring, tell us when you ring and we will size for the wet, not the dry.
Sod is a related problem: it holds water, it holds root mass, and a stack of it is far heavier than the same volume of loose soil. Worth separating if you have a lot of it.
Getting heavy material into the container safely
- Break it to carryable pieces Slab pieces you can lift two-handed, not slabs you wrestle. A breaker and a little patience beats a bad back.
- Spread it across the floor Do not build a pile at one end. Weight concentrated over the rear axle makes a container awkward to winch and can shift in transit.
- Keep rebar manageable Reinforced concrete is fine, but cut protruding bar short so nothing stands above the rail or catches on the way in.
- Stop well below the rail On clean fill you will hit the weight limit long before the rail. Learn what that looks like — roughly a third full for concrete — and stop there.
- Ask if you are unsure An overweight clean-fill container is the single most common reason a load cannot be collected. Thirty seconds on the phone prevents it.
What people ask when they call
Why can't I use a 20 yard and just not fill it?
You can, but a 10 yard is the right tool and easier to place. The limit is weight, not volume, so a part-filled large container gains you nothing and takes more room on the drive.
Can asphalt chunks go in with concrete?
Usually yes as clean fill, but confirm when you book — some facilities treat asphalt separately and the answer depends where the load is going that week.
What about concrete with wire mesh or rebar?
Fine. Cut any protruding bar short so it does not stand above the rail or catch on the container frame.
Is sod clean fill?
Soil is; the grass on it is yard waste, which Michigan bans from landfill. A small amount of root mat is normally not an issue, but a container of turf is. Ring and describe it.
Can I put the old patio pavers in?
Yes, brick, block, stone and pavers are all clean fill. Keep sand and landscape fabric out of it.
How do I know how deep my slab is?
Chip a corner or look at an existing broken edge. Four inches is typical for a residential drive, six for anything that has carried heavier vehicles — and that difference changes the container count.
Taking out concrete or digging in Jackson County?
Give us the square footage and the depth. We will tell you how many 10 yards it is.
(607) 247-9634Mon–Sat 7am–5pmWorth reading before you book
