Demolition debris
Demolition Debris Removal in Tacoma, WA
Roll-offs for interior tear-outs, garage and shed demolition and full structure removal across Tacoma and Pierce County. Heavy-duty containers, next-day swaps, and straight answers about what the asbestos rules mean for your permit.
Demolition debris is dense, sharp and unforgiving on a container. Plaster and lath out of a 1920s foursquare, dimensional fir framing, cast iron waste line, tile, cabinets, subfloor. It fills a box faster than the volume suggests and it weighs more than most crews expect. We run heavy containers for this work and we tell you honestly which size the job actually wants.
Before any of that, the survey. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency requires a good-faith asbestos survey by an AHERA-certified inspector before renovation or demolition that could disturb asbestos-containing material, with notification and a waiting period, and most Pierce County demolition permits will not issue without one. Vermiculite attic insulation, 9x9 tile and black mastic, popcorn ceilings, pipe wrap and cement-asbestos siding are the usual positives in pre-1980 stock.
We cannot take asbestos-containing material in any container and we would rather reschedule a delivery than haul a contaminated load. The same caution applies to pre-1978 lead paint and the RRP rule where children or a rental are involved. Get the survey done, get abatement handled by a licensed contractor, and then call us — by then the demo itself is the easy part. More detail in our survey guide.
Tear-Outs We Load Every Week
Kitchen gut
Cabinets, countertop, appliances, backsplash tile and usually a layer or three of flooring. A kitchen in a Proctor bungalow generates far more debris than the room's footprint suggests.
Bathroom tear-out
Cast iron tub, mortar bed, wall tile and old plumbing. Small room, heavy load — this is the job where a smaller box makes more sense than a large one.
Plaster and lath
Older Tacoma walls are wood lath under plaster with horsehair or sand in it. Dusty, dense, and considerably heavier than the drywall you would pull from a newer South Hill house.
Detached garage demolition
The classic single-car garage off a Tacoma alley. Framing, siding, roofing and slab; the slab is a separate heavy debris container, not part of the mixed load.
Deck and porch removal
Wet-climate decks fail from the ledger out. Boards, joists, railing and posts come out fast, and a covered porch adds roofing and a ceiling to the same load.
Basement finish removal
Damp finished basements in old Tacoma houses come out in sections: paneling, dropped ceiling, framed walls, carpet and pad that has been holding water for years.
Mobile home and outbuilding
Older units out toward Spanaway and Graham break down into mixed debris. Long gravel drives need dry weather and a plan for where the truck turns around.
Fire and water damage
Insurance work moves quickly. We can be on site same day or next, and a next-day swap keeps a restoration crew from standing around waiting on an empty box.
Sizing Demo by Weight, Not Volume
Demo loads hit their weight allowance before they fill. A single-room tear-out — one bathroom, one small kitchen — fits a 20 yard with room to spare on volume and none to spare on weight. Whole-floor interior demo or a detached garage is a 30 yard. Bulky, lighter debris — siding, framing, cabinetry, insulation off a large structure — is where a 40 yard earns its keep. What does not belong in any of them is concrete, brick, block, tile or dirt in quantity. That material rides separately in a 10 yard, and there is no way around it.
20 Yard Dumpster
Kitchen guts, basement finishes, multi-room renovations, large cleanouts.
View this size →30yd³30 Yard Dumpster
Whole-home cleanouts, new construction, additions, commercial projects.
View this size →40yd³40 Yard Dumpster
Maximum volume for bulky light debris: framing, siding, cabinetry, fit-outs.
View this size →Site Access Before the Truck Rolls
Demo sites are hard on ground. The container is heavy going out, heavier coming back, and Tacoma soil holds water from October through May. Protection boards go under every drop as standard. Beyond that we need a straight approach of roughly sixty feet, overhead clearance free of wires and low branches, and a pad that is not going to sink. On a bluff street near Old Town or a narrow North Slope alley, tell us the grade and the turning room when you call. On acreage in Graham, tell us about the gravel and the septic field — a loaded roll-off has no business parked over a drainfield, and we will find another spot.
Not sure this is the right service? Describe the job on the phone and we will point you at the right container even if it is a different service page. Call (253) 328-9630.
Get a flat quote
Two minutes on the phone gets you a size, a price and a delivery slot. No forms.
(253) 328-9630Recommended sizes
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How it works
Demolition Debris Removal in four steps
- 1
Call us
Tell us the project, your address and when you want it. Two minutes on the phone and you have a flat price.
- 2
We deliver
Our driver walks the drop, lays protection boards and sets the container exactly where you want it.
- 3
You load it
Take your time within your rental window. Keep it level with the top rail and we handle the rest.
- 4
We haul it
Call or text when you are done. We pull it, sort what can be recovered and dispose of the rest properly.
Demolition Debris Removal FAQs
Do I need a survey for a small remodel?
If the work could disturb material that might contain asbestos, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency good-faith survey requirement applies, and it is not limited to full demolition. Pulling 9x9 tile, scraping a popcorn ceiling or opening a wall in a pre-1980 house all qualify. An AHERA-certified inspector can usually turn a small residential survey around in days. Check with the agency before you swing a hammer.
Will you haul a load with asbestos in it?
No, and not as a policy technicality. Contaminated debris cannot go to the Tacoma Recovery and Transfer Center or the LRI landfill as ordinary demolition waste, and once it is in our container it becomes our problem as well as yours. If a survey comes back positive, a licensed abatement contractor removes and manifests that material first. We will hold your date and reschedule rather than take the load.
Can I mix demo debris with household junk?
Usually yes, if it is genuinely mixed construction and demolition waste. Where it gets expensive is mixing dense inert material into a light load: a couple of wheelbarrows of broken concrete or a stack of tile in with your framing can push the weight past allowance. Keep the heavy inert material in its own heavy debris box and both loads stay predictable.
Do I need a demolition permit?
For structural demolition in Tacoma, almost certainly, and the city will generally want the asbestos survey and PSCAA notification before issuing one. Interior work varies with scope. Your contractor usually handles it, but if you are the owner-builder start with the City of Tacoma or, outside city limits, Pierce County. Build that timeline into your container schedule.
How fast can you swap a full box?
Next day across most of our service area, and often faster if you call early. Demo crews work in bursts, so tell us your schedule when you book and we will plan swaps around it rather than waiting for a call each time. If you already know the job will take three boxes across a week, say that up front and we will keep them coming.
More services
Other things we haul
Residential Dumpster Rental
Driveway, alley or street placement for cleanouts, remodels and basement projects.
Learn more →Commercial Dumpster Rental
Scheduled and on-call containers for retail, restaurants, offices and property managers.
Learn more →Construction Dumpster Rental
Jobsite roll-offs and next-day swap-outs for builders, remodelers and GCs.
Learn more →Roofing Dumpster Rental
Weight-rated cans for composition tear-offs, cedar shake and wet moss-laden debris.
Learn more →Roll-Off Dumpster Rental
10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 yard roll-offs delivered across Tacoma and Pierce County.
Learn more →Same-Day Dumpster Rental
Call before the cut-off and we can usually get a container to you this afternoon.
Learn more →Junk Removal Dumpsters
Clear a basement, crawlspace, garage or storage unit on your own schedule.
Learn more →Estate Cleanout Dumpsters
Discreet, patient container service for families clearing a lifelong home.
Learn more →Concrete & Heavy Debris
Dedicated heavy cans for concrete, brick, tile, sod and wet Puget Sound soil.
Learn more →Yard Waste & Green Debris
Blackberry, ivy, laurel, brush, limbs and storm debris hauled to be composted.
Learn more →Where we deliver
Demolition Debris Removal across Pierce County and the South Puget Sound
Same service, same flat rates, every town below. Pick yours for local placement and permit notes.
Talk to a real person
Need demolition debris removal in Tacoma?
Tell us what you are clearing out and we will tell you the right size and the flat price to put it in your driveway. No forms, no waiting on an email — just call and we will sort it out in a couple of minutes.
Serving Tacoma, Pierce County and the South Puget Sound · Mon–Fri 6:30am–6pm, Sat 7am–3pm