What size dumpster for a deck tear-out?

A 20-yard handles most residential decks. Lumber is bulky and awkward rather than heavy, so the volume runs out first unless you are adding concrete footings to the same load.

Can pressure-treated lumber go in a dumpster?

In most places yes, as ordinary construction debris. A few facilities separate it, so mention it when you book. It cannot be burned, and it should not go in a clean-wood load if your hauler runs one at a lower rate.

Can the concrete footings go in the same container?

Ask first. Many haulers want concrete separated because clean concrete can be recycled at a much lower rate, and a few will not take it mixed at all. Splitting the load often costs less than putting everything in one container.

How much does a deck weigh?

A typical 300 square foot deck runs one to two tons of lumber, more if the boards are wet or the framing is heavy. Footings change the picture entirely: concrete is about 4,000 pounds per cubic yard on its own.

How much does a deck weigh for disposal?

Roughly two tons for a 400 square foot deck including framing, because pressure-treated timber holds moisture. Concrete footings add 50 to 100 pounds each on top of that.

Do I need a permit to remove a deck?

Many towns require one, particularly where the deck was permitted originally or is attached to the house. The same call settles whether footings must come out or can be cut below grade, which changes both the labor and the weight.

Can pressure-treated wood be recycled?

No. It cannot be burned or chipped for mulch, so it goes to landfill as general construction debris. Keep it separate from clean untreated lumber, which does have recycling options that treated timber contaminates.

Deck Removal and Outdoor Demolition Waste

July 15, 2025 · Ryan Muniak

Pressure-treated lumber, concrete footings and old hardware each go somewhere different, and separating them can lower the bill.

Treated lumber is heavier than it looks

Pressure-treated boards hold moisture, and a 400 square foot deck comes to roughly two tons with framing included. It also can't be burned or chipped, so it goes to the landfill as general construction debris.

Footings are a separate problem

Concrete footings are dense enough that a handful of them can shift a load into overage. Some haulers want them out of the wood load entirely. Ask first. If they'll take clean concrete at a separate rate, pulling the footings into their own pile is worth the effort.

Pull the hardware if you can

Joist hangers, brackets and railing posts are scrap metal, and scrap yards pay for them rather than charging. On a large deck that's a real offset against the rental.

Size it by volume, not weight

Deck boards are bulky. Most removals need a 20-yard for space long before weight becomes the constraint, the opposite of a roofing job.

Take it apart in the right order

Railings and balusters first, then decking boards, then the frame, then the posts. Working top down keeps the structure stable while you are standing on it, and it separates the materials as you go rather than leaving you a mixed pile to sort at the end.

A pry bar and a reciprocating saw do most of it. Cut the boards over a joist rather than trying to lift them whole, and they come out in lengths that stack rather than lengths that span the container.

What is worth keeping back

Composite decking is not treated timber and some recyclers take it, so keep it separate if you have a meaningful quantity. Cedar and redwood in sound condition have resale value to the right buyer, and even ordinary framing lumber gets taken by people building raised beds if you list it free locally.

The hardware is the other one. Joist hangers, brackets and post bases are steel, and a full deck produces enough to be worth a trip to a scrap yard rather than weight you pay to bury.

Check whether you need a permit to remove it

Plenty of towns require one, particularly where the deck was permitted originally or is attached to the house. It is usually straightforward and cheap, and it matters at resale: an unpermitted change to the structure is the kind of thing that surfaces during a sale rather than before one.

The same call settles whether the footings have to come out. Some jurisdictions want them removed, others are content to have them cut below grade, and that decision changes both the labor and the weight going in the container.

Work out the weight before you pick a size

Decking is bulkier than it is heavy, which points at a larger container, and footings are the opposite. Roughly: treated boards and framing run about two tons for a 400 square foot deck, and each concrete footing adds 50 to 100 pounds on its own.

A deck with a dozen footings is therefore a different job from the same deck on posts in the ground, and the two want different containers. If the footings are coming out, price them as their own load rather than assuming they fit alongside the timber. The full weight breakdown.

Common questions

What size dumpster for a deck tear-out?: A 20-yard handles most residential decks. Lumber is bulky and awkward rather than heavy, so the volume runs out first unless you are adding concrete footings to the same load.
Can pressure-treated lumber go in a dumpster?: In most places yes, as ordinary construction debris. A few facilities separate it, so mention it when you book. It cannot be burned, and it should not go in a clean-wood load if your hauler runs one at a lower rate.
Can the concrete footings go in the same container?: Ask first. Many haulers want concrete separated because clean concrete can be recycled at a much lower rate, and a few will not take it mixed at all. Splitting the load often costs less than putting everything in one container.
How much does a deck weigh?: A typical 300 square foot deck runs one to two tons of lumber, more if the boards are wet or the framing is heavy. Footings change the picture entirely: concrete is about 4,000 pounds per cubic yard on its own.
How much does a deck weigh for disposal?: Roughly two tons for a 400 square foot deck including framing, because pressure-treated timber holds moisture. Concrete footings add 50 to 100 pounds each on top of that.
Do I need a permit to remove a deck?: Many towns require one, particularly where the deck was permitted originally or is attached to the house. The same call settles whether footings must come out or can be cut below grade, which changes both the labor and the weight.
Can pressure-treated wood be recycled?: No. It cannot be burned or chipped for mulch, so it goes to landfill as general construction debris. Keep it separate from clean untreated lumber, which does have recycling options that treated timber contaminates.

For current pricing see the Dumpster Price Index.