Fall Cleanout in Indianapolis: Leaf Collection Weeks or a Dumpster Rental?

Fall is when a lot of Indianapolis homeowners finally get to the garage, the basement and the yard. The city helps with one part of that: bagged leaves. Everything else, from the old couch in the basement to the deck boards coming off the back of the house, needs another plan. Here is how the two fit together, so you are not paying for a dumpster you do not need, or stacking a pile by the curb that nobody will take.

What the city's leaf collection covers in 2026

The City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works runs its 2026 leaf collection from Monday, November 9 through Friday, December 4. During those four weeks you can set out up to 40 bags of leaves on your regular trash day. The city's leaf collection page has the details, and a few rules matter most:

• Use plastic bags. Paper bags can break apart in wet weather.
• Put the bags out by 7 a.m. on your trash day.
• Keep them at least three feet away from your trash cart.
• Thanksgiving week shifts the schedule, so check your day that week.

Outside those weeks, leaves go in your trash cart. Burning leaves is illegal in Marion County.

What leaf collection does not cover

Leaf weeks are for leaves in bags. They are not a way to clear out a garage, empty a basement or haul off what a fall project leaves behind. Common fall jobs that need something bigger:

• A garage or basement cleanout before the holidays, with old furniture, boxes and shelving.
• Pulling out old landscaping, overgrown shrubs or a rotted fence.
• Tearing off a deck or a shed before winter.
• A kitchen, bathroom or flooring project that starts once the weather turns.

That is where a roll-off dumpster earns its keep. Yard waste, furniture, appliances, remodeling debris and household trash can all go in one of our dumpsters. We do not accept hazardous or liquid waste, and a few items such as tires, electronics, batteries and appliances with refrigerant carry an extra charge, so mention them when you book. Our what you can load page has the full list.

Picking a size for a fall cleanout

Cleanouts are mostly about space, not weight. Furniture and boxes take room but are not heavy. As a starting point:

• A 15 yard fits an apartment, a basement or one floor.
• A 20 yard fits a smaller house or a full garage.
• A 30 yard fits a whole house, or a house plus a garage or outbuilding.

Yard and demolition jobs are different. Wet soil, old concrete pavers and shingles get heavy fast, and every size includes a set amount of weight. If your project is mostly heavy material, tell us when you call and we will point you to a size whose included weight fits it, or to a clean fill dumpster for concrete, brick and dirt. Our sizes and prices page lists every size and what it includes, and our cleanout dumpster page covers bigger jobs.

Timing it with the leaf weeks

Every rental includes up to 7 days, which is enough for most weekend cleanouts. If you are doing yard work and a cleanout in the same stretch, a simple order works well: bag the leaves for the city on your trash day, and put everything else in the dumpster. That keeps the free leaf pickup doing what it does best and keeps the dumpster's space for the bulky material.

If your driveway is new, stamped, pavers or asphalt, tell us. We set every dumpster on premium driveway pads so it does not touch the surface, and we put it where you want it.

Planning a fall project?

We rent roll-off dumpsters across all of Marion and Hamilton County, and out to Greenwood, Greenfield, Anderson, Tipton, Lebanon and Brownsburg. Learn more about residential dumpster rental, or contact us with your address, what is going in and when you need it, and we will recommend a size and set a delivery day.