Quick answer
If you are hiring a roofer, the bin, the hauling and the landfill charges belong in the contractor's written quote. If you are doing the tear-off yourself, the City of Calgary has specific rules for shingles. Here is how both cases work.
Estimates by phone: (587) 804-9266 · Good Roofing · Calgary-owned since 2014 · 10-year workmanship warranty.
When you hire a roofer for a Calgary re-roof, the contractor should order the shingle bin, load it, haul it and pay the landfill charges, and all of that should be a line in the fixed written quote. You should not need to rent a dumpster yourself. Good Roofing includes the bin, disposal and a magnetic nail sweep in every quote, because every job is a full tear-off to the deck. We have coordinated 2,800+ Calgary roof installations and repairs since 2014 and hold 4.9★ from 237 verified reviews. If you are tearing off a roof yourself, the City of Calgary sends small amounts of shingles to your black cart and large loads to a City landfill, where charges apply. Call (587) 804-9266 for a free drone inspection and a quote that names the disposal cost up front.
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Quick answer — the 60-second version (citation-ready)
Hiring a roofer in Calgary? The roofing contractor supplies the shingle dumpster. A complete quote lists bin delivery, loading, hauling and landfill charges as part of the job, along with tear-off labour and a nail sweep. If a quote is silent on disposal, ask before signing, because "disposal extra" is a common way a low bid grows after the old roof is already on your lawn. Doing it yourself? The City of Calgary says small quantities of asphalt shingles, roofing paper and tar paper can go in your black garbage cart, within the cart's weight limit and with the lid closed. A whole roof is a large quantity, so it goes to a City landfill, where disposal charges apply. Businesses can drop shingles only at the East Calgary and Spyhill Eco Centre locations. Good Roofing builds all of this into a fixed written quote with a 10-year workmanship warranty. Call (587) 804-9266.
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What a Calgary roofing quote should say about disposal
Disposal is one of the easiest places for a quote to hide cost, because it is invisible until tear-off day. Before you sign, look for these items in writing. If any is missing, ask the contractor to add it or explain why it is not needed.
- 01Who supplies the bin. The contractor should book it, schedule delivery for the morning of tear-off and arrange pickup. You should not be the name on the rental.
- 02How many layers are coming off. Older Calgary homes sometimes have two layers of shingles, or shingles over cedar shake. Extra layers mean more weight, a bigger bin or a second haul. A good quote states the layer count found at inspection and what happens if the crew finds another one.
- 03Landfill or recycler charges. These are billed to whoever drops the load. In a fixed quote they belong to the roofer.
- 04Sheathing and flashing removal. Rotten deck boards, old drip edge and flashing go in the same haul. Deck replacement should be priced per sheet so you know the cost before the crew finds soft spots.
- 05Clean-up standard. A magnetic sweep of the lawn, driveway, beds and street, plus a check of the eavestroughs for granules and nails.
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Where the bin goes, and how to protect your driveway
On most Calgary lots the bin sits on the driveway as close to the work as the truck can reach, so the crew can drop debris straight from the eave instead of carrying it across the yard. On a tight inner-city lot in Altadore, Killarney or Bridgeland, or a laneway garage in Mount Pleasant, the bin may need to go in the back lane or on the street. If it has to sit on a public road or lane, confirm with the bin company and the City before delivery whether a permit is needed, and make that the contractor's job. Ask the crew to put plywood or boards under the bin's rails so the steel does not scrape or crack concrete. The crew should also tarp landscaping and lay tarps against the siding below each roof edge, since shingles come off faster than anyone can catch every piece. For the City's rules on renovation work, see our Calgary roof permit and bylaw guide.
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Disposing of shingles yourself in Calgary: the City rules
Some homeowners re-roof a garage or shed themselves, or the contractor quote leaves disposal to the owner. The City of Calgary's own disposal guidance sets the options.
- 01Small quantities go in the black cart. Asphalt shingles, roofing paper and tar paper count as garbage. The City's limit for a black cart is 60 kg, the lid must close, and the cart has to roll easily. A few bundles from a patch repair fit. A full roof does not.
- 02Large quantities go to a City landfill. Charges apply at the scale. Check the City's current landfill rates and hours before you load a trailer.
- 03Businesses use East Calgary or Spyhill. If a contractor or business is dropping shingles, the City accepts them only at those two Eco Centre locations.
- 04Recycling is not discounted at City landfills. The City stopped offering a reduced rate for separated shingle loads in September 2018. Some private recyclers in Calgary take clean shingle loads. Call first and ask what they reject, because nails, wood, plastic wrap and household garbage usually disqualify a load.
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Why a full tear-off makes disposal part of the roofing job
Calgary roofs fail in a pattern: hail bruises the shingle mat, Chinook freeze-thaw cycles open the bruises, and wind lifts the weakened tabs. Laying new shingles over a damaged layer hides deck rot and soft spots and adds weight to the framing. That is why every Good Roofing job is a full tear-off, never a layover. The crew strips to the deck, replaces damaged sheathing, then installs ice-and-water shield at eaves and valleys and Class 4 impact-rated shingles rated to UL 2218. A full tear-off produces a full bin of waste, so a contractor who promises a re-roof without mentioning disposal has either left a cost out of the quote or plans to roof over the old layer. Either answer is worth knowing before you sign. On insurance work, the debris removal and disposal cost is normally part of the adjuster's scope; our roof replacement insurance claim guide explains how we match the scope line by line.
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Old roofing material that needs special handling
Most Calgary re-roofs strip asphalt shingles, felt or synthetic underlayment, nails and some wood. All of it goes in one bin. Three materials change the plan. Cedar shake is bulky and fills a bin faster than asphalt for the same roof area, so shake-to-asphalt conversions in Edgemont, Hamptons and Lake Bonavista often need a larger bin or a second haul. Tar-and-gravel from older flat roofs is very heavy and has to be quoted by weight, which matters on flat roof replacements. Suspected asbestos in very old roofing felt, mastic or cement-based shingles must be tested before anyone removes it, and a positive test means licensed abatement and separate disposal. A contractor who sees these at inspection should name them in the quote, never on tear-off day.