Junk Removal · updated 2026-09-29

How to choose your junk booking settings in Dumpster Controls

The "Junk booking settings" dialog decides what customers see and can choose on your junk removal booking page: arrival windows, dates, photos, item lists, terms and cancellation policy. It only changes junk; your dumpster booking settings stay as they are.

Before you start

An admin account with access to the Online Booking section

## Open the dialog
In "Online Booking", click "Settings" on the "Junk removal booking" card. The dialog is titled "Junk booking settings". Load prices and the example of each load are not here: the note at the top links to Junk Removal Pricing with "Open pricing".
## Set your arrival windows
Under "Arrival windows", customers pick one of these windows. The default is 8 AM to 12 PM and 12 PM to 4 PM. Click "Add window" to add one (up to 6), change the start and end times, or remove one with the trash icon. Windows cannot overlap ("Arrival windows cannot overlap.") and the end must be after the start.
## Decide about same-day booking
Under "Booking dates", turn on "Same-day booking" to let customers book for today until the "Cutoff time", in your company time zone. It is off by default.
## Set how far ahead customers can book
"Max days in advance" limits how far ahead customers can book, from 1 to 365 days. The default is 60.
## Choose what the customer tells you
"Customer photos" lets customers add photos of their items (optional for them, never required). "Where the items are" lists the options they choose from: "Curbside", "Inside the home", "Garage" and "Construction site". Keep at least one.
## Edit the item lists
Under "Item lists", edit "We don't take" (by default Paint, Chemicals, Tires, Asbestos, Medical waste, Propane tanks) and "May have an extra fee" (by default Mattresses, TVs, Refrigerators, Appliances with freon). Type an item and click "Add", or remove one with its X. Up to 20 items per list, 60 characters each. Customers see both lists before they pay.
## Read the fair price promise
The "Fair price promise" box is marked "Always on". It is part of every junk booking and cannot be turned off, because the page promises that a bigger load needs the customer's approval and a smaller one is refunded.
## Pick your junk service terms
Under "Junk service terms", "Use the standard junk service terms" is on by default; the standard terms include the fair price promise and the load adjustment. Turn it off to write your own in "Your terms". Plain text only: HTML is removed.
## Write your cancellation policy
Under "Cancellation policy", write a short line (up to 300 characters) shown next to the amount charged today and on the customer's job page. Left empty, the page uses "To change or cancel, call or text [your company] at [your phone]."
## Save
Click "Save settings". A toast confirms "Junk booking settings saved". If a field is marked in red, the dialog shows "Fix the fields marked in red to save."

What happens next

Days of the week marked "Off" in the Weekly Schedule and the dates blocked in "Holidays & Blackout Dates" apply to junk too. You set them once for both services.
When the new junk booking page is on for your company, the server checks the date and the arrival window again when the payment starts, so a customer cannot book a closed day, a window you don't offer, or same-day after the cutoff.
These settings are used by the junk booking page your customers see, on your link and inside the website widget.

Troubleshooting

Customers can't pick any date.

Check that your windows, the Weekly Schedule and your blackout dates leave at least one open day inside "Max days in advance". When nothing is open, the page asks customers to call or text you.

Same-day slots disappear in the morning.

That is the cutoff: after the "Cutoff time" today is closed, and windows that already ended are never offered.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Is Dumpster Controls really free?

Yes. The software is free: dispatch, online booking, the driver app, invoicing, the Tresha AI assistant and every other feature, with no monthly fee, no trial period and no credit card to sign up. The only cost on the free plan is optional card processing when a customer pays by card through the platform: 2.99% plus $3.99 per transaction on the free plan. An optional Unlimited plan at $169 per month lowers that to 2.99% plus $0.30. Prices as published on dumpstercontrols.io/pricing on 2026-09-23.

Do you charge per driver, per truck or per order?

No. There is no per-driver, per-truck, per-user or per-order fee, and no order limit. A company with one truck and a company with twenty pay the same for the software: nothing.

Is there a contract?

No. There is no contract, no minimum term and no setup fee. You create the account yourself, and on the free plan there is nothing to cancel because nothing is billed. The optional Unlimited plan is billed month to month.

Which countries and languages are supported?

Dumpster Controls serves hauling companies in the United States and Canada. The app interface and the Tresha AI assistant are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The public pages, such as the blog, the help center and the landfill finder, are in English.

How do I switch from another dumpster software?

Create a free account at dumpstercontrols.io/login, with no sales call and no credit card. Then import your customers from a CSV file using the template provided in the app; past orders can also be imported from a CSV. Container sizes and pricing are set up in Settings. The landfill database, with 1,750 active US and Canadian landfills as counted on 2026-10-01, is already loaded, so disposal sites do not need to be typed in. Step-by-step guides are at dumpstercontrols.io/help.