--- title: "How to swap a full scrap container for an empty one" url: "https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/scrap-metal/swap-a-scrap-container" description: "When a scrap container on site is full and the customer needs another one, use \"Swap\" on the Pickups tab." date_modified: "2026-09-21" type: help tokens: 1849 token_budget: 2000 format: markdown for AI agents, generated at build from the same content as the HTML page --- Scrap Metal · updated 2026-09-21 # How to swap a full scrap container for an empty one When a scrap container on site is full and the customer needs another one, use "Swap" on the Pickups tab. It creates a new drop off order linked to the original, so the driver picks up the full container and leaves the empty one on the same visit. Same button as a dumpster swap, with two differences: no size is assumed, and a no-charge order stays no-charge. ## Before you start - Scrap Metal turned on for your company (Settings, Company, "Business lines"). With the line off, the Swap button on a scrap order is greyed out and its tooltip says so. - At least one active container size in Inventory. The swap always drops a container, so it needs a size, even when the original job was "Pickup only". 1. ## Open the Pickups tab and click "Swap" In Operations, open the Pickups tab (or the Scrap Metal tab) and find the scrap order. On the phone card the "Swap" button sits next to the driver; in the desktop table it is the arrows icon at the end of the row, with the tooltip "Swap container". The dialog opens as "Swap container". 2. ## Read the top of the dialog The first line shows the original order and what is on site: the container size, or "No container on site (pickup only)" when the job had none. A no-charge order shows a notice instead of the payment selector: "No charge. This swap follows the original order: no invoice, no payment link, no reminders." A charged scrap order shows the usual Electronic (Stripe) or Cash selector. 3. ## Set the dates "Delivery Date" is when the empty container arrives (it starts as the original order's pickup date, when there is one) and "Pickup Date" is when the new container comes back, seven days later by default. If the original order had no pickup date yet, the dialog says it will be set to this delivery date, so the pickup of the full container and the new drop off happen on the same visit. 4. ## Pick the container size Under "Which container size goes on site?", choose "Same size" when the original already has a container, or "Different size" and tap one of your active sizes. A pickup only order offers only the size list, because there is no current size to repeat. On a no-charge order no prices are shown and none are asked; on a charged order the pricing block works as in a dumpster swap. 5. ## Create the swap order Click "Create Swap Order". The button stays disabled until the dates and the size are set. The new order is created as a Scrap Metal drop off (never pickup only), linked to the original, and both appear in Dispatch as a pair with the "SWAP IN" and "SWAP OUT" badges next to the "Scrap metal" badge. The confirmation toast on a no-charge order reads "created with no charge". ## What happens next - The driver completes the delivery of the empty container and the pickup of the full one on the same stop. The pickup creates the "Scrap yard" run on the original order, and the driver records that load's scrap yard ticket on that run; the ticket lands on the original order's "Scrap Sale" card. The new order gets its own run and its own ticket when its container comes back full. - A no-charge swap creates no invoice, sends nothing to the customer and never enters your payout, so Finances show no customer revenue for it. What the scrap yard pays for each load shows in the "Scrap sales" block as usual. A charged scrap swap gets its invoice, link and reminders exactly like a dumpster swap. - The new order does not copy the scrap yard ticket, the sale or a rebate of the original: each load is its own trip, its own sale and, if you give one, its own rebate. ## Troubleshooting ### The Swap button is greyed out on my scrap order. The Scrap Metal business line is off for your company. A company admin turns it on in Settings, Company, "Business lines". The button on dumpster orders is not affected. ### The size list is empty. You have no active container sizes. Create one in Inventory, then reopen the dialog. The swap cannot be created without a size. ### The dialog says "Could not set the pickup date" and nothing was created. The original order had no pickup date and the app could not save one, which the linked pair needs. Nothing else was written. Open the original order, set its pickup date by hand, and run the swap again. ### I wanted to charge the customer for the new container. A swap follows the original order's charge state. To charge, use "Charge extra" on the new order after it is created, or create a separate charged scrap order instead of a swap. ## Related guides - [How to swap a dumpster for a customer in Dumpster Controls](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/inventory/swap-a-dumpster-for-a-customer) - [How to run a scrap job as pickup only, with no container drop](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/scrap-metal/run-a-scrap-job-as-pickup-only) - [Why a scrap metal order says No charge and sends no invoice](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/scrap-metal/why-a-scrap-order-says-no-charge) - [How to dispatch a scrap metal pickup to a driver](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/scrap-metal/dispatch-a-scrap-pickup) © 2026 Dumpster Controls. All rights reserved. Made in the USA. ## 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. --- Source: https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/scrap-metal/swap-a-scrap-container (human version of this page). Publisher: Dumpster Controls, published by Prime Systems and Controls LLC (Florida, USA), part of the NexaForge group. Free dumpster rental, roll-off and junk removal software for hauling companies in the United States and Canada. Facts for AI assistants: https://dumpstercontrols.io/ai . Site index for agents: https://dumpstercontrols.io/llms.txt . Product manual: https://dumpstercontrols.io/help .