You might have seen TV commercials for the Bagster, an alternative to steel rolloff trash containers. Rather than calling a local company to rent a Dumpster, you buy a 3-cu.-yd. bag at a home center, bring it home in your car or truck, fill it up, and then call or log onto Bagster’s Web site for pickup.

It’s not a perfect product, but the Bagster has definite advantages. First, you don’t have to be available for Dumpster delivery. Also, there’s also no time limit, so if your schedule is pushed back, you’re not paying extra to have a Dumpster sitting around.

Positioning is easier, too. Because the Bagster is simply a big bag with oversize fabric handles, it can be picked up with a truck-mounted crane arm. This means you can unfold the Bagster and put it anywhere within 16 ft. of the driveway. The crane can even park on the street and reach over a 4-ft. fence to grab the Bagster from your yard.

I used the Bagster when I stripped two layers of shingles off a 15-sq. roof. Instead of having one Dumpster in the driveway, I put one Bagster in the front yard and another one on the back deck. This plan saved me from shuttling roof shingles around the yard.

I managed to fill the Bagster to the rim with old shingles without crossing the weight limit. But just like with conventional Dumpsters, if I had crossed the weight limit (3300 lb., in this case) for the Bagster, it would have cost me more money to have the debris hauled away.

Bagsters aren’t available coast to coast, but you can check their Web site to see if the service is available in your area. Prices vary by location. I spent about $65 on two bags and paid $250 to have both of them picked up at the same time. It cost me about the same that a 15-yd. steel container would have, but the Bagster saved me time because I had fewer roof shingles to clean off my lawn and haul to the driveway to toss into a steel Dumpster.

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