Compare Each Roofer's Disposal Receipt for Your Old Roof

When a St. Louis roof comes off, the old shingles, felt, flashing and nail-studded boards go somewhere. Most homeowners never see where. The crew loads the debris into a dumpster or a trailer, the truck drives off, and the next time anyone mentions it is when the final invoice arrives with a line for disposal. A disposal receipt, sometimes called a weight ticket or dump ticket, is the paper that shows where that load went and how heavy it was. Comparing roofers on that paper is a fair way to see who plans for the back end of the job as carefully as the front end.

Roofer comparison

Two bids can look identical on the first page and still treat disposal differently. One may price the haul as a flat line and promise nothing more. Another may say the load goes to a named facility and that the homeowner gets a copy of the ticket. A third may fold the haul into a general cleanup allowance. Those are three different promises, and only the first two give you something you can check after the crew leaves.

Ask each roofer to answer the same three questions in writing. Which facility will take the material? Will you receive the weight or volume ticket for the job, and when? Is the ticket issued in the company's name, the property address, or both? A roofer who answers quickly and specifically has probably handled this many times. A roofer who answers in general terms should be pressed for the rest.

Pay attention to whether each bid separates tear-off debris from other waste. Old underlayment, decking scraps and flashing metal are not all the same material, and some facilities charge differently for metal than for mixed roofing debris. If one bid lists a single disposal number and the other lists several, the two totals may not describe the same job. Put the proposals side by side and mark where each one ends its promise.

Also compare what happens to the scrap metal. Some roofers keep metal flashing and drip edge and sell it, and a bid may say so or stay silent. That is a separate question from the dump ticket, but it changes what is left to haul. Ask in writing who keeps the metal so the disposal comparison is accurate.

What it costs

Disposal is a real cost, and it does not always appear as its own line. A tear-off on a typical house can fill a dumpster or a truckload, and hauling cost depends on weight and on the facility's rate. A roofer who builds disposal into the per-square price has still paid for it, so the total is what you compare. The question is not whether a number is hidden, but whether it is fixed or will move with weight.

Some bids state disposal as a flat fee for a dumpster of a given size. Others quote a rate per ton or per load and reserve the right to bill the difference after the ticket comes back. A flat fee gives you a fixed number to compare. A per-ton arrangement may come out lower or higher depending on how heavy the old roof was. If the second kind of bid is lower on paper, ask what the ton estimate is based on and whether you will see the final weight before the final payment is due.

Weight also depends on how many layers came off. A roof with two layers of shingles and felt can weigh noticeably more than a single layer, so the layer count belongs in the comparison. A bid that does not state the layer count cannot be checked against its disposal figure. Read the layer count and the disposal line together.

What to ask

Ask each roofer for the facility name, the facility's address, and the way the ticket will reach you. A ticket that arrives by email or in a folder at the end of the job is useful. A ticket that is promised but never produced is not. Ask whether the company will send it within a set number of days after the crew leaves, and write that date next to your final payment date.

Ask what the ticket will show. A useful ticket lists the date, the load weight or volume, the hauler, the facility and the job address. If your street has a shared dumpster rule, or if the city permit desk asked about the staging area, the ticket is one of the few records that ties the work to a specific load.

Ask whether a second load will be needed if the first one fills. A bid that says overage is billed later should also say how overage is measured and who pays for a second trip. Compare that answer with the disposal line. The overage clause and the dump ticket are two halves of the same question.

Finally, ask what the roofer does if a facility refuses a load or a ticket goes missing. Some facilities require paperwork for certain materials. A roofer who has done this before will describe the process without being prompted. A roofer who has not may ask you to trust them with the paperwork, and that is the moment to ask for the answer in writing.

Keys and the disposal question

Keys Roofing puts a written scope with photos and measurements in the homeowner's hands, so ask Keys the same disposal questions you ask every other contractor and compare the written answers. If you have questions about how a particular job would be handled, call the office at (314) 220-2333.