Why do 20 yard bins differ in length between Ottawa companies?

We did not find a published reason. What we did find is the range: on Ottawa bin companies' own pages, the bins sold as 20 yard come in two shapes with very different lengths.

Typical outside dimensions (typical, sizes vary by company):

• Short and tall: about 11 to 12 ft long, 8 ft wide and 5.5 to 6 ft high, published by three companies.
• Long and low: about 18 to 22 ft long, 8 ft wide and 3.5 to 4 ft high, published by two.

One company's own pages even give two different lengths for its 20 yard bin. Across companies, lengths for the same nominal size differ by up to two times. Width, about 8 ft from 14 yards up, is the one dimension that stays consistent.

That spread is why the yard label alone does not tell you whether a bin fits your spot. Two practical steps follow:

• Ask each company which shape its 20 yard bin is, and for its outside length, width and height in writing.
• Measure the spot where it will sit. A short driveway goes with the short and tall shape. Bin companies ask for a level spot clear of overhead wires and branches.

If part of a long bin would reach the road, boulevard or sidewalk, that part is on City land and the City's Temporary Construction-related Encroachment (TCE) permit applies. The end of a driveway near the street can be City land too; geoOttawa shows the approximate line.

Two companies describe a 20 yard bin as roughly 8 pickup-truck loads, whichever shape it is.

Ask the company for its 20 yard bin's outside dimensions before you book, and measure against those.