diff --git a/benchmark_test.go b/benchmark_test.go
index 451c482e8f98..c3aca91ec7f7 100644
--- a/benchmark_test.go
+++ b/benchmark_test.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func BenchmarkContainerCreate(b *testing.B) {
 	var containers []Container
 	defer func() {
 		for _, c := range containers {
-			if err := c.Delete(ctx); err != nil {
+			if err := c.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion); err != nil {
 				b.Error(err)
 			}
 		}
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func BenchmarkContainerStart(b *testing.B) {
 	var containers []Container
 	defer func() {
 		for _, c := range containers {
-			if err := c.Delete(ctx); err != nil {
+			if err := c.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion); err != nil {
 				b.Error(err)
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/checkpoint_test.go b/checkpoint_test.go
index e9451a6632b3..5222fd72e637 100644
--- a/checkpoint_test.go
+++ b/checkpoint_test.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ func TestCheckpointRestore(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, empty())
 	if err != nil {
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ func TestCheckpointRestoreNewContainer(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, empty())
 	if err != nil {
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ func TestCheckpointRestoreNewContainer(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	if err := container.Delete(ctx); err != nil {
+	if err := container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion); err != nil {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/container.go b/container.go
index dc542975e877..73e487fcd8ec 100644
--- a/container.go
+++ b/container.go
@@ -23,10 +23,12 @@ var (
 	ErrProcessExited     = errors.New("process already exited")
 )
 
+type DeleteOpts func(context.Context, *Client, containers.Container) error
+
 type Container interface {
 	ID() string
 	Proto() containers.Container
-	Delete(context.Context) error
+	Delete(context.Context, ...DeleteOpts) error
 	NewTask(context.Context, IOCreation, ...NewTaskOpts) (Task, error)
 	Spec() (*specs.Spec, error)
 	Task(context.Context, IOAttach) (Task, error)
@@ -67,16 +69,24 @@ func (c *container) Spec() (*specs.Spec, error) {
 	return &s, nil
 }
 
+// WithRootFSDeletion deletes the rootfs allocated for the container
+func WithRootFSDeletion(ctx context.Context, client *Client, c containers.Container) error {
+	if c.RootFS != "" {
+		return client.SnapshotService().Remove(ctx, c.RootFS)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // Delete deletes an existing container
 // an error is returned if the container has running tasks
-func (c *container) Delete(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
+func (c *container) Delete(ctx context.Context, opts ...DeleteOpts) (err error) {
 	if _, err := c.Task(ctx, nil); err == nil {
 		return ErrDeleteRunningTask
 	}
-	// TODO: should the client be the one removing resources attached
-	// to the container at the moment before we have GC?
-	if c.c.RootFS != "" {
-		err = c.client.SnapshotService().Remove(ctx, c.c.RootFS)
+	for _, o := range opts {
+		if err := o(ctx, c.client, c.c); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 	}
 	if _, cerr := c.client.ContainerService().Delete(ctx, &containers.DeleteContainerRequest{
 		ID: c.c.ID,
diff --git a/container_test.go b/container_test.go
index bcbb35a7763a..ccf8150997e5 100644
--- a/container_test.go
+++ b/container_test.go
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ func TestContainerStart(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, Stdio)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ func TestContainerOutput(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	stdout := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
 	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, NewIO(bytes.NewBuffer(nil), stdout, bytes.NewBuffer(nil)))
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ func TestContainerExec(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, empty())
 	if err != nil {
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ func TestContainerProcesses(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, empty())
 	if err != nil {
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ func TestContainerCloseIO(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	const expected = "hello\n"
 	stdout := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ func TestContainerAttach(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	expected := "hello\n"
 	stdout := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ func TestDeleteRunningContainer(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer container.Delete(ctx)
+	defer container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 
 	task, err := container.NewTask(ctx, empty())
 	if err != nil {
@@ -652,7 +652,7 @@ func TestDeleteRunningContainer(t *testing.T) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	err = container.Delete(ctx)
+	err = container.Delete(ctx, WithRootFSDeletion)
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Error("delete did not error with running task")
 	}