Dumpster Rental 101 for Homeowners
When you are seeking to rent a dumpster for a home cleanout or small remodel job, it helps to do your homework to get the best deal possible.
5 Common Dumpster Rental Mistakes Made by Homeowners
Choosing the right dumpster for a job can help you to save money, have timely delivery and removal, and help to keep you from incurring any extra charges, which can increase your total rental price greatly. If you haven’t rented a dumpster for your home before or if you haven’t done this in quite some time, we can help you to make the best decisions beforehand and save you some money as well as give you excellent service.
Some of the most common mistakes that homeowners make in renting a dumpster include:
- Renting the Wrong Side
- Overfilling the Dumpster
- Throwing Away Hazardous Materials
- Improper Placement
- Contacting the Wrong Dumpster Company
Renting the Wrong Size
Dumpster rental companies have a pricing structure that depends on the size of the dumpster itself. Many homeowners that are new to the rental process will purchase a size that is too small for their job. This can be because they are not sure how much weight or space their remodel or cleanout job will take up and they may also be trying to save on costs that will be included in the entire price of the job.
On average, most roll-off dumpster rentals in St. Louis will have a maximum weight limit of 3 tons. If you overfill a dumpster by weight, you will be charged a fee for each ton over the weight limit and they may be prorated at the half-ton level as well.
To determine what actual size of a dumpster you need to rent this guide may help you out. A 12 cubic yard dumpster is usually large enough for a small remodel job, a roofing job, or a large landscaping job. A 15-yard dumpster is usually the right size for larger room remodel jobs in your home or a cleanout before you are moving to a new location. A 20-yard dumpster rental will hold very large house construction projects such as large-scale renovations, demolitions, and whole-house cleanouts.
If you happen to rent a dumpster that is too small, you will need to pay additional money to have another dumpster delivered after the first is full. This can double the cost of your dumpster rental fee for your job and take quite a bite out of your budget. Having one dumpster picked up and waiting for another to be delivered will also delay your remodel or construction project as well.
Overfilling the Dumpster
The number of items you put in the dumpster is usually in your contract. This is usually a visual measurement as well as the weight measurement. Your debris can’t be above the top of the dumpster or it may need to be a few inches below the top to be compliant.
A 12 cubic yard dumpster’s dimensions are approximately 12 feet long by 8 feet wide and 3 foot 5 inches tall. A 15 cubic yard dumpster will be 10 feet long, 7 feet 11 inches wide, and 4 foot 7 inches are tall. A 20 cubic yard dumpster will be approximately 21 feet 11 inches long by 7 feet wide and 3 feet 6 inches tall.
Another manner in which to determine what size of dumpsters you need is to compare it to a regular standard bed pickup truck size. A standard truck bed is about 6 foot 5 inches long and 21 inches deep. A 10-yard dumpster can hold the same about of debris as 4 truckloads. A 12-yard dumpster can hold about 5 pickup truck loads and a 20-yard dumpster can accommodate about 8 standard truck loads.
Throwing Away Hazardous Materials
Many everyday materials that you may have in your home, garage, or shop outside are considered hazardous materials. These types of items cannot be put in a rental dumpster because when the dumpster is emptied at a landfill it can put people and the environment at risk and you may even face legal ramifications for contaminating the environment.
You need to look at your contract to make sure which items are considered hazardous and not allowed in the dumpster. Some of the items include tires, paint, appliances of all types, and electronics. Other hazardous materials include all household chemicals, waste oil, oil filters and containers, car and truck parts and batteries, and televisions. Also excluded are septic tanks and waste materials, liquid sludge, gas cans and tanks, chemicals, filled sandbags, and chemicals as well as industrial waste of any type.
Improper Placement
It’s important that you contact your neighborhood association to determine where you can place a dumpster at your home. In most cases, you can’t block the road, sidewalk, or driveway. It can be unsafe if it blocks your doors, entryway, or windows to your home in the case of a fire and you need to escape. If your dumpster is placed too close to your home so it’s easy to toss the waste in it, it may be items that can bounce back out and cause damages to your home.
Also, be considerate of your property. If you will have machinery traveling on your property to load the dumpster or to do work, make sure where you want to place the dumpster will not impede the flow of traffic. If machinery or heavy equipment needs to go around your dumpster and crosses your lawn many times while working on the disposal items, it can also destroy your landscaping and gardens as well as grass and trees.
When the dumpster rental company comes to pick up your full dumpster, make certain nothing is blocking their access to it. If you have a car parked in the way or even garbage cans or a bicycle, they may call it a dry run and charge you extra for a pickup attempt that they couldn’t complete.
Contacting the Wrong Dumpster Company
When you are in search of a dumpster rental company you should choose one that is nearby to your home. A dumpster company that’s been in business for several years is your best bet, as they will have knowledge of the neighborhood’s policies as well as your city’s codes for rental dumpsters. Renting local not only helps your community, but you will also get a cheaper price because the mileage from their shop to your home is only a few miles. This translates to less travel, time, and costs of fuel associated with your rental contract.
At Tidy Bug Dumpsters, we proudly serve the counties of St. Louis, St. Charles, and Jefferson with affordable dumpster rentals. We have been the premier dumpster rental company for many years. Our drivers are very experienced at placing your rental dumpster in the tightest of areas that other companies won’t even attempt. Our knowledgeable employees can help you to choose the correct size of dumpster for your homeowner’s job so you won’t incur any extra charges. We are here to help with your debris no matter if it’s a small garage cleanout job or a large home remodeling job. Give us a call to get the most reasonable rates and the best service in your area possible. Tidy Bug helps you to be tidy.
