What To Consider When Loading Your Dumpster

Something most people need to think about is how to load a dumpster of course, packing a dumpster appropriately isn't scientific, but there are some things you should consider concerning safety and avoiding additional charges both for you and for the hauler. The first thing to consider is that you want to maximize the space available in the dumpster, and here are some tips and tricks.

Maximizing Space in the Dumpster

If loading large debris such as couches, sections of wall, or anything that is assembled, the most efficient use of space will break these items down into smaller pieces to ensure that they fill the space entirely. Of course, we understand breaking down a couch may not be cost-effective it may be time-consuming. Still, where you have limited space, it may be cheaper to spend the time to break the contents down rather than order a second dumpster

Balancing Materials

Make sure that if you have a combination of light and fluffy type material and heavy material that the light and fluffy material gets weaved in with the heavy material so that it compresses and doesn't consume too much space

Loading Sequence

We recommend to start loading the dumpster by first opening the doors and walking the larger material in, filling all of the spaces and gaps that you can manually before closing the doors and then adding more stuff on top this ensures that everything that you can fit in there is in there securely before you close the doors and lose entry to the dumpster. Remember once the doors are closed and you have loaded the dumpster do not open the doors again or everything will fall out

Cost Considerations

The next big consideration with respect to properly loading a dumpster is the cost. Of course trying to get everything into one dumpster is the most common way to save money but there are other ways to save money as well

1. Time

Literally speaking if you rent your dumpster for less time the expense will be less. At Precision Disposal our standard dumpster rental comes with 7 Days, some come with 14 days however if you get a dumpster with a 7-Day rental and add additional days it's going to cost you more money so you want to ensure that you have a well-laid out plan for loading the dumpster.

2. Weight

Trash is disposed of and measured by the weight of the contents. Of course you can't control the weight of the material you are putting in; however, you can be Swift and play around the weather. If you are loading things that absorb water, such as mattresses, box springs, clothing, furniture, or items of the like, and it rains, they are going to absorb the water, adding weight to the dumpster and therefore cost

3. Properly loading / not overloading

Some materials are hefty such as asphalt shingles, concrete shingles, dirt rocks stumps, concrete asphalt Etc. 

All equipment is limited in its capacity to lift certain weights, and hours is no different, so be sure to pay attention to the limitations of weight, because if you overload the dumpster it may require you to also then unload the dumpster and rent another dumpster costing you more time and money than it would have if the plan involved getting too dumpsters to appropriate the amount of weight in each dumpster.

4. Max Fill Level

It is essential to pay attention to the markings on the dumpster that represent the max fill level of the dumpster under normal weight debris. The top rail of the dumpster is the max load level assuming the materials do not exceed the weight limit of the equipment the reason for this is for safety, the safety of the driver and the safety of other Motor Vehicles on the road while the dumpster is being transported. It is easy to forget that while loading a stationary dumpster in your driveway, it needs to travel on the roadways and sometimes even the highway to get to the facility where it will be disposed of. 

Although all trucks are equipped with tarping systems, loose debris or overloaded debris that is unsecured by the walls of the dumpster can and will likely fly out of the dumpster during transport, which could cause injury or death to motorists and or pedestrians on the roadways. 

Because of this, we are unable to pick up and drive with overloaded dumpsters as it becomes the responsibility of the transporter once it is up on the truck therefore we would have to leave it on site and charge a stop fee and you would have to rectify the overloaded dumpster

Safety Measures While Using a Dumpster

Safety is of utmost concern and priority at Precision Disposal. There are many safety concerns and Hazards associated with the dumpster rental service which we take extremely serious and want to ensure that not only are our customers and dumpster users or people who are around or near a dumpster are being safe but that our driver's team members and employees are not subject to unsafe conditions. This concern and responsibility also extends to other people on the roadway with us as we transport loaded and unloaded dumpsters to and from properties and Facilities. 

Here are some how to's with respect to maintaining safety while the dumpster is on the job site and after it leaves

1. Awareness

Make sure to be aware that you are operating around a metal container which has sharp edges and could easily cut you be mindful of your surroundings and where you are and what you are doing never climb on the dumpster jump off the dumpster or in any way use the dumpster inappropriately for anything other than loading your debris if you do so you are 100% at fault and liable for any injuries sustained

2. Even Loading

Make sure you are not overloading the dumpster or unevenly loading the dumpster. An unevenly loaded dumpster meaning the weight is unevenly distributed throughout the dumpster can cause for unsafe loading conditions when being loaded back onto the vehicle, this could lead to equipment failure it could lead to the dumpster rolling off the truck and back on to the ground and damaging property or causing bodily injury. bear in mind although trucks can sustain a lot of weight improperly balanced loads are not only illegal to travel down the road, they are illegal because they are unsafe and if the dumpster was too much loaded to one side. 

The driver took a turn, they could roll the truck over, causing bodily injury or harm to themselves or other people, so please be mindful of the people who are responsible for transporting the load and the people who will be around the load while it's traveling down the road.

3. Avoiding Standing Nearby

Never stand around behind or under the dumpster. At the same time, it is being moved, picked up, or dropped off. Although we maintain our equipment to a very high level to ensure that any and all safety concerns are addressed prior to daily operation accidents still do happen and it is essential for people to understand that these dumpsters can weigh in excess of 30,000 pounds and be extremely dangerous to both you as an individual and your property, so stay clear.

4. Hazardous Materials

Never load the dumpster with hazardous waste or any flammable liquids or any fire starters or any loaded propane tanks or anything explosive for obvious reasons this could cause significant harm to any individual around the dumpster at any time because they could be crushed or ignited at any moment it could cause a fire to break out while on the road or with the people who are ultimately responsible for sorting and handling the debris

It is not advisable and in some places it is illegal to load a dumpster with hazardous waste such as wet paint gasoline diesel insecticides Etc not only is it illegal but it's not a good idea to pack your dumpster with these things because when they get picked up they usually get crushed and then leak all over your property which would cause you property damage and even us property damage costing you a lot of headaches and money to fix.

Documenting the Loading Process

Another recommendation for contractors, especially people who do junk removal, is to document the dumpster's loading process.  Documenting the process of loading the dumpster roll, in the long run, saves you time and money as you look to expand your Enterprise.

You can share this information with future employees so that they don't have to go through the same learning process and cost you more money relearning the things you've already learned here and through your experiences with previous dumpster rental services as always should you have any questions concerning the dumpster rental process or dumpster rental services you can always call us at Precision disposal at 1-833-GO-DUMPSTER  and anyone within our customer service department would be happy to answer any questions that you may have and or get you scheduled for your dumpster.