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What Not To Put In A Roll-Off Dumpster?

When conducting a house cleanup or renovation, you will likely produce lots of household waste. The best way to get rid of such waste is to rent a roll-off dumpster since you are not responsible for the disposal of the waste. Most of the waste put into the dumpster ends up in the landfills.

However, even if you are not responsible for the disposal of the waste, you have the responsibility of ensuring that only the right items get into the dumpster. The EPA, in conjunction with some municipalities, has some guidelines on what should and should not be put into the dumpster. This article sheds more light on what should not be put into the dumpster.

  • Yard Waste
dumpster with construction debris

The trees, flowers, and other plants around our houses will always overgrow at which point in time they will need some trimming. It, therefore, means that a lot of waste in form of twigs, branches, dirt, and = green matter will be produced in bulk. Since yard waste contains mostly green matter, it gives off nitrogen that could end up destroying the dumpster. Instead of tossing yard waste into the dumpster, it should go into the composite, if your municipality allows for one in your neighborhood. Here, the yard waste will decompose and produce composite manure for growing vegetables in the kitchen garden.

  • Chemical and Hazardous Waste

Chemicals such as solvents, varnish, paints, pesticides, oils, and strong cleaning chemicals give off greenhouse gases that are harmful to the environment. If rains were to wash away some of these chemicals, they would flow down and drain into the nearby streams and other water bodies. When this happens, the toxins destroy the aquatic life in the water bodies. Most chemical suppliers have clear guidelines on how to dispose of chemical waste, or they could even arrange for pickup instead.

  • Car Tires

Automobile and cycle tires are some of the items that should never be put into the dumpsters. The main reason behind this is that they are always recycled to manufacture new ones and for that reason, they should not end up in the landfills. At the same time, tires are usually large and they could collect water that would attract mosquitoes and houseflies that would end up making people in the neighborhood sick.

  • Electronics

People change their electrical and electronic appliances from time to time. This being the case, therefore, most electronic manufacturers have a specific process of repossessing the old electronics to recycle them. Electronic appliances should never be put into landfills since they would be too much for the environment. Instead of throwing old electronic appliances into the dumpster, contact the manufacturer to arrange for pickup so that they can recycle them.

  • BatteriesĀ 

Batteries are made of lead-acid that corrodes surfaces such as concrete and other materials such as the dumpster itself. At the same time, if the acid were to find its way into the soil, it would end up poisoning the soil and interfere with the proper growth of plants and lawn grass. When the rains come, floods would wash the lead-acid and end up into the nearby water bodies where it would kill aquatic life.

  • Flammables

Highly flammable materials and items should never find their way into the dumpster. Materials and items such as aerosol cans, spray cans, oils, and grease are categorized as flammable items. When left under the scorching sun in the dumpster, they may explode and cause domestic fires or injure passersby. Most neighborhoods and municipalities have a process of collecting and disposing of such materials.

  • Wood Products

Some companies may take some time before hauling the dumpster from your sidewalk or driveway. If wood products were to be thrown into the dumpster, they would rot and cause mold that would in turn compromise your health and that of your loved ones. The best thing to do with wood waste is to throw it into the compost pit if you have one. Here, they would decompose and add nutrients into the soil. You can then use the compost manure to grow vegetables in the kitchen garden.

The waste to put into the dumpster entirely depends on the rules and regulations laid down by the garbage company and your municipality. It is always good to consult your garbage company to know what not to put into the dumpster. This is because doing so might leave you fighting legal battles or incurring hefty fines. Worse still, the materials could endanger your health and safety.