So you have come to a point in your life where you need a dumpster. Whether you are ordering a dumpster to handle a construction project, a remodel project, a house cleanout or just to “get rid of some stuff”, there are 5 pitfalls you should avoid that will make your project (and life) that much easier. While the need for a dumpster can vary, there are some common mistakes that people make that are easily avoided with a little thought and some simple planning. I will address these issues and give you some common sense strategies to help you avoid falling into these traps.
1) Order the correct size dumpster for your project. There is no worse situation you can put yourself into than ordering a dumpster that is too small to complete the job. The cost of getting 2 small dumpsters to cover what 1 larger dumpster could have done is significant but easily avoided. If you are getting a construction dumpster, you should discuss the dumpster size with your contractor. Contractors deal with dumpsters frequently and they also know how much debris a typical project produces. Relying on a reputable contractor’s opinion is often all that is needed. This is not to say they are always right, but they have years of experience doing this type of work and can often guide you in the right direction. If you are doing your project yourself, talk to your hauler. We also have years of experience helping our customers choose the proper size dumpster to fit their needs. Dumpsters for house cleanouts can get complicated depending on the size of the house and amount of debris you are throwing out. We are a valuable resource and are always happy to help here at D&D Disposal.
2) Many projects require more than one dumpster. If you are doing a slow moving project such as a new home construction or remodeling project, getting additional dumpsters is not a time sensitive issue. You usually know you are going to need a switch out long enough in advance to simply order the next container for whatever day you need it, but some projects are time sensitive and require some extra planning. Projects like house cleanouts and demolition jobs can be very fast paced and having full dumpsters can bring the entire project to a screeching halt. The simplest solution to this is communication. If you are planning on cleaning out a whole house in 1 day and think you might need more than 1 dumpster, tell your hauler. If your hauler knows what you are dealing with and that you may need additional dumpsters, they will tell you exactly what they need to make sure that happens for you. They may need 1 hours’ notice. Maybe they will need more, but they will know and can advise you on exactly what they need to service you. The last thing you want is your help standing in the front yard waiting for another dumpster!
3) Think carefully about where you are going to put the dumpster. Where you put the dumpster will make all the difference in the world. For most projects, it is simple. Put the dumpster in the driveway and either leave room to open the door or get the dumpster as close to the house as possible. It doesn’t get any easier than that, but then there are special circumstances to consider in other cases. For example, let’s say you are putting an addition onto your house and you will have a dumpster on your property for an extended period of time. You may want to keep your driveway for yourself and place the dumpster somewhere else. But now you have to start thinking about the logistics of your job. When deciding where to place the dumpster you will want to think about things such as deliveries you may be getting, where you may need to set up equipment and where your trash will be coming from. You don’t want to have a dumpster in your way or pay your hauler to come back just to move your dumpster.
4) Pay particular attention to the rental period with your hauler. Don’t run out of time! Find out what the rental period is and what their policies are should you need more (or less) time. You will also want to ask whether the hauler automatically schedules your dumpster for pickup or if you need to schedule a dumpster removal yourself. If you only have a certain number of days, you don’t want to have your dumpster removed before you are finished. If you wait until the last minute to fill your dumpster quite a few things can get in your way. Weather is the number 1 culprit here. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that they almost finished, but the weather stopped them over the last “couple of days” of the rental. Mother nature is unpredictable and not open to discussion on whether or not it will rain….
5) The MOST common yet easiest problem to avoid is getting the dumpster on the right day. It seems like a no brainer doesn’t it? If you are starting your project on Wednesday morning, you get the dumpster Wednesday right? Not so fast. Are you starting in the early morning? Does your project start depend on the dumpster being there? Are you going to have a full crew of people with nothing to do without a dumpster? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you may want to put some thought into your delivery day. We get calls from people often asking when their dumpster is coming (on their delivery day) because they are there waiting for it. No special requests were made regarding delivery times when they ordered the dumpster and we had no idea what they were doing. We understand that sometimes, people just forget to tell us or ask us about delivery times. Not everyone on a delivery schedule can be first. Oftentimes, a dumpster may need to be pulled from another customer and dumped before it can be brought to your job. We find that people forget to ask us when they can get their dumpster a lot. We advise our customers to follow a simple rule: If you need your dumpster for first thing in the morning, schedule your delivery for the day before you are beginning your project. While we can often accommodate requests for morning deliveries or special times, they can’t be guaranteed, period. This is trucking. Trucks break down, they have accidents, they hit traffic. While these are rare events, they do happen and being the person who it “rarely happens to” isn’t any help to you on the day you are standing around waiting for your dumpster. Just plan ahead.
While these mistakes may seem like “no brainers”, they happen all the time. When you are in the midst of a chaotic event, sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference! Taking a few moments to walk yourself through your project from start to finish will help avoid problems and frustration! I hope this helps make your project run smoothly and problem free!