How To Avoid Overweight Charges With Your Next Dumpster Rental
Posted on: 14 December 2015
If you rent a dumpster, the rental company may put a limit on how much your waste may weigh. Unfortunately, if you exceed that limit, you may end up receiving overage charges equal to $100 per ton or more. Luckily, there are ways to avoid overloading your dumpster. Take a look at these weight-cutting ideas:
Recycle as much as possible
One of the key ways to ensure you don't exceed the weight limits of your dumpster is to simply put less in it. Instead of throwing away all of the waste and debris you have from your project, recycle as much as possible.
To recycle old metal that your recycling company won't take, take it to a scrap yard. Alternatively, put up an ad online offering old metal for free, and someone is likely to pick it up.
If you have old building materials, from half-filled cans of paint to old cabinets to bits of flooring, you can often recycle them by donating them to a shop that specializes in building supplies. For example, many nonprofits that focus on building homes for homeless families accept these types of donations and may even be willing to pick them up from your home.
Most importantly, make a plan to recycle old concrete. It is one of the heaviest things you can throw away, but reusing chunks of concrete in decorative paths or patios is becoming more popular, making it increasingly easier to find someone to take away your old concrete for free.
Mind the construction debris sign
If you cannot recycle your old concrete or if you have other building debris, you need to mind the construction debris line inside your dumpster. Because construction waste tends to be so heavy, most dumpster manufacturers anticipate the risk of overloading your dumpster, and they mark the inside of the dumpster with a line.
It typically says something along the lines of "construction debris fill line". Basically, it indicates that construction debris filled to that line weighs roughly the same as average waste filling the whole dumpster. If you have lots of construction waste and you want to ensure your dumpster is safely loaded and not over weight limits, you need to pay attention to this line.
Avoid water weight
If water builds up in your dumpster, it will unnecessarily increase the weight of the dumpster. To prevent this, rent a dumpster that has a valve in the bottom to release water. If you notice water building up in the dumpster, make sure the drain is not clogged.
For additional protection, cover the dumpster at the end of the day. You can use its own lid, but if it doesn't have one, tie some waterproof tarps over its top. Also, remember not to add waterlogged items to the dumpster.
For example, imagine you are throwing away an old roll of carpet. If you throw it into the dumpster immediately and cover the dumpster, you prevent the carpet from getting wet, and you keep it at its natural weight. However, if you throw the roll of carpet on the ground next to the dumpster for a couple of days and it gets wet during a rainstorm, it will be waterlogged and heavier than normal when you finally throw it into the dumpster.
When repeated multiple times, seemingly small incidents like the one described above can make your dumpster too heavy.
For more tips on keeping the weight in your dumpster down, talk with your dumpster rental company. If you are worried about overweight charges, make sure to ask about them in advance so you are not surprised when paying your bill.
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