Knowing what is safe to put in a dumpster — and what can not go in one — is important in ensuring you get the most out of your dumpster rental and can use it over and over again without damaging the product or the workers around you. Perhaps you are on a busy construction site or at an office complex that requires housing large amounts of trash. If so, you might be wondering what can go in a dumpster?
The good news is that almost anything can go in a dumpster.
For the majority of projects, this includes wood, dirt, landscaping waste, shingles, walling, and more. Wiring and cables, metal and scraps, and other materials are also normally fine for dumping. If you are doing a demolition, you may have large planks of wood, cinder blocks, or other building materials that are being taken apart and need somewhere to go so you have a clean site to work with. Dumpsters can handle all of these materials. Similarly, if you are breaking ground and are working on new construction, dirt can also be housed in your rental dumpsters.
Shingles and walling can also go into dumpsters, however it’s important that materials are checked for asbestos — which brings us to another important question.
If we know what can go into dumpsters, then what should absolutely not go in one?
Besides unsafe materials and electronics, dumpsters are usually built to carry and withstand almost all conceivable forms of waste. However hazardous, toxic, and flammable materials should not go into our dumpsters — these can catch on fire and lead to great damage on your site, or they can spread dangerous molecules that can impact the health and safety of workers on your site. Other dangerous items and weapons like firearms should also not be disposed of in dumpsters. Batteries and computers must not go in dumpsters either and should be thrown out in tech-friendly ways. Some companies will also have their own specifications about what can and can not go in their dumpsters; these no-no materials may also include car tires, glass, or other items that the company dictates.
In general, however, all of the materials found on a construction site can be tossed out without problem. Finding a dumpster that’s the right size and can be delivered and picked up in a timely fashion is important to making sure your job stays on task. As such, dumpsters are a key part of any project and allow you to have a vessel for trash so your site is free of unwanted excess materials.
Find the dumpster company that works best for your sector, be it industrial, construction, manufacturing, or another field, and ask about materials that can be thrown out without worry.