When you’re considering renting a dumpster for your next project, you may have a lot of questions. Fortunately, this dumpster rental guide for Rochester residents is designed to give you at least basic answers to the most frequent questions, with links to many of our other resources. This makes it much easier for you to drill down for more depth when you need additional information on a specific aspect of dumpster rentals.

Helpful Guide to Dumpster Rentals: Everything You Need to Know

A roll-off dumpster rental is often a perfect option for larger projects, such as significant clean-out projects, remodeling, estate cleanups, community gatherings, and similar events. Here are some of the most common questions we get from our clients.

What Determines the Cost of Dumpster Rental Services?
The answer to this question is based on several factors. Dumpsters are typically rented by capacity in cubic yards, the number of days in the rental period, and how far from the home office the dumpster must be delivered and picked up from.

Size
Do you want a 10 yard dumpster, a 15 yard dumpster, or a 20 yard dumpster? In some situations, these differences won’t take up more room but will often simply have higher sidewalls to accommodate the additional capacity. That being said, a larger dumpster may cost more but may be a lower overall cost than having several small dumpster rentals for the same project.

Rental Period Length
How long will you need your dumpster rental for? In many cases, you can prepare things ahead of the project to ensure that you’ll be able to get a lot of items in quickly, allowing you to go with a shorter rental period. However, if you have strict HOA or city ordinances that make this difficult, it may make sense to simply rent for a longer period of time.

Distance
Though some dumpster rental companies will include the delivery and pickup fees in their quote, it often falls within a specific area. If you’re outside of that area, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get a dumpster rental, but that there may be an additional delivery and pickup charge to cover the cost of fuel to reach your area.

What Do I Need to Do to Prepare for a Dumpster Rental?

Depending on the type of dumpster you’re getting, there are a few things you can do to make the process go smoothly.

Call Ahead of Your Need
Though it seems like it should be obvious, calling to schedule your drop-off well ahead of your needed day and time is important. Festivals, community events, and fall garage cleanouts can fill up a dumpster rental company’s schedule quickly, so make sure to call ahead to get service when you need it.

Clear Your Space
A roll-off dumpster does just that – it rolls off onto a surface. If the surface isn’t clear, then we can’t place the dumpster. Ask for the dimensions of the dumpster, then make sure to clear more than that area for the dumpster to be set on so that there’s room for the driver to maneuver. Though pavement is preferred, packed soil can also be used for your dumpster.

Take Care of Permits or Licenses
Some cities and HOAs require you to apply for and receive a permit or license to have a dumpster on your property, especially if it’s on a public street. In some situations, you may be able to get around this by having it placed in the backyard, but no matter what, make sure that you have the paperwork you need so that you don’t face expensive fines for your dumpster rental.

What Can I Put in a Rental Dumpster?
Though there’s a vast range of things you can place in a rental dumpster, there are a number of things that should be kept out. Here’s a quick list to make it easier to determine what to exclude from your dumpster:

• Electronics: These cannot be disposed of in your dumpster, but there are buyback and recycling programs available.
• Hazardous Household Waste: These include fluorescent bulbs, motor oil and filters, wet paint, medications, sharp items, household cleaners, batteries, and more.
• Liquids: Dumpsters may appear pretty solid, but they’re not actually watertight. This means whatever you’re throwing is just going to leak out again.
• Cooling appliances: Freon or other cooling gases are under pressure, which can cause serious problems if they’re not known to be in a dumpster.
• Aerosol cans under pressure: Because these are pressurized, they can have disastrous effects if thrown and then compacted. Empty the can before adding it to the dumpster.
• Large tanks: Harmful gases from your other trash can collect in large propane, water, and other tanks, leading to a possible explosion risk.

When you’re planning your dumpster rental in Rochester, keeping this dumpster rental guide in mind will allow you to do an excellent job while knowing exactly what to expect ahead of the rental and how to get things done efficiently and effectively. If you’re ready to rent a dumpster for your next project or event, the experienced professionals at Gateway Dumpsters in Rochester can provide dumpster rental tips, tricks, regulation information, and more. Contact us today to get started!