People can hire a dumpster for many different reasons. Some people need one to get rid of waste during a home renovation project, while other clients may need them for a large excavation project on a piece of land that they own. Whatever your project involves, there’s a good chance that you’ll be throwing away a lot of different materials and items into your dumpster. After all, we offer everything from 10-yard dumpsters all the way up to 30-yards, so there’s plenty of space for you to get rid of pretty much anything.
But what kind of things should you put in a dumpster? While there is plenty of space in our dumpster rentals, we do have a couple of rules that we expect our clients to follow. We don’t allow literally anything in our dumpsters because we do dispose of everything in a clean and environmentally-friendly manner, hence why there are some items that we will refuse to take.
So in this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the main differences between dumpster items and recycled items, and why it’s important to distinguish between them both before you hire one of our dumpsters.
What is the difference between dumpster items and recycled items?
When it comes to recycled items, we have to consider what can and can’t be recycled. For instance, plastic items such as bottles and cartons should ideally be recycled by a professional company. AZ Dumpster Rentals does not offer any kind of recycling services. Instead, we specialize in mid-sized dumpsters that are used specifically for solid waste products.
In our FAQ, we explain that our dumpsters will only take solid waste. Things like liquid waste and fluids are not accepted, and we also don’t take anything organic such as dead animals. If you try to place any of these items into our dumpsters, then we’ll unload them back onto your property and charge you a fee. We also don’t take certain items such as propane tanks as they need to be dismantled and disposed of by professionals. Simply throwing these restricted materials into your dumpster can be dangerous and they may pose a threat to our staff.
What can and can’t be recycled?
Recycling can be confusing at times, especially when you don’t know what items can and can’t be recycled. AZ Dumpster Rentals firmly believes that we all have a responsibility to recycle items when appropriate. Many people simply throw away items as trash without realizing that a lot of the materials and components in the trash they throw away can actually be recycled and reused. But what actually counts as a recycled item?
Some of the most common recycled items include:
- Paper and paper products
- Card and cardboard
- Plastic bottles and containers
- Glass containers and bottles
- Metal containers and bottles
- Food cartons
These are the most basic items that can be recycled. However, it’s worth mentioning that there are many other items that can be recycled, such as electronics or garage waste such as car parts, scrap metal, and even tires. These items usually require a more specialized recycling service as they can pose a danger to most typical recycling services. For instance, propane tanks can often be recycled and reused, and they should not be considered typical trash that you put into one of our dumpsters. But they also shouldn’t be given to any recycling service, as they need to be collected by special programs or a scrap recycler.
In order to avoid dumping any unnecessary recyclable items into our dumpster, it’s worth learning what can and can’t be recycled. Even if you don’t plan to hire a recycling service yet, you should set aside anything that can be recycled so that it doesn’t get mixed into our dumpsters.
Does AZ Dumpster Rentals take recycled items?
Recycling items is a good idea because it helps you contribute to less global waste. We all have a responsibility to reduce the amount of waste that we produce, and it’s helpful to turn those waste items into something new. However, AZ Dumpster Rentals does not provide recycling services.
Any solid waste that you place into our dumpsters will be disposed of in a safe and ethical manner, but we do not offer services to separate any recyclable waste. This is your responsibility and is something that you need to handle on your own. It may be helpful to hire a second dumpster that is specifically for recyclable materials. However, you’ll need to find another service that is capable of doing this as we only provide dumpsters for general solid waste.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you aren’t allowed to put any kind of recyclable items into our dumpsters. If you place something like metal cans or plastic bottles, then we’ll dispose of them like any other solid waste. However, we won’t pick them out and recycle them for our clients as it’s not a part of our services. In short, we highly recommend that all of our clients distinguish between recycled items and dumpster items before putting waste into our dumpsters.
What should be placed in a dumpster?
This question really depends on the service that you hire a dumpster from and the reason you’re hiring one. For example, our 10-yard dumpsters are designed specifically for concrete and dirt. If you’re planning to excavate some land and need a large dumpster for all of the excess dirt that you’re getting rid of, then it’s a great choice and should be large enough for most projects. It’s also ideal for concrete which you might generate from renovating a home, or if you’re a construction company that will be dismantling old buildings. Concrete waste is also common in demolition projects.
Disposing of concrete and dirt like this can help keep your construction site clean and tidy, but it’s important not to mix items into our dumpsters. If you need to dispose of general solid waste, then you’ll need to hire our 15, 20, or 30-yard dumpsters instead. These dumpsters are not suitable for things like bricks, concrete, dirt, and gravel. Instead, they’re intended for things such as a bathroom remodel or small construction projects. If you’re getting rid of old furniture, roof shingles, and other construction waste, then these dumpsters are well-suited for your project.
However, the most common use for one of our dumpsters is a renovation or construction project. Whether it’s from a commercial company that is doing large-scale demolitions or a small household that wants to renovate one or two rooms, our dumpster rentals are perfect for these kinds of situations. AZ Dumpster Rentals specializes in mid-sized dumpsters that are a great size for these projects, and we typically see solid building waste and household items that are no longer needed.
So to summarize, here’s what you should and shouldn’t put into our dumpsters:
10-yard dumpsters for concrete and dirt only
As described, our 10-yard dumpsters are specifically for concrete and general debris such as bricks, rocks, gravel, and tile. If you need to haul a lot of these materials, then we highly recommend hiring this size.
15-yard, 20-yard, and 30-yard dumpsters
These dumpsters are not suitable for bricks, rocks, concrete, dirt, gravel, or tile. We also do not recommend putting any small recyclable materials in them. Instead, they’re best for small construction projects that may produce a lot of junk such as drywall scraps, shingles, and broken furniture.
We suggest starting with a 15-yard dumpster and moving up to a 20-yard dumpster if you’re planning to take on a larger construction project. This could include a whole house renovation or even a small demolition project to prepare a piece of land for a brand-new home. If you’re taking on multiple projects in one area or are performing a large construction project, then our 30-yard dumpster is a better choice.
Things to consider before disposing of something in our dumpsters
We have fairly relaxed rules for our dumpsters. As long as you’re putting in solid waste and you’re following our FAQ guidelines of what not to put in, then you’re generally going to be fine. With the exception of our 10-yard dumpster that is specifically for concrete and dirt, you can put virtually anything in our dumpsters and we’ll dispose of it properly.
But if you’re worried about getting fined, then we have a few guidelines for you to help distinguish between dumpster items and recycled items.
Is it something that you would recycle normally?
Most households have a separate recycling bin that they use for general recycled goods. This can include things like paper and cardboard, glass items, cardboard, and so on. If the item you want to dispose of is usually something that would go into a recycling bin, then we recommend placing it into a recycling bin instead. This is because AZ Dumpster Rentals doesn’t provide recycling services. If you place cardboard or paper items into our dumpsters, then they’ll be disposed of as general waste with everything else in the dumpster.
Are there electronics involved?
If you’re throwing away some kind of electronic device such as a television or a computer into our dumpsters, then you may want to consider sending it to a specialized scrap recycling service instead. Many of the components inside these electronic devices can contain valuable metals, but they cannot be recycled in a regular recycling bin. We also don’t recycle these products, nor do we take them to a recycling service. So before you place any electronics into our dumpsters, consider sending them to a specialized recycling service that can help you recycle those unwanted electronics. Even if the electronics currently don’t work, it’s still worth extracting the rare metals and components in them.
Is there a lot of metal?
During some demolition or renovation projects, you may actually produce a lot of metal waste. For instance, if you’re taking down a garage or a shed that has metal siding, then you may end up with large sheets of metal that are still perfectly good to be used in other projects. Metal like this can easily be recycled and reused. Unfortunately, AZ Dumpster Rentals does not provide any kind of recycling service for metal. If you end up with a lot of panels or other scrap metal, then we’d suggest contacting a recycling or scrap service to pick them up instead.
These are just some general guidelines that we recommend following. While we’re perfectly fine taking any kind of solid waste from your projects, we do recommend that you separate any recyclable materials so that they can be disposed of correctly and reused when possible.
Conclusion
The best way to learn about dumpster items vs recycled items is to identify what can and can’t be recycled. Any small items that you would normally put into a recycling bin shouldn’t be placed in our dumpsters. Large recyclable items such as electronics and scrap metal should also be disposed of by a specialized service. While our dumpsters do accept these items, we don’t provide recycling services which means they will be disposed of like any other form of waste.
If you’re unsure about what can and can’t be placed into our dumpsters, then don’t hesitate to give AZ Dumpster Rentals a call today for more information.
