Top 5 Dumpster Rental Mistakes to Avoid

Renting a dumpster comes with responsibilities and things to be aware of so you have a smooth experience. No, it doesn’t work like an insurance policy where the point is to trap you and take your money. The point is to create a fair working relationship that protects both parties. In business, everyone should win, which includes the customer and the company, right? Here’s some mistakes to watch out for so you have maximum convenience and no trouble getting rid of your stuff:

1. Poor Dumpster Placement

Not placing your dumpster in the right spot may be the top problem because it can lead to so many other problems. For example, putting your dumpster rental on a city street when the city doesn’t allow dumpsters on streets at all can result in hefty fines. Placing your dumpster in your driveway with no plywood beneath can result in additional cracks. Having your dumpster in your driveway without remembering how it affects your ability to park your car can result in making you late. Or, maybe you pay fines because you park somewhere else you can’t. Putting your bin at the end of your driveway can block your view of pedestrians and other drivers, increasing the risk of a car accident. And have you left enough room between your dumpster and your home so that it doesn’t block any doors? At the same time, have you placed your dumpster close enough to your home such that it doesn’t require too far to walk to dispose of your junk? These are all things to think through before choosing the final location for your dumpster. And if placing your dumpster forces you to expose yourself to one of these risks, consider how you will compensate for that.

2. Tossing Materials into Your Dumpster That Can’t Be in There

As much as we’d like to keep it simple and tell you that you can put whatever you want in your dumpster, you just can’t do that. Laws don’t work that way. For example, you can’t put paint in your dumpster. If you do, you’ll find yourself with some fines to pay. While it usually makes sense what you can’t put in your dumpster, some things might surprise you. For example, animal waste, animal carcasses, oil, batteries, adhesives, food, and chemical containers can’t go in Blue Star’s dumpsters. Again, if you place any of those in your dumpster, you can end up paying fines.

3. Misjudging How Long You’ll Need Your Dumpster

The typical homeowner keeps their dumpster for about three-and-a-half days. Blue Star lets you keep your dumpster without paying any additional fees for 10 days. For most situations, you can easily keep one of our dumpsters without having to worry about having to pay for using it longer than intended. But, life happens. You know you have your dumpster for 10 days, so it’s easy to say,”Oh. Well, I have so long to keep this dumpster. There’s no rush. I’ll just throw more stuff in tomorrow when I’m not so tired.” Then, tomorrow becomes the next day. And then it becomes the day after. Then you have to stay late for work unexpectedly. Or, your child has a school activity you forgot about. Suddenly, you find yourself with not enough time to fill up your dumpster. And then, you have to pay a little more. Rather than waiting to actually get your dumpster, start organizing your stuff for disposal immediately. Get it all into one area of your property so you don’t have to go around and consolidate it when you actually have your dumpster. And when you get your dumpster, get to the job right away (at least part of it). Make sure you avoid unnecessary late fees and that your dumpster only costs what you thought!

4. Renting from a Broker

In the dumpster rental industry, you have two kinds of companies:

1. Ones owned and operated out of the area which really just serve as call centers who then hand your request off to someone else (brokers)
2. Locally owned and operated dumpster rental companies

It goes without saying that you get better service from local companies. Remember, they depend on their reputation to keep business coming in. When they give you great service, you reward them by leaving a positive Google review or telling your friends and neighbors about the company. Brokers operate on volume. If they botch a few jobs, including yours, it’s not a big deal. They always have other customers coming in. Or, they can just focus on a new geographic region if need be. It’s not that you never get good service from brokers. But you have a much higher risk of poor service with them.

5. Choosing the Cheapest Possible Dumpster

From a practical standpoint, cheaper dumpsters frequently end up costing you more. For example, let’s say you go with a smaller dumpster size. When you fill it up, you find that you don’t have enough room for all your junk. So, the company has to haul your dumpster away and bring it back. That costs you more than getting the right-size dumpster and having it delivered and hauled away just once. You also expose yourself to the risk of poor service. Companies that charge low prices have to cut corners behind the scenes to make the prices work. For example, they pay their employees low wages. That attracts just about anybody desperate for work. Those workers don’t value service or relationships. And then you find yourself getting your dumpster late, or even not at all! Or, if you have questions, they just recite answers. While the answers may be correct, you can tell they’re just slamming you through their process as fast as possible to keep their profit healthy. So, if something goes wrong in the relationship, which you have a higher chance of, you may just be out of luck and not get a fair resolution to your concern.

Renting Your Dumpster Doesn’t Have to be a Science

When disposing of your stuff, you just want to get your dumpster, fill it, and get it hauled away. And with the right dumpster rental company, that’s exactly what happens. Now that you know many of the common mistakes that happen when renting dumpsters, you’re ready for a smooth experience, and a lot more space around your property!