The top 7 must know rules for success before filling a rolloff dumpster rental.
Ignoring these rules for dumpster rental in Cedar Park, TX can result in big fines, and putting others in danger. Everyday experienced contractors fall for these Austin dumpster service pitfalls. While some companies will disclose these debris roll off box operation rules to you, others won’t tell you until the rules are broken. Either way, do the right thing so everyone is out of danger.
1. No material is allowed above the top of dumpster wall.
Overfilled: all debris must be below the top of wall on the Austin dumpster rental.
Smart Austin waste management companies refuse to pick up the container if debris is above the top of the wall. This is for safety reasons. If the bin rental is loaded too high, and they cannot safely remove it, the client is charged a $85 to $150 dry-run trip fee. Why? The Austin rubbish removal company is trying to recover their costs for coming to get the demolition box, and not being able to get it. Plus, every day that the container sits overfilled, the client is often paying a daily rate of $5 to $20 for rental. What is the solution? Do things right the first time.
Why won’t they pick it up? If trash is over the wall height, it is dangerous for the driver to tarp the rolloffs. Also garbage might rip and render the tarp unusable, which costs $200 to $700 to replace.
Most importantly, when driving down the highway, waste can easily shift, fall off, creating a road hazard and injure motorists. This is why highway patrol assess major fines for overloaded container rentals. These fines are charged to the client. The bottom line: follow the rules, nothing sticking out or above the wall.
Tip: most overfilled demolition boxes are not a result of the contractor who is paying the bill. The laborer overloads it, but the client is who pays the bill. So you really have to manage the laborer, and inspect their work at the end. As you continue to read, it will be easier to avoid the dumpster rental pitfalls.
2. Load the debris weight level throughout roll off rental.
Some companies will dump the construction trash back onto the job site if the load is unsafe to haul. Here is why this is important: if the garbage weight is not evenly distributed throughout the bin, it makes it dangerous to remove. It makes the roll off truck more likely to turnover on the highway, injure the waste management driver and other motorists.
Here is what not to do: don’t put all the heavy rubbish in toward the top of the construction trash box. Some workers do this to help push down the lighter debris and make more room. Don’t put all the heavy garbage on one side or corner of the bin, this makes the roll off truck teeter-totter back and forth going down the highway – not safe. Here’s more dumpster rental pitfalls.
3. No concrete, dirt, rock, tile or other earthy materials.
Earthy materials weight about 1-ton to 2-tons per 1-yard. If you need to dispose of earthy materials (like concrete), tell the roll off rental companies upfront. You can get a trash bin exclusively for those materials, and have them disposed of as clean fill so that you don’t have to pay $200 to $1,500 in overweight fees. Clean fill costs a flat rate regardless of weight, but it has to be only earthy materials in the container to qualify. If you mix earthy materials with regular debris, then you pay for the garbage, and the heavy concrete.
More importantly is safety. If a debris container has a mix of earthy materials and other debris, it will often exceed the maximum legal weight limit that the rolloff truck can haul. When the driver is pulled over by law enforcement, carrying your load, the overweight ticket is charged to the client. The authorities carry mobile scales in their vehicles, and weigh dump trucks on the side of the road. Fines start at $2,000 the first time, and go up from there. Plus the waste collection service driver can lose their license for putting other motorists in danger.
If you need to dispose of concrete, brick, tile or other earthy materials here is how to do it. A bin rental truck with two axles can usually haul a maximum of 5-yards of concrete, dirt or stone debris. A industrial sized rolloff truck with 3-axles total (2-axles in rear) can haul about 10-yards. The best strategy is to get a dump truck that holds exactly the maximum weight.
If the rolloff truck can haul 5-yards of concrete, ask for a 5-yard box. If you rent a 20-yard dumpster that can only haul 5-yards of concrete, it is very hard to know when to stop. Many contractors think they will know when to stop, but most of them end up shoveling garbage back out of the container rental in order to get it removed. Make it simple, just get the right size from the start. Learn how to Estimate Weight per Cubic Yard of Debris here.
4. Daily rent fee to extend length of rolloff rental.
Before delivery, you will agree to a certain number of days for the container rental term. If you choose to keep the construction trash box longer than the agreed upon time, one of a couple things will happen. If the bin is already committed to another customer, the refuse company will just come pick it up. If they can afford to extend your rental, they will assess a daily rate of $5 to $20-daily to recover their loss for the non-producing asset. Many Austin garbage collection companies plan on renting their trash bin to a new client each week.
Let’s say you pay $400 for your roll off. For every week beyond the first week that you keep the demolition box, the company loses $400 in revenue. So if you keep a dumpster for 4-weeks, and they otherwise would have rented it 3 more times, they lost $1,200 in revenue by allowing you to keep the garbage container. So they charge a daily rate to recoup some of that loss, and obviously to motivate you to return the waste bin rental so they can put it back to work.
5. Trip fee for travel to job site without delivery or pick up.
If the company drives to your job site and is unable to deliver, pick up or swap your roll off rental for any of the reasons mentioned within this guide, or because a car or materials are blocking access to the container, you can expect a trip fee from $85 to $150. This charge is recover expenses the waste management company incurs for the trip including truck driver time, fuel, and lost opportunity cost of not being able to make another successful trip where a delivery, pick up or swap is performed. For further details on exactly how much a trip costs a company, see #2 in the article 4 Dictators Austin Dumpster Rental Prices.
6. Cleaning fee – No paint, concrete, glue, vandalism.
Your bin rental should be delivered clean without markings. While most private waste hauler companies don’t have a reputation for clean containers, they still don’t want you to damage the roll off box. When paint, concrete and other materials get stuck on the outside or inside of the box, the company should wash, sand, and repaint that part of the trash container before sending it back out. Most companies charge $50 to $100 per hour for cleaning the roll off rental.
7. No hazardous waste in the Austin dumpster rental.
Hazardous waste material includes: tires, batteries of any kind, any liquids, paint, oil, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, refrigerators, televisions, volatile or any radioactive waste. If you have any of these materials, the waste management company cannot take them.
If these items are discovered at the Austin landfill, various (and outrageous) fees may be assessed by the Austin dump, or garbage collection service company per item in violation.
Instead, call (512) 974-4373 for Austin Resource Recovery and take the items to: 3810 Todd Lane (Near I35 and 290). Their hours are M-F 8 AM to 4 PM. It is a City of Austin program and is usually free for hazardous waste.
What does it all mean?
If you think these common safety violation charges are harsh, you’re right. The ugly truth is that many people have serious misconceptions about what is okay to do with a Austin dumpster rental. They don’t consider what happens after they throw something into the trash bin, or how it impacts the safety of people who drive behind the rolloff truck on the highway.
The solution is simple. Know what to and what not to do. Then inform your crew and subcontractors. Inspect their work at the end. It may be an extra step for you, but safety is very important.
Again, these 7 charges are a guideline for how Austin garbage dump companies operate, but each company is different. Even if a company doesn’t disclose a fee for violating these safety rules, you should still follow them because local authorities may come back to assess the fines that the rolloff company does not.
I hope you find the information valuable, and if you have any questions please call my office at 512-774-5666.
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