If you're giving your home a makeover, landscaping the garden, or having a thorough spring clean, the resulting waste is likely going to be too much for your standard-issue trash bins.

 However, there's more than likely a dumpster that has more than enough room to accommodate the trash. Although you might assume that a dumpster rental is as easy as picking up the phone and waiting for the receptacle to arrive, you need to consider size, whether you'll need a permit, the environmental impact, and how to use it safely.

Additionally, you ought to think about whether a dumpster is the best choice when other options are available. Below, this article will cover everything you need to know to rent the right dumpster before finally examining whether a different service might be a better choice.

Choose the Right Size Dumpster

Dumpster sizes are typically either large or huge and aren’t suitable for smaller homeowner jobs. Also, remember that the larger the dumpster, the higher the cost of the rental. A cubic yard is equal to 27 cubic feet. So, if you imagine a box 3 feet high by 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall, this is the amount of junk that will fit into a cubic yard. If possible, try to imagine the volume of your trash in this way to estimate which size is right for the task at hand.

Junk-King’s 12 cubic yard self-serve dumpster rental is ideal for smaller DIY or spring cleaning projects.

Consider the Environmental Impact

Even though your primary concern may be getting rid of a large volume of waste as quickly as possible when renting dumpsters, you should take the time to find a company that takes recycling seriously. Landfills hurt the environment, and unfortunately, the USA is the biggest waste producer in the world.

Every year, Americans produce between 250 and 400 million tons of garbage, and a significant portion of that ends up in landfills. Decomposing waste in landfills results in more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and dangerous chemicals can also find their way into our waterways and be hazardous to sanitation workers' health.

While the US is making improvements regarding how much we recycle, we still have a long way to go. Currently, we recycle around 54 percent of all recyclable paper products and just 10 percent of solid garbage. In fact, according to estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency, we only recycle 30 percent of waste out of a total 75 percent that we could potentially recycle.

As you can see, we need to do more to take care of the environment and minimize our dependency on landfills, and thankfully, most dumpster rental companies are doing their part. Nevertheless, you should ensure the service you choose separates waste and recyclables whenever possible. Reputable junk removal companies do it, so dumpster rental companies should too.

Take Precautions

Last but certainly not least, you should keep safety in mind when filling your dumpster, and that usually just means applying some common sense. For example, don't position the receptacle close to low-hanging power lines or cause any traffic obstructions, and keep kids away from the dumpster. Some other safety tips include:

• Don't try to lift objects that are too heavy
• Don't climb into the dumpster unless necessary
• Don't throw hazardous household waste (HHW) into the receptacle. Examples of HHW include certain paints, acrylics, oils, batteries, and highly-flammable fluids.
• Don't try to move the dumpster
• Don't just throw waste into the receptacle – this could be dangerous for people close to the container. This practice also uses the space inefficiently.

As mentioned above, don't try to overfill your dumpster because, by law, the rental company won't be able to take it away. They'll either leave the receptacle with you and charge a fine or level it before removing it, leaving you with junk not hauled away.

Do You Really Need a Dumpster?

Instead of renting a dumpster for a relatively small volume of waste, you could call a professional junk removal company like Junk King to retrieve and dispose of your garbage. You often pay more for a 20-yard dumpster for the week than you would for a junk removal service with a 15 cubic yard truck.

In addition to being more cost-effective in certain situations, a waste retrieval service will do all the heavy lifting and remove all your junk in the space of a day. Plus, the most reputable companies like Junk King take recycling seriously and salvage up to 60 percent of your junk. Of course, some renovation, cleaning, and demolition projects demand a dumpster that remains on-site for the required duration, but it's worth considering the alternative option before deciding.

Either way, Junk King can help. Call us today for a no-obligation discussion to see which solution makes the most sense for you.