When you rent a dumpster, you are paying for a few different things. Sure, you are paying first and foremost to use the dumpster for a few days. However, you are also paying for dumpster delivery and dumpster pickup. There is a reason that you will pay more if you are farther away from the dumpster rental company. Delivery and pickup require travel time, which will always figure into your final bill.

The dumpster delivery process is simple enough. Most rental dumpsters are classified as “roll-off dumpsters,” which means they just roll directly off the truck and into your driveway. The entire drop-off process typically won’t take more than a few minutes. Once the delivery driver hits the road, you’re free to get to work and start filling your bin.

The pickup process, though, is a little more complicated. When your dumpster gets delivered, all you need to do is be on hand to accept the delivery. You have a few more responsibilities on the other side of the rental process. As such, you will probably want to get a sense of what to expect during a dumpster pickup before the pickup date arrives. This blog was written with that aim in mind.

The Anatomy of a Dumpster Pickup

Imagine that your dumpster rental is nearing its conclusion. You’ve had the bin for a few days and have mostly finished your cleanout project. Here’s how your pickup will go.

• Your pickup driver will arrive on time: When you set up your dumpster rental contract, you should have arranged times for drop-off and pickup. So long as you have chosen a dependable dumpster rental company, you should expect your pickup driver to arrive right on time. Many junk removal companies will even call 15 minutes ahead of your pickup time, to make sure you are home and that your dumpster is ready.
  
  
• Your pickup driver will assess how much junk is in your bin: After arriving to haul your dumpster away, your pickup driver should at least do a cursory inspection to see how much waste is in your bin. In some cases, the sole purpose of this step is to make sure that there isn’t too much junk in your container. If your bin is overflowing, then the driver cannot safely load it onto the truck or haul it away on public roads. You will, therefore, be required to remove excess refuse. If you have chosen a dumpster rental company that bills based on how much bin space you use, the pickup driver should also take note of how full the bin is. The idea behind this use-based model is that you pay less for a half-full dumpster than you would for a dumpster that is 90% full.

Note: If you can find a dumpster rental company in your area that offers a use-based billing model, go that route. Most dumpster hire businesses bill based on the size of your dumpster. These companies then charge you a flat rate, no matter how much space you use. Since it’s difficult to estimate how much dumpster capacity you are going to need for a cleanout or home renovation, this billing model isn’t exactly fair or equitable. A model that bills based on how much space you use is a lot more customer-friendly. 

• You might need to clear out junk if your dumpster is overflowing: As mentioned above, your pickup driver won’t be able to haul your trash away if it’s overflowing. Overflow junk might fall out of the bin when it gets loaded on the truck or fly out onto the road when the truck starts moving. Generally, dumpsters should be marked at their maximum load level. As a rule, try to make sure nothing is sticking out of the top of the bin. If you can look at the dumpster for the side without seeing any junk sticking out, you are probably okay. The exception will be if your dumpster is exceptionally heavy. If you’ve loaded your bin with a lot of bulky items—such as bricks or heavy furniture and appliances—then it might exceed the weight that your pickup driver can legally load onto his truck. In either case, you might need to clear out some overflow junk from your bin.

Note: To avoid a weight problem, it’s a good idea to consult your dumpster rental company before your rental to find out what restrictions are at play. To avoid issues with overflow, your best bet is to be strategic about how you are loading your dumpster. Tossing junk into the dumpster haphazardly might be the most natural or convenient thing, but you will be cursing the convenience later if you have to readjust. Load bulkier items on the bottom to make sure you can fit them in and break down items like cardboard boxes to avoid wasted space. These strategies are simple but will make it easier to fit everything in your bin without running into an overflow problem. 

• Your pickup driver will load the dumpster onto a truck and drive away: Once any overflow issues have been addressed, your rental is effectively over. The driver will load your dumpster onto the truck, secure everything, and bid you farewell. You’ll get to watch the bin (and all your junk with it) disappear down your street forever. From there, you’ll be able to enjoy a cleaner, more clutter-free home or business.

What Happens to Your Junk

Some customers aren’t worried about where their junk goes after the dumpster pickup. The most important thing is that it’s gone and isn’t cluttering up your space anymore. Other dumpster rental customers, though, want to know where their junk goes and whether it’s being dealt with in an environmentally conscious manner.

Where your junk goes will depend on the junk removal company you chose. Some dumpster rental businesses haul everything to the nearest landfill and dump everything indiscriminately. Others are more conscious about leaving things like electronic waste in a landfill, but resolve the problem by not allowing you to throw electronic waste in their dumpsters at all.

Other dumpster rental companies offer green junk removal services. With these companies, the pickup process is just the beginning. Your junk goes to a processing center, where teams sort through it and divide trash that can be reused from junk that can’t. Indeed, there are items in your dumpster that belong in a landfill. However, there are also probably things that can be recycled, donated, or otherwise repurposed. A green dumpster rental company will take care of the sorting process for you and will make sure everything gets to where it needs to go.

The Aftermath

After your pickup, you’ll get an invoice for your service—either in the mail or directly from your pickup driver. Review it for unexpected charges or fees. Depending on how your pickup went, you could see late fees or charges for junk overflow. If there are other fees that you don’t understand on your invoice, feel free to ask your rental provider. One thing that customers often look for when researching rental companies online is a mention of hidden fees—usually in online customer reviews. The best junk removal companies are transparent in their pricing and won’t use unfair billing practices to make a few extra bucks.

Ideally, your invoice will be exactly what you expected it to be and you will be able to pay with confidence and satisfaction. Companies that bill fairly are typically awarded in the long run, in the form of repeat customers. If you have a positive experience with your dumpster pickup process (and overall rental experience), remember the company for next time you need to do some junk removal.

At Junk King, we are proud to have had so many repeat customers over the years. Many people rely on us whenever they need junk removal services. In addition to our self-service dumpster rental offerings, we also offer a service where we handle the junk removal for you. If you are interested in either of these services and want to learn more, you can always give us a call at 1-888-888-JUNK. You can also book a rental via our homepage.