If you are planning to renovate a room in your home for the first time, then you likely know that you will need to rent a dumpster to put the debris in and that you'll need to determine which size to rent. However, before you continue your calculations, make sure you know what materials cannot be combined in just one dumpster and what items cannot be placed in a dumpster at all. Read on to find out what these items are and what to do with them to ensure your first DIY home renovation project goes smoothly and without interruptions due to not knowing what to do with trash.  

1. Heavy Compact Materials Need Their Own Dumpster

While every dumpster rental company may have their specific list of what they consider compact materials and what they don't, know that you will need a dedicated dumpster for them. Compact materials typically include concrete, bricks, and dirt. Also, throw anything made of heavy metal, such as lawn statues; heavy ceramic; or porcelain tiles, toilets, and sink basins in this dumpster. 

Why do you need a separate dumpster for these materials? It is simply due to their weight-to-size ratio. If the company allowed you to mix these materials with others, it may lead to you creating an overweight load that the driver picking up the dumpster would not be allowed to transport legally. This would leave you or them having to remove items from the dumpster before they could drive it to the local dump. 

How does separating these materials help control load weights? There are special dumpsters given to customers who need to dispose of heavy compact materials. These dumpsters each have a designated "fill line" that has been calculated carefully. The company has determined that when that specific dumpster is filled to the fill line with heavy materials, it will weight just about the legal weight limit for transport. This makes it easier for them and customers to avoid breaking load-weight laws. 

2. Some Items Are Forbidden from Dumpsters

It isn't always obvious to know which items can go into dumpsters, so it is important for you to learn the list of forbidden items and also pass it on to any helpers you have recruited. Since it can be easy to forget in the midst of a long, hard day, it is also a good idea to place a large sign where your family and helpers can see it. 

Biohazardous and medical waste are forbidden from the dumpster. If you are renovating a guest room or one that you routinely rent out, two items you may encounter are used razors and used syringes, such as those used to administer insulin medication. These items are considered biohazardous waste. Medical waste you may find includes unused syringes and clothing items (or any item) that have blood or other bodily fluids on them.

Each type of item must be handled and discarded differently. Take a look at the disposal guidelines and have the proper containers on-site and ready to go in case they are encountered in your rental room. If they are the property of a family member, then just ask them to dispose of them how they typically do; diabetics should have the proper syringe disposal containers already and can add them to their container.

Other common items you cannot place in the dumpster include batteries, bottles of pesticides (such as those used to spray garden weeds), fluorescent tube light bulbs, full or even partially full cans of paint, large appliances, and any other containers of chemicals (such as those used to maintain a pool or automotive fluids).  Also, any aerosol can, chemical cleaning product, or other item on the EPA list cannot be mixed with typical trash in a dumpster.

These items are known as household hazardous waste. To dispose of them properly, the EPA suggests contacting the city waste disposal company and finding a location to take them or requesting pickup. You should always know how to dispose of these items properly, so follow these guidelines in the future as well if you have been mistakenly throwing them out in your normal trash during day to day life. 

If you are renting a dumpster for your first DIY home renovation project, then know what materials must be placed in their own dumpsters and what cannot be placed in your dumpsters at all. Realize that dumpster guidelines are not in place not to hassle you, but to help you and the dumpster rental company avoid breaking local and federal laws. Find a roll off dumpster rental company in your area and ask them any further questions you may have.

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