A lot of people are concerned about eco-friendly waste management, and it’s easy to see why. The more environmentally friendly a dumpster service is, the better it can be for the planet as well as your local area. But are they actually eco-friendly?
Some Misconceptions
It’s important to get something out of the way first. Dumpster rental will basically never be completely eco-friendly, since the dumpster still needs to be picked up by a fuel-powered vehicle. However, some companies have eco-friendly services that produce substantially lower amounts of pollution and fuel usage.
Also, remember that disposal is a large part of waste management too. Eco-friendly disposal and/or recycling are often more important than the pickup process.
Eco-Friendly Dumpsters
Eco-friendly dumpster rental usually focuses on minimizing the amount of fuel used and reducing the number of items that have to be completely thrown away once collected. Depending on the exact company, the focus can change slightly.
Fuel
All dumpster collection vehicles need fuel in some form. However, a large dumpster can hold a huge amount of waste and only needs one trip. Even with the higher fuel usage of a larger vehicle with a heavy load, a dumpster can result in lower fuel usage overall, since that one trip is the only one you need.
Storage
Another benefit of dumpsters is that it stores all the waste in one place, making the pickup process as easy as raising the dumpster onto the truck that carries it. The waste can all be pooled into one item for easier transport with a single truck.
Location
The closer a dumpster rental service and disposal point are to your home or project site, the more eco-friendly they can be. This reduces fuel costs for getting there and picking up the waste, as well as making it far more likely that the delivery and pickup team know where they’re going without needing directions.
For example, a dumpster rental in Pittsburgh would serve Pittsburgh residents very well, and with less fuel used per trip.
Recycling
More and more dumpster rental companies are offering recycling as an option every day, and some even have a ‘green dumpsters’ service where you can rent recycling-exclusive dumpsters for large amounts of recyclable waste. Depending on your project, this can be a major time-saver and a great eco-friendly option.
Dumpster Sizes
Another major benefit to dumpsters is that they come in a range of sizes, meaning that they can each hold different amounts of waste. While larger ones are heavier and take more fuel to actually move, this also means that you can have a single container with an entire project’s waste inside it.
Once again, this means much easier disposal with a lower fuel cost. However, for smaller projects, you can go for a much smaller dumpster that doesn’t need that much fuel to move. It depends on the scale of the work that you’re doing and the waste that you’re creating.
Are Dumpsters Eco-Friendly?
Eco-friendly dumpsters are a real thing, but even if you’re not looking for a ‘green dumpster’ specifically, they can be a lot more environmentally friendly than trying to dispose of your waste all by yourself.