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Dumpster Rentals for Dirt: Choosing the Right Option


Blog - posted by Benjamin hinge - July 19, 2024

Did you know that you can rent a dumpster for dirt? With summer garden work or outdoor projects, your property probably has a lot of displaced dirt as a result of your work. But where does all that extra dirt go? In order to continue building and have more usable areas of your property, that extra dirt needs to be removed. One of the best ways you can handle this sediment removal is with a specialty dirt dumpster, a roll off that has the tonnage capacity and durability required to haul the sediment to a proper location.  There is a lot to consider with dirt and how to use a roll off dumpster effectively in the process. This article will be your complete guide to using a dumpster rental safely and efficiently for your project, as well as other alternative ideas for using your excess dirt. 

Key Takeaways

  • Certain types of soil can impact your effort. 
  • It is possible to reuse some of your soil instead of removing some or all of it.
  • Dirt removal requires a certain-sized roll-off dumpster rental to transport.
  • It’s important not to fill your dumpster past capacity as this will affect transport. 

How Dirt Type Affects the Removal Process

How Dirt Type Affects the Removal Process

Before you look for a dumpster for dirt removal or try alternative ways for re-using or even selling your excess dirt, you need to know what you’re working with. Dirt isn’t just dirt. Rather, there are multiple layers of dirt sediment with different properties, purposes, and values. These different soil types will also affect the weight you are hauling, which will impact your removal process be it yard waste dumpster or alternative means. It’s important that you know the soil types in order for you to budget and plan accordingly. These are the soils you’ll likely encounter: 

Pure Topsoil

The topmost level of soil is what’s called topsoil. This soil is pure, clean, and great for gardening purposes. You’ve probably seen bags of topsoil for sale at major home improvement stores. This topsoil contains a blend of organic matter, clay, and silt, which makes it an excellent source of nutrients for a variety of plants. This all makes topsoil very valuable if you want to try and reuse, recycle, or even attempt to sell your excess material, but it will be a task to transport. This is because a mere 2 yards of pure or clean topsoil can weigh over 4K lbs. It’s because of this that a specialized dumpster rental for dirt is recommended for transport, especially if the soil is wet, which will increase the weight.  

Fill Dirt

Fill dirt is the next layer of soil you’re likely to encounter, and the second most useful. This type of dirt is not ideal for plant life but is great for things like construction, and initiatives that require stable, compact ground for support. Fill dirt is often used for creating construction foundations, roads and driveways, and a variety of building projects. This is due to the composition of the soil, which is mostly clay, sand, and bits of rock mixed together to make it dense. Because of this, fill dirt is heavier than topsoil, which will make it harder to transport. It can be transported via truck or dirt dumpster, but again, weight considerations must be followed. While these two categories are useful and able to be transported safely, if either type of soil is contaminated, it cannot be repurposed and must follow special regulations in order to protect the environment and human life. Let’s look at these two soils for context. 

Contaminated Topsoil

Contaminated topsoil, by definition, is polluted by harmful chemicals as a result of manufacturing or unhealthy activity done to it. If the soil has been exposed to such things as pesticides, petroleum, and other harmful materials, it is unsafe for reintroduction to the environment. It’s also unsafe for human interaction as it could result in illness. It cannot be removed and transported unless by hazardous materials specialists. 

Spoiled Fill Dirt 

Fill dirt can also suffer contamination as a result of plastics, dangerous waste materials, and other toxic chemicals. Because this soil will be used closely for construction projects, you cannot sell or donate this soil either. Again, roll off dumpster rules dictate that even qualified dirt dumpster rental services like Temporary Dumpster cannot transport this material due to the risk of biological contamination. In this case, you need biohazard aid. 

Steps to Rule Out Contaminated Dirt

Steps to Rule Out Contaminated Dirt
No matter what you do with the soil that needs to be removed, it’s critical that you make sure the soil is safe for transport and reuse. Remember, many companies who provide dumpster rentals for dirt, like Temporary Dumpster, will take steps to deposit whatever materials we can to landfills and locations that can repurpose or reuse the materials. But in order to do this, we need to make sure that the soil is not harmful in the first place. The good news is that there are ways to check if your dirt is safe. 

4 Steps to Rule Out Contaminated Soil

Consider getting professional soil testing

This is the most conclusive way to gauge the quality and safety of your soil. This will also give you an idea of the nutrient levels within your ground, which can help you identify what types of plants will flourish on your property. 

DIY soil testing

If you’d rather not go the professional route, there are reliable self-performed soil testing kits you can purchase and conduct the test yourself. Just remember, while this can give an indication of overall soil health and help you sort topsoil from filling dirt, some kits might not detect dangerous chemicals. 

Review your dirt’s history

Another simple way to verify that your soil is not contaminated and is fit for removal is to simply consider what’s been done to your soil over time. Try to think back if your land may have been near a construction site or had any work done on it that could have put the dirt into contact with hazardous materials and chemicals. If you live close to industrial sites, or by heavily trafficked roads, the chance is more likely for soil contamination. 

Assess current condition

Take a look at the current state of your yard. Is your soil healthy, and easy to maintain? Do your plants grow well? These are indications that your topsoil is healthy and not contaminated. You should still test for chemicals, but just looking at the current state of your dirt can indicate how much healthy topsoil you have.   

Options for Dirt Removal

Options for Dirt Removal
Once you’ve identified what soil you have and ruled that it is safe enough to remove and manipulate, you do have options for what comes next. Of course, this comes with considerations of things like time/effort, cost, and use. 

Compost

If you want to reuse your dirt yourself, composting excess soil is an option. You’ll want to ensure that the dirt is free of contaminants, but this will allow you to have access to healthy soil for quite a while. You’ll simply create a compost pile, gathering the soil and alternating it with layers of plant matter. To maintain the decomposition, turn the pile over several times for a period of months, and maybe add water periodically. After a while, all the material should appear dark. This is matured soil that you can incorporate for planting projects. 

Donate or Sell

If your soil is healthy, you have the option to try and sell your soil. If there are fellow gardeners in the area, you could offer a cheaper price than your local store. However, this may take a while to fully remove all the extra dirt. Be prepared to have it occupy your property for an extended time. You could also donate the soil to charity. There are facilities that can repurpose your dirt for multiple projects, However, this may require additional steps to prepare the soil on your part. Check whichever organization you’re considering for donation to see if they will reclaim the soil or if you must arrange for transport. 

Removal

Dirt removal is more straightforward than the other options if you just want your dirt gone. The question is, which method is best for you? While you could hire a team of professional movers, this will be expensive as you’re paying for the labor of them removing the dirt all for you and depositing it appropriately. There’s also the logistical issue. You might have to wait to bring the movers on when you’re done with the job and have a pile of unwanted dirt just sitting there, blocking you from conducting the other tasks in your yard.  On the other hand, a dumpster rental for dirt removal provides a more timely and cost-effective alternative that gives you more control over the entire process.  

Why You Need a Dumpster for Dirt Removal

Why You Need a Dumpster for Dirt Removal
Renting a dirt dumpster has several advantages. For starters, it’s more inexpensive than hiring a junk removal crew. After presenting you with rental options and estimates, you decide the best choice for pricing and then we make it happen: you decide, we provide. And this means exactly when you need your dumpster.  Temporary Dumpster will deliver your roll off as early as the same or next day depending on when you need it. Additionally, our rental periods are highly flexible, giving you more value and more control over your dirt dumpster loading. Another benefit of using a dirt dumpster rental is that you can load the dumpster as you remove unwanted dirt. This makes your project move along faster. Think about it, instead of having to pile your dirt aside, waiting for removal, and then finishing your project, you can just load as you go, removing the dirt from your property faster.  Lastly, our team also works with all the local landfills and repurposing plants in the area. This enables us to partner with facilities that can repurpose and recycle your dirt if possible. If you are environmentally focused, this is another key benefit of roll off dumpster use. We are also expending less gas/pollution than typical haulers!

What Dumpster Rentals for Dirt Can I Choose?

Due to the excess weight of the accumulated dirt, there are specific dumpsters you can choose from based on the tonnage of your project. These are the 10 and 20-yard roll off dumpsters. What’s also important is that you do not fill either unit past the halfway mark. This is because due to the tonnage accumulated by the dirt and the dumpster itself, overfilling would make it impossible to transport. Therefore, you’re also charged for going over this weight allotment.  Don’t worry, if this doesn’t seem like enough space, we assure you that the calculation is the best way to transport your dirt safely and efficiently. And because these are smaller dumpsters, you save money in the process. 

Get a Dirt Dumpster Near You Now

Get a Dirt Dumpster Near You Now
Before typing in a dirt dumpster near me, look no further than at Temporary Dumpster. We not only have the dirt removal dumpsters you need, but we also bring a deep background in helping customers choose the best dumpster option and rental period. This helps save them time and money with their project. This is all because we take the time to engage you on your specific project. Our team will also offer you a fully custom rental quote that’s designed to maximize your spending and allow you the ultimate experience.  Besides that, we can guide you on the best ways to utilize your roll off dumpster. Our team will help you to expedite dirt load up and provide other safety tips. The bottom line is that we are not just renting a dirt dumpster, but the right dumpster fitted to your exact type and amount of dirt for better results. And on top of that, we can deliver on time, whenever you need your local dumpster. Even if that’s today or tomorrow – at no extra charge.  Ready to clear that extra dirt? Call us at 1-800-513-4973 or get a free quote now. We’ll do our best to get you the dumpster you need as soon as you need it.

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When you're ready to tackle that big project, Temporary Dumpster is your go-to provider for roll-off dumpster rentals. With a simple call to 1-800-513-4973, you can obtain an online dumpster rental quote and learn more about the various services offered to suit your needs.

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