Let’s all come together and throw our trash away as a unit! That sounds like a good idea, right? Not everyone operates this way, but we should try when it comes to hazardous waste. Because most consumers and homeowners don’t know what kind of waste is hazardous, they make the mistake of tossing it in with regular trash.
Encourage people to come together and throw away their harmful waste responsibly and easily. We can help you get started on organizing an event and gathering the right supplies. Here’s how to use dumpsters for hazardous waste collection events.
Start the Call To Order
Bring everyone together and get them up to speed. You know that hazardous waste is an issue everyone should be concerned about, and you want to offer a solution for them and the environment. Tell everyone in your community why this event you want to throw is important.
The planning process should start a few months in advance.
Start by getting the word out and letting people in the community know that they can throw away their hazardous waste responsibly. Post signs in the most popular places and ask store owners to join the initiative and inform their customers of the upcoming event.
You can get a committee together to cover more ground. Speak with your local recycling center about the initiative and see what suggestions they have. They could volunteer some of their staff members to assist with the process. Plus, they know the proper steps and procedures that you may forget to include.
Inform and Educate
Once you’ve gotten the word out, create a website. There’s only so much information you can place on the front and back of a flier. And there’s no guarantee that people will always read it. But if you place a website address on the flier, the chances of people reading everything you need them to increase.
We spend a great deal of time on our phones anyway, and this step makes things more convenient for everyone. Don’t overcomplicate the site. Break it down into sections and think about the most common questions that people will ask, then answer them.
Let your community know what hazardous waste they might have in their homes or commercial properties. Then, encourage them to throw it away safely. Place the date, time, and location of the event. If it’s in a remote area, be sure to offer directions to make locating the event easier for everyone.
Find a Location
It’s not ideal for you and your team to travel door to door collecting hazardous waste. For starters, that will take too long. Plus, it’s not the safest strategy. It’s much better for people to come to you with their waste. Find a spot where you can set up several different dumpsters.
You want to have plenty of bins and containers to avoid running the risk of overflows. Find a spot that’s easily accessible for cars to pass through. You don’t want to disturb the flow of traffic or cause a jam by collecting hazardous waste.
Because of the size of the event and the supplies necessary, you need to obtain a permit for the dumpsters. Getting a permit to occupy a vacant lot or side street could take some time. Be sure to start this process early so that you can have everything set before you start promoting the event.
Separate the Waste
After spreading the word far and wide and finding a location, get ready to separate the trash. While you may be collecting all kinds of hazardous waste, you need to be careful about which waste goes in which bin. You can’t place certain items together because they could result in a dumpster fire, chemical reaction, or explosion.
As consumers pull up, ask them what trash they plan to throw away. Give them a sheet that lists all the hazardous waste items and have them check off all items that apply. If they have various kinds of waste, provide them with a bag to collect common items together.
Finally, direct them to which dumpster they’ll use for their waste. Make sure you have an expert or volunteer stationed near every dumpster. They need to conduct a final check to ensure the items going inside the container are safe.
Household Waste
Several household items classify as hazardous waste, and homeowners don’t even know it. Reserve the dumpster for household items for these items:
- Used motor oil
- Used medications
- Oil-based paints
- Antifreeze
- Cleaning products
- Pool chemicals
- Compact fluorescent lamps and lightbulbs
- Paint thinners
- Pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides
- Lawn cleaners
- Solvent
All these items can go to a local hazardous waste facility. Items like bullets and ammunition should never go inside the trash, so you can’t collect them at your event. Instead, encourage the individual to call the local police or fire department and arrange a pickup.
Electronic Waste
Don’t make the mistake of throwing away VCRs, TVs, radios, fax machines, printers, audio equipment, or phones in any random dumpster.
It’s a good thing you partnered with your local recycling center—they know what to do with these items. Dedicate a section specifically for electronic waste so that you can dispose of these items safely and responsibly.
Set Up a Dumpster Pickup Time
Finally, you need to arrange a pickup time for your dumpsters. You may want to spread out the event over the course of a couple of days to gather as much waste as possible. Give everyone a chance to get their hazardous waste in. Then, you can speak with your provider and have them come to collect the dumpsters.
They should have informed you of best practices when filling these containers so that you don’t run the risk of paying additional overage fees. You want to choose the biggest dumpsters on the lot. At Vine Disposal, our 40 cubic yard dumpsters are the perfect size for a project of this magnitude.
We’re more than happy to carry your loads and dispose of them in a safe location. Use our dumpsters for your next hazardous waste collection event.
