Once you’re familiar with the process, renting a dumpster is as easy as it gets. Dumpsters can be used for a wide variety of projects around your home or office in Germantown — including storage cleanouts, renovation and remodeling projects, and more. As such, it is useful to have a handy guide that will walk you through the steps during your first dumpster rental process. We hope that this article can serve as that guide.

1. Assess Your Needs

The renting process should start with an assessment. Dumpster rental companies offer their products in different sizes. You’ll want to make sure you don’t overspend on a dumpster that is too large, or overspend on multiple pickups and drop-offs due to a dumpster that is too small. We’ve covered the various projects and their size needs on our blog previously, but to give you a general idea, you would need a 10-yard dumpster for a kitchen or bathroom remodel, and a 40-yard dumpster for a roof replacement project. You can also discuss this with your rental company, who would be more than happy to help you out with advice.

2. Find a Good Dumpster Rental Company

You can use Google or another online business directory to find dumpster rental companies in your area. In most cases, you’ll want to talk to two or more companies before making your final decision, and consider a variety of factors such as pricing, availability, extra services, and general guidelines. Make sure that the price quote includes all of the fees involves (such as landfill fees, if they are applicable), and be sure to ask if there are any prohibited items that the company does not allow in their dumpsters.

3. Prepare the Drop-off Area

You will need to have a proper drop-off area prepared for the dumpster. It should be a level, hard surface, such as your driveway. Make sure that the area is easily accessible and clear. You can also park the dumpster on the city street; however, you will need a permit from the city before you do. You can ask your dumpster rental company if they can help you out with permitting.

4. Returning the Dumpster

It’s important to establish the right time frame for your project. If you do not manage to finish within that time frame, you might incur extra fees. The pickup process is just as simple. Once you are finished with the project, simply call the rental company, and they will come pick up the container. You can also call them if you finish the project ahead of schedule, and they may be able to retrieve the dumpster early.

There are a few guidelines here. First, do not overload the dumpster — it should be about 75% full at most, or at least below the top of the dumpster. The top of the dumpster will need to be covered for transportation, so this extra headroom is necessary. Overfilling the dumpster may result in extra fees.

A good rule of thumb here is to order a container that is slightly larger than the one you think you will need. If you rent a smaller dumpster, and if it becomes obvious that you need more container space at some point during the project, you will likely have to rent another one. This is much more expensive than renting a slightly larger dumpster to begin with.

Interested in Renting a Dumpster in Germantown?

We offer dumpster rental services to both commercial and residential clients in Germantown, so do not hesitate to contact us. We have several rental options available, both in terms of the type of dumpster and its size, so we are able to cover pretty much any project. If you would like to find out more information, our customer support team will be glad to assist you.