Dumpsters are very helpful to have when you're doing renovations or remodeling. But dumpsters are heavy, and even small dumpsters can damage your driveway and yard. You can prevent the damage if you prepare correctly — but to prepare correctly, you need to know what type of damage is possible. The dumpster can scratch your driveway or walkway, it can compress the soil, can leave divots in your yard, and could potentially compress anything in the ground directly beneath the dumpster, especially once that dumpster is full.

Dumpster Pads and Platforms 

The easiest way to prevent most damage to the ground is to place the dumpster on a dumpster pad or a platform. The pad provides a barrier between the dumpster and the ground, so if you move the dumpster around a bit, you don't scratch up the surface of a driveway or walkway. And, if you use a solid platform rather than a flexible pad, you could also more evenly distribute the weight of the dumpster over the ground. That helps prevent too much pressure from resting on a smaller section of the driveway or yard.

Know What's Underground

Before you dig anything up, you have to call the local utility to find out what lines run under your property. These utility lines are supposed to be buried well enough so that anything heavy on the ground, like a vehicle, won't suddenly compact the soil and shift the utility line. However, when you have a dumpster full of rocks and old concrete, for example, you're placing a lot of weight on the ground. If your yard soil isn't very stable, or the dumpster has to go in an area you've started digging up, you risk having all that weight affect the soil and possibly the lines. You have to be sure the dumpster will sit somewhere where there is nothing underground that could be affected by the weight of the full dumpster.

Never Overfill the Dumpster

Don't overfill dumpsters just because the company says it's okay. Some dumpster companies will tell you that you can overfill the dumpster by X amount. It's usually not a large amount, but if what you're putting into the dumpster is heavy to begin with, overfilling is just going to make the weight and compaction problems worse. Unless you're dealing with nothing but lightweight items, don't overfill the dumpster. Even better, arrange for the dumpster service to empty the dumpster before it gets full.

Contact a dumpster service to learn more. 

Share