One of the concerns people sometimes have when it comes to their dumpster rental has to do with weight. Pricing for dumpsters is based on size, weight limit and the length of time you rent the dumpster. Each dumpster has a weight limit, which you may also hear referred to as a dumping allowance. This weight allowance is precalculated based on the size of the dumpster. When you return the dumpster, we weigh it at the dumping facility.
One main concern many people have is water weight or weight from other precipitation like snow. Dumpster weight limits do not differentiate between the weight of water and the weight of any other material. Naturally, if it rains or the material in your dumpster becomes saturated with water for any other reason, your dumpster will be heavier. If your dumpster is overweight, meaning it exceeds the dumpster weight allowance, it does not matter if that extra weight is from water or any other substance or material.
Should You Buy a Tarp?
Because of this, some people wonder if they should buy a tarp to cover the dumpster for peace of mind in case of rain or snow. We do not disagree with this method. However, the cost of the tarp combined with the inconvenience of constantly removing it and replacing it may not be worth it to some — especially since the cost of having up to 500 pounds of potential water weight only comes out to $23.75.
Keep in mind that if you do decide to purchase a tarp, it is your responsibility to remove it prior to pick-up. Hometown Waste will not be responsible for the cost of a new tarp if it is disposed of along with the contents of the dumpster.
Hometown Waste’s Evaluation of Water Weight in a Dumpster
The reality is that the overweight charges for our dumpsters are not exorbitant. The average cost per additional ton for an overweight charge is about $95 per ton. If 2000lbs cost $95.00, 1000lbs would cost $47.50 and 500lbs would cost $23.75.
Plus, our roll-off dumpsters aren’t sealed to be water-tight. So, upon pickup of the dumpster, it will be elevated onto the truck, allowing stagnant water to drain out the back door that is not sealed. Based on these factors, it’s unlikely that your dumpster’s extra weight would be related strictly to water.
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell how much of a dumpster’s overall weight is related to water. The local disposal facilities do not give credits for such an occurrence, therefore any additional charge for our customers is an expense paid out upfront by Hometown Waste — there is no incentive for Hometown Waste to collect overweight dumpsters. And since we cannot control Mother Nature, Hometown Waste holds no responsibility to credit a customer due to a belief that the weight of the dumpster was water-related.
Contact Us With Any Questions
Overall, it is highly unlikely that enough rain or other water will get into your dumpster to add more than 500 pounds to your total dumpster material — the chances are better that you’ll forget to take your tarp off before our team comes around for collection, losing whatever money you spent on it.
For this reason, most do not concern themselves with water weight. If this is a concern, we suggest piling whatever is being thrown out under a roof until removal day. This will avoid the materials from absorbing any rainwater. Avoiding long-term rentals is also an easy solution to avoiding water and snow weight.
If you have any other questions about our dumpster rental services in New Jersey, feel free to give us a call at 732-525-2555.
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