How To Keep Pests Away From Your Open Top Dumpster?
No matter how clean or new the dumpster is, the contents may attract a variety of pests, from vermin to rodents to raccoons. These pests might create a safety concern for you and your family. So, what can you do to ensure an open top dumpster does not become a targeted destination to these pests and remain a repository for your waste only?
1. Schedule Service of Your Open Top Dumpster
The safest and most effective option is to simply have your container serviced. Know your contents and schedule service accordingly.
2. Do Not Dispose of Food Items in an Open Top Dumpster
The most important “no” item that you should always remember is never dispose of food/food containers into an open top dumpster. Whether the food waste, classified as MSW, is in an open container or packaged/sealed, placement of food items into an open top dumpster is not an acceptable disposal option. Food items will immediately start to rot and spread an attractive stinking odor to the surrounding area’s pests, beginning with flies that are the catalyst in the production/transmission of bacteria. These odors will also attract vermin, rodents and raccoons, which are smart pests that easily make their way into an open top dumpster, having contents readily accessible. Food placed into an open top dumpster can also draw in larger animals, such as canines, creating an even greater danger to the surrounding community.
3. Place the Open Top Dumpster on Solid Surface, Preferably Concrete
The most preferred surface to place your open top dumpster onto is a clean concrete surface. The second most preferred is a hard rock/packed dirt surface, such as a driveway. The least preferred placement location is directly over a grassy or soft dirt area. Placing an open top dumpster over a grassy/soft dirt area, with area rains/humidity will create an inviting moist environment for small insects/reptiles to collect underneath the container.
4. Cover the Open Top Dumpster
Closing the rear door of the open top dumpster, when not actively loading contents, will eliminate the four-legged pest’s ease of access, which leaves the top. Covering your open top dumpster with either a tarp or large pieces of material, such as sheets of plywood or tin, will make the container more difficult to access and less inviting for pests that are either invasive or simply curious. Curious pests, once inside an open top container, may even drag items out of the dumpster and leave discarded onto surface surrounding dumpster, creating an even greater safety hazard.
5. Do Not Use A Repellant
When disposing of waste that you think may attract pests, the use of a repellant has three (3) automatic downsides: #1. Use of a repellant will only mask the odor, creating a more intense odor/problem. #2 Use of a repellant is an unnecessary and additional increase in the cost of any project. #3. Repellants used may be dangerous to both the people, animals and the landscape surrounding the dumpster.
If you are concerned about potential pests being attracted to your open top dumpster, please note the above tips and call/text/email Waste Solutions USA for your waste hauling needs. Waste Solutions USA would love to earn your business!