Have you ever considered where an old sofa or pile of roofing shingles are actually going? For conscientious homeowners and students wanting to lessen their impact on the environment, it is helpful to understand the journey of the waste they are producing in order to make better choices, lessen contamination, and to help ensure any disposal is done appropriately. The following are steps of what happens to the trash after a roll-off dumpster is picked up.
Where Do Dumpster Loads Go?
After the roll off is picked up, the driver secures the dumpster, and heads to the nearest permitted facility. The destination can vary according to local infrastructure, waste management regulations, and the type of waste. Construction and demolition debris (also called as C&D waste-read more here), may be routed to destinations differently than everyday household trash, too.
Once at the location, trucks usually weigh in, dump the load and weigh out. This establishes a ticket showing the tonnage being delivered and allows an invoice for the landfill tipping fee to be calculated. Loads may be transported directly to a landfill, directly to a materials recovery facility (MRF), or, in most cases, directly to a transfer station which acts like a resource hub for further routing. Distance, cost, and signing and adhering to regulations will all shape the routing.
The Role of Transfer Stations
Transfer stations function in the waste world as traffic directors. They receive loads that local hauling services might have directed to disposal, remove any obvious contaminants, and compact to minimize long hauls. For remodels and cleanouts by homeowners or other contractors, even a busy site like a 30 yard dumpster rental Spokane Valley will likely pass through a transfer station before disposal. Local operations such as JTC Demolition Spokane Valley help facilitate the routing of loads and keep all disposal compliant with regional regulations.
In facility settings, staff and equipment are constantly busy to ensure that trucks are flowing. A few general steps typically take place before the material leaves again:
- Some initial screening and safety checks to remove immediate hazards (loose batteries, paint cans, etc.).
- Compacting and consolidating material to allow more waste to fit in each trailer, thereby allowing us to minimize fuel and emissions.
- Routing load cleanliness decisions for clean material to go to MRFs (material recovery facilities) and contaminated loads to landfills.
What Materials Get Recycled?
When loads reach a MRF or a specialized recycler, they get sorted by trained sorters and machinery to extract the commodities of value. Cardboard and paper are baled for mills; metals are separated by magnet or eddy-current; and some plastics sorted by resin type. Demolition contractors can divert from landfilling heavy materials, like concrete, asphalt, or brick, to be crushed into aggregate. Many roll-off rental providers on mixed C&D are jobs offer separate bins for clean concrete or metal to increase recovery rates and reduce disposal costs.
Wood can be chipped for wood mulch or biomass fuel from job-site clean-up; clean drywall can be processed to recover gypsum. Clean dirt and clean rock from excavation can be reused as well. The aim is to keep recyclables in the marketplace with only a small amount of contamination so they can be reincorporated into manufacturing instead of going to a landfill. When residents and crews load dumpsters with care – like loading food waste in with cardboard – recovery rates of recyclables go up and the whole system gets more efficient.
How Hazardous Waste Is Handled
Hazardous waste is the only exception to the “toss it in” process. Items like solvents, automotive fluids, pesticides, and some electronics should not go into standard dumpsters. Facilities use inspections, training, and signage to catch these items as early as possible, and a fair number of communities offer special collection days or drop off locations. Follow this page https://www.epa.gov/hw/learn-basics-hazardous-waste for more details.
Per the usual, here’s how some common problem items are handled:
- Paints, solvents and chemicals: Materials are sent to a licensed hazardous waste processor for neutralization, blending for fuel or disposal.
- Batteries and fluorescent bulbs: The batteries and bulbs are collected separately, with batteries going to metal recovery and bulbs going to a facility that captures mercury.
- Electronics (i.e. e-waste): Electronics are sent to a certified recycler for data removal, precious metal harvesting, and proper circuit board handling.
- Appliances containing refrigerants: Suspended refrigerants are removed by licensed technicians, while the remaining metal is recycled.
Proper exclusion of hazardous materials will protect the soil and groundwater from harmful substances, protect our workers from toxic exposure, and protect us from being cited for improper disposal.
Landfill vs. Recycling Facility Outcomes
There are times when not every load can be recycled. Loads that are found to be too contaminated versus uncontaminated loads when the market is weak, will always go to a sanitary landfill. Sanitary landfills today are designed to have a minim impact on the surrounding environment using liners, leachate collection and daily covers, most modern landfills are contained enough to limit harm to soil, groundwater, air and neighboring properties. Further some of these landfills even capture methane for energy, to mitigate the greenhouse gases.
In comparison, recycling facilities add time onto the life cycle of materials and reducing the demand for virgin materials. Clean cardboard goes back to being packaging material; metals are melted and reformed into products we use every day; aggregate concrete becomes aggregate support for new roads. The more residents are willing to separate their recyclables and not throw hazardous items into the dumpster the more tons that can be diverted from landfill to a new life or use. That teamwork between the haulers, the facilities that handle the material, and households becomes effortless and convenient without losing sight of removing junk while believing and supporting a circular economy.
Final Thoughts
By making sure your container is the appropriate size, using careful loading practices and following local practices rules and not professionals, waste or shall I say material can be managed properly from the curb until the final destination. Selecting reputable partners, asking questions in regard to diversion commitments, and keeping your streams clean, all produce measurable change in where each item has travelled, or possibly become the resource used tomorrow instead of garbage that cannot be retrieved.
