November is National Home Care and Hospice Month

November is National Home Care and Hospice Month. According to national home care celebrants,

National Home Care and Hospice Month in November recognizes the dedicated professionals who make a daily difference in the lives of the people they serve.

These caregivers come in many roles, from therapists and aids, administrators and nurses, CNAs and social workers. Their compassion and attention to detail improve the lives of every resident under their care. Their patience and time provide improved quality of life and peace of mind for family members. The month celebrates these qualities and so much more.

When it comes time for home care and hospice, families often need to downsize. This can mean selling a loved one’s house, or moving them into an already crowded house.

Some families are able to turn to auction houses to dispose of excess furniture, or spreading heirlooms among family members.

But sometimes our loved ones did not care for their furniture or other belongings, and instead of moving, what is needed is a deep home cleaning. In this case, you will want to rent a dumpster.

Rent a dumpster to make moving easier

There are many reasons why you may need a dumpster instead of a moving van for your elderly family member’s possessions.

First, most furniture resellers and thrift shops will not accept upholstered goods or furniture that can’t easily be cleaned. This is often the case if it was owned by a smoker or someone with pets. It can also apply to items damaged by flood or smoke.

Second, resellers won’t take damaged goods. If your loved one had a beloved pet, it may mean that they let their cat or dog (or other animal) run the house. Furniture may be scratched or carry smells that are particular to dogs and cats.

Third, a reseller might not be close enough to make the trip worthwhile. For some families, multiple trips to a distant reseller, in a rented vehicle, is simply not in the schedule. Renting a dumpster can be an act of needed convenience for a family already burdened and grieving as they watch older loved ones enter a new and troubling phase of life.

Having a dumpster outside can simplify decision-making and save hours of effort. Simply fill the dumpster with any of the approved items that are a challenge, and moving your loved one can be one question you can get answered.

 

Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/carton-boxes-and-stacked-books-on-table-4498124/

Why Do We Celebrate Earth Day?

The modern movement to “save the planet” from increasing temperatures is not a new phenomenon. Groups have taken an interest in the appearance and the well-being of our natural environment for most of human history.

In the modern version of this concern for the source of all life, Earth Day each year involves millions of volunteers planting trees and cleaning streams and roadways throughout the United States.

The first Earth Day was in 1970, even before we had an Environmental Protection Agency. That year, one US Senator was insistent that we needed to take unified steps to improve our environment. Senator Gaylord Nelson invented this day and soon it became a national day of action.

And it also helped lead to the creation of the EPA as we know it today. Along the way it led to cleaner streams, fewer rivers on fire (we’re looking at you, Cleveland), and cleaner air for everyone.

What you can do this Earth Day

As of the time this article is being written, the next Earth Day is Saturday, April 22nd, 2023. That gives you plenty of time to join a group, look for events, or even to plan an event to beautify your own corner of the world. Here are some options:

Clean a creek in your community – working with the local parks board and some volunteers, you can clean a creek in your community. First, check with an expert about what is and isn’t trash, and then learn how you can remove items without causing too much damage to the area.

Do a trash clean-up near your home – again working with the local parks board or a company that owns a frequently-used parcel of land, you can clean the area to make it more presentable. This can involve trash and recycling, or even large items that have been dumped in the area .

Plant trees and native plants in an area – or take out invasive species. Again working with local parks and development board; work with a group of volunteers to help restore native plants to your area. Native plants are attractive and hardy, meaning they will live on long after your work is over.

If the area you are cleaning is large, or very dirty, consider renting a dumpster to contain all that you collected. Some agencies will even weigh the full container to let you know exactly how much trash you gathered in pounds – this can be used to encourage your volunteers for future years.

These Items (Probably) Don’t Belong In Your Dumpster

If you are renting a dumpster for your next big project or neighborhood clean-up, you will likely sign an agreement for what you can and can’t put inside. If you are like many people, you will not read that agreement very closely, or at all.

Sure, you will glance at the bottom line to verify that there are no unforeseen charges, or to complain about the taxes added. You’ll likely sign it.

But what did you agree to?

Well, among other things, you agreed that there are certain items that you will NOT put in your dumpster.

While this may vary based on the city, the specific waste site, and the options available to your rental company, we can anticipate some of the items that you should not put in your dumpster.

Our reference is the posted information at the Website of Rumpke Waste and Recycling, southwest Ohio’s largest waste removal company.

This specific list is the items you *can* throw out, but only if you have specific permission.

What you can throw out only with permission

These are the common items you can secure permission to throw away. Typical homeowners might encounter these on a regular basis while doing the work that requires renting a dumpster:

  • Rags, absorbent materials, sponges, and brushes impacted with pain / stain remover / cleaners, or other chemicals
  • Batteries or all types and kinds
  • Electronics including computers, monitors, and televisions
  • Obsolete / outdated chemicals / cleaners / products
  • Appliances with refrigerant removed

Here are less common, or industrial items that can be thrown away, again with permission. These are items more likely to be found in an industrial or commercial setting or project:

  • Manufacturing or manufacturing process waste including but not limited to sledge; sand; shot blast, dust filters, and various paint wastes
  • Materials used in cleaning up a spill, specifically of items on this list
  • Solidified liquids
  • Empty containers including drums, tanks, 5-gallon pails, aerosol cans
  • PCB waste lower than 50 ppm
  • Asbestos

Waste management companies have a responsibility to the community they serve and the people who live in the area. Be sure to read the rules to make sure your items get disposed of correctly when you are using your dumpster.

There’s Smoke Coming From My Dumpster, What Do I Do?

Your project has been running smoothly. The trash has been taken out, the remodel or tear-down has proceeded without injuries or delays. All in all, it’s been a great project.

But what’s that? Someone is shouting from the street. There is smoke coming from your dumpster.

What could it be? And more importantly, what should you do next?

Call 9-1-1

You are an independent person. You take pride in doing things on your own, and solving problems. Well, the next step might run contrary to your experience.

You should first call 9-1-1. Get professional help and overwhelming force on your side as quickly as possible.

When you call, be sure to let the call taker know that exactly is inside the dumpster. Is it wood lathing? Is it painted panelboard? Is it waste from waterproofing that includes flammable chemicals? And are you sure it is only what you put inside, or did an unwelcome visitor dump something more inside one night when no one was looking?

Also, be sure to let them know if a fire in the dumpster could potentially threaten a structure nearby. Is the dumpster against a garage? It is in an easement between two houses?

All of this uncertainty is a reason to call for professional help. You don’t know whether the smoke is a smoldering mattress or if it is about to turn into a large chemical fire with thick dark smoke visible a mile away threatening property and lives.

Secure the scene

Next, use your resources to make sure that no one or nothing gets too close to the smoking dumpster. This could be as easy as standing by to encourage dog-walkers to cross the street, or it could involve moving a car or truck a little further away.

Be safe though. Fire response times in many places are pretty quick, so there is no need to risk life and limb to make a site a little more safe.

Think about the possible and probable outcomes, and take a few simple, safe steps to make sure that your plume of smoke doesn’t become something bigger, more dangerous, or more expensive. Keep your project on schedule and your clients, staff, or family safe.

Don’t Forget to Recycle these Common Household Items

When you have a major home project, it is easy to throw all the garbage in the same place. Perhaps you have rented a dumpster, or bought garbage bags for the work (or both) and the simplest thing to do is throw all the trash in the same place.

However, some of those same recycling habits and systems that work for your everyday mess will also work for your special project.

Remember to incorporate recycling into your major project, because it could save you time and energy, and even money.

Recyclable items often overlooked

When doing a large project, home owners and contractors often forget that the large amounts of cleaning supplies they use often come in recyclable containers. It will seem easiest to simply toss the containers in the dumpster with everything else, but simple is not always best.

These days paint cans and trays are often recyclable, as are the containers for cleaning liquids. Many boxes for building materials are corrugated cardboard which can go directly in recycling bins in most communities.

Looking for recyclables and sorting them out can mean fewer trips to the dumpster, and fewer dumpsters needed for your project. In those cases, recycling is a little more work but can add savings to your bottom line.

Recyclable items that require special disposal

However, it is true that not every plastic container is easily recycled. Some of the liquids you need to complete your work are considered hazardous, because they contained hazardous liquids. Those containers should not get recycled unless they are correctly and completely cleaned out.

In some cases, those containers should also not be placed in your dumpster, because they pose a hazard and are forbidden from landfills.

In these cases, check the ingredients of your materials, and the expectations and regulations for your local landfill. Then, with the right information in hand, we encourage you to recycle as much as possible.

This Trash Does NOT Belong in Your Dumpster

When you rent a dumpster for a project, there is always the temptation to fill it with all the waste you have lying around. However, there are restrictions on what you can put in your dumpster. This is because landfills need to maintain standards for what might leak into groundwater, or what might cause problems – like fires and collapses – at the landfill itself.

Here is a short guide to what one large southwest Ohio waste landfill company does not allow dumped in their landfill.

As always, check with the company you rent your dumpster from, and check with your local landfill for specific regulations and expectations. Always follow the law. Failure to do so can lead to major fines and loss of permits or worse.

Some of the restrictions are obvious. Others will be easily violated if you don’t pay careful attention during your project.

Here’s what one major landfill prohibits

The first check of the list reveals a few anticipated items.

As you’d expect, you are not to throw away hazardous items including items that are flammable, explosive, toxic, or corrosive. Every community has different rules for dispensing of these hazardous materials. These are matters of community safety and should be followed.

Also expected, landfills do not permit dumping radioactive waste. If your waste is radioactive, renting a dumpster is probably not the right path for you!

Final expected banned items are batteries, because they are corrosive and toxic, and medical or other biohazard waste.

The other items on the list might not be as expected, and merit a closer look.

Check closely before dumping to see if tires can be included. At this landfill they cannot. Fluorescent lamps and ballasts are also forbidden items that are easy to miss, especially when doing a demo of factory or office space. These locations often make extensive use of fluorescent bulbs and ballasts. Those materials should be set aside and discarded in accordance with local regulations. If you are doing a home demolition, especially in a garage, it might be tempting to throw items from the shelves into the dumpster without a second thought. However, these can include some of the forbidden items: pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. These items are hazardous alone, and worse, they can combine with other chemicals to become toxic or explosive. Again, check local restrictions before tossing them in your dumpster.

 

These Chemical Ingredients Have Been Banned or Discontinued

Created during the Nixon administration, the EPA was tasked with protecting our environment. However, their regulatory power is somewhat limited, and there have actually been very few chemical bans they have put in place. These bans, however, have made us all safer and less likely to get various types of cancer.

Here are the most widely-known chemicals they have banned over the years.

PCBs

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls were banned in 1978. The first such chemical ban implemented by the EPA was to address clear indications that PCBs caused cancer in mice and rats.

PCB exposure rates were fairly low to the average consumer, but they turned out to be hard to eliminate once created. This meant that streams and lakes that received industrial waste became permanently contaminated, posing an increased risk of cancer to people.

CHCs and FHCs

It has been over forty years since scientists discovered that certain chemicals word depleting the ozone layer. This was leading to uneven heating and dangerous sun exposure risking the health of millions of people around the world. It was also contributing to the phenomenon that scientists would later call global warming.

Banning fully hydrogenated chlorofluoroalkanes happened in 1978. This was the first step in what became a world-wide ban on certain chemical ingredients in aerosol sprays. As a result, the ozone layer was able to stabilize.

These ingredients are no longer found in aerosols, making those cans safe to dispose in traditional waste.

Dioxins

Later the EPA banned dioxins.  These were most infamous as being an ingredient in Agent Orange which caused chemical burns and multiple types of cancers during and after the Vietnam War. However they were also a byproduct of multiple industrial practices.

They were banned in 1980 as a reaction to public health concerns about cancer being caused by dioxins in the environment where these factories created dioxins as a waste product.

Asbestos

The ban of asbestos has had long-lasting effects. When scientists learned that asbestos created cancer among those who breathe the dust, the decision to ban it seemed obvious.

The 1989 ban on asbestos led to a wide range of changes that affect builders regularly. There are even special rules for how asbestos must be treated if found in an existing building. It was such a popular insulator that it was used in many buildings. Removing it safely is still a costly process – but one that saves untold suffering and costs later in life.

 

Work with Scrappers to Keep Them Out of Your Dumpster

One of the frustrations in doing a large construction or demolition project is dealing with scrappers. Scrappers are often industrious and sometimes unscrupulous individuals  who seek to make a profit by selling items from your work space.

 

At their best, scrappers can take away your unwanted metal and free up space in your dumpster. This can save you time and energy and actually be a benefit to your process.

 

At their worst, scrappers are thieves who take away not just unwanted metal but also copper and valuable metals. They can destroy your work site, cost you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of lost labor.

 

The second kind of scrapper, the thieves, should be dealt with by law enforcement.  However, the first kind of scrapper can become a valuable partner in your project.

 

Here are some suggestions for making this partnership work.

 

Survey the neighbors

 

When you talk to the neighbors around a project you may find that some of them already know something about The Scrappers in your neighborhood. They might not know their names and addresses but they can tell you what night of the week they come around and what they drive.

 

With this information you can make plans to have an encounter, talk about your upcoming project, and strategize a plan that helps both of you out.

 

 

Implement a plan

Armed with this information, you can place your valuable scrap metal on the side of your Big Daddy Dumpster  instead of inside of it. This saves the energy of lifting it up and throwing it inside. It also saves space.

 

If you can save one or two pickups and dropoffs  over the course of a project, you’re talking about real savings.

 

Savings and safety

But perhaps just as important as saving money is protecting people. The most industrious scrappers can also put themselves and you at risk. When they enter your dumpster, they also enter your liability.

 

Most dumpster diving injuries are minor: cuts, scrapes, and bruises that will heal naturally and  not result in any issues moving forward. However, on occasion a scrapper can sustain a serious injury. If your dumpster was unsecured, this could result in a lawsuit for what in legal terms is called an attractive nuisance. An argument can be made that you could rightly anticipate the existence of scrappers, and by failing to take steps to make the space safe, you share blame in the accident.

 

So, rather than put up a fence, or pay a guard, just make an agreement and save everyone time, money, and trouble.

Use These Environmentally-Friendly Cleaning Products

One of the small but notable hazards of reclaiming a space is choosing the right chemicals to clean it. Some cleaning products are harsh or abrasive and can do damage to the surface you’re trying to clean.  Others simply don’t do the job well.

 

Still others are fine for cleaning purposes but when you  combine them with different cleaners or throw them out they can pose a hazard.

 

A decade ago environmentally friendly cleaning products were rare. And the ones you could find after scouring store shelves and reading labels often didn’t do the job well. Luckily that has changed.

 

Use these environmentally friendly cleaning products around your house and you can feel safe using them and throwing them in the town dump.

 

Cleaning glass surfaces

For cleaning glass, there are choices that are slightly acidic, or slightly base, or Ph neutral. The emphasis on “slight” helps you to be sure they won’t irritate your eyes or lungs as you use them.

 

Some popular brands of window cleaners include Biokleen, Bean and Lily, and Method. They all depend less on chemical compounds and more on natural, safe ingredients.

 

Of course, a simple mix of vinegar and water can work to get most windows clean.

 

Just remember that the trick in window cleaning is getting the liquid off the surface before it dries and leaves the sediment right back where it started.

 

 

Cleaning floors

According to Safe Household Cleaners, there are many great choices for safely cleaning your floors.  And, as with the windows, the champion main ingredient is vinegar.

 

Brands that won accolades from Safe Household Cleaners’ judges include Aunt Fannie’s Vinegar Floor Wash, Babyganics Fragrance-Free Floor Cleaner, and ECOs Floor Cleaner.

 

 

Cleaning kitchens and bathrooms

Of course, the clean-up gets tougher in these two rooms, where preparing bodies and preparing meals each make unique messes that require unique solutions.

 

Better Life Tile and Tub Cleaner seems like a scientific miracle product, as it can safely dissolve that ring around your tub. Its special blend of oil and water works to dissolve soap and skin and other residue. Bentley Organic Shower Cleaner or Biopuro Bathroom Cleaner will also do the rough work with aggravating your sinuses.

 

 

 

For every home task, your choices include a range of acidic to base, but each of these products will get the job done, and you can be confident that they will be safe for your family.

 

 

 

Dumpster Cost

As you prepare for your next big project, whether it is construction or demolition, you need to think about your budget.

 

There are many parts of the budget to consider:

  • Tools (things you can use over and over again)
  • Supplies (things you use once then throw away or recycle)
  • Wages (to pay those who are helping with the work)
  • Resources (those things you need to rent or borrow)

 

Among the resources, one important consideration is the price of the dumpster. Dumpster cost is a fixed cost that you should be able to sort out with a single call to Big Daddy Dumpster or another dumpster supplier.

 

To determine dumpster cost you only need to solve a couple of variables or answer a couple of questions.

 

How big a dumpster do you need?

The first variable that you need to consider is the size of your dumpster. How much waste will you be generating? And how often will you want the dumpster dumped and returned?

 

For some projects, a small dumpster will be adequate to take care of the whole thing. Other projects might require a large dumpster and multiple replacements.

 

Refer to this size chart and examine it against the materials you’ll be hauling away from your site. Also, remember that feeling a dumpster is not a precise science. There will always be empty spaces of air and never a perfectly tight fit of garbage in a dumpster.

 

 

How long do you need the dumpster?

Next, consider the length of your project.  will this be a 1 day tear down with a small army of people telling the dumpster? Or would this be a multi-week building project with occasional, unscheduled calls to empty the dumpster based on the needs of the crew in a given day or week?

 

Once you have figured out the size of your dumpster and the duration of your rental, call  Big Daddy dumpsters  to schedule your project. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff can help make the ordering and scheduling process easy, and we can help with planning too!

 

If you’ve never ordered a dumpster before, call us even before you start planning. We can help give you advice that will make the process easy and affordable, and make your project run more smoothly, on time, and perhaps even under budget!

 

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