The solid waste industry is tough on dumpster enclosures! If not built properly, they quickly fall apart. These guidelines will help you design a sturdy, properly sized, and low maintenance enclosure for your property.   

Basics

The following questions need to be considered before you call your sales representative:

• What is your budget?

• What is the available space?

• Are there any covenants, zoning codes, or aesthetic requirements?

• How protected is the enclosure from vandals, animals, and wind?

• How “user friendly” is the enclosure to tenants?

• How much trash and recyclables will be handled per day by the facility?

• Will the pickup schedule accommodate the above number without overflow?

• Have safety concerns been addressed, including pedestrian access and motor vehicle traffic flow?

• What is the enclosure designed for? Trash only? Trash and recycling (including cardboard, newspaper, office paper, and commingled containers)? Special materials such as grease from a restaurant? Front-load or rear-load trash trucks?

• Does enclosure have room to expand as business increases?

The Ideal Enclosure

The following characteristics should be designed into every enclosure:

• Required Space for a 3-yard dumpster, minimum inside enclosure dimensions (72"W x 61"D x 55"H). This includes a 12" buffer zone.

• Buffer zone of a minimum of 12" around all dumpster dimensions-- including the inside gate post dimensions--to accommodate manufacturing variations between dumpster size and to facilitate movement of the dumpsters in and out of the enclosure

• Two entrances--one (non-gated) for tenants, and one (gated) for the hauler to remove the dumpsters

• Room for multiple dumpsters (if any) to sit side by side rather than one in front of the other

• Main doors that attach to steel posts or, at least, to steel plates on wooden posts (doors attached to wooden posts will loosen over time)

• Access for our trucks, even if all adjacent parking spaces are occupied

• Clear, straight service truck access with no curbs or overhead wires

• Devices that lock into the pavement to hold service gates open in windy conditions

• Location on the perimeter of the parking lot so that our trucks can access container, even if the lot is full of cars

• Floor that slopes slightly outward so that water from melting ice drains properly

• Surface that is paintable for quick graffiti cover-up

Helpful Hints

• Don't use stucco if at all possible--it can't take the abuse

• Line your enclosure with a wooden "chair rail" or bumper at dumpster height to minimize wear

• Use curb stops or angle iron bolted to the pavement to keep the dumpster from slamming into the enclosure

• Anchor posts with concrete

• Pave the enclosure with concrete

• Use signs to discourage midnight dumping and contamination of recyclables

• Verify that the pavement outside the enclosure is sturdy enough to support a 27- ton truck

• Leave doors 6-8" off pavement to allow opening