Take Advantage of Slow Seasons to Rent a Dumpster

roll-off dumpster on snowy pavement

Updated October 20, 2023

The annual slow season for waste hauling and disposal companies offers a great opportunity for consumers and businesses looking to finish renovation projects, cleanouts, construction, demolition projects, and more.

The late-fall and winter months are generally a slower time of year for dumpster rental companies. This is particularly true in northern parts of the country when the weather makes it more difficult to complete major projects.

Areas of the country with moderate climates year-round don’t always have these annual slow downs, although this may vary by city and geographic location.

We'll discuss why, depending on where you live, renting a dumpster in the winter months may be a great way to make the most of your project.

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Benefits of Renting a Dumpster in the Winter Infographic

Benefits of Winter Rentals

There are several key benefits to renting a dumpster for a project during the off-season:

  • Availability - With fewer customers booking dumpster rental services, waste haulers have more dumpsters available.
  • Flexibility - Waste haulers are often able to better meet your timeline needs since they have more availability.
  • Service - For the simple fact that waste haulers are not as busy during this time of year, you may receive better, more attentive service.
  • Price - Although there's no guarantee, dumpster and junk removal companies may be more willing to negotiate on price just to earn your business during their slow season.

Ideas for Winter Projects

With more time spent indoors, winter is a great time to tackle renovation or remodeling projects. Other indoor projects include: basement/attic cleanouts, painting, installing new flooring, replacing appliances or furniture, and other interior adjustments to make your living arrangements more comfortable and customized to your lifestyle.

If the weather is poor outside, you can still get things done inside! But you'll need a large, reliable disposal solution on-hand to take care of any debris or junk you'll have to throw out as a result. That's why renting a dumpster is the perfect solution for DIY cleanouts, moving homes or offices, renovation projects, and more.

Plan out the project well in advance in order to ensure its success. Proper planning reduces the risk of delays with the project itself and with the cleanup. 

We suggest calling several dumpster rental companies for quotes at least a week in advance of when you'd like to begin your project to ensure you find a reputable service provider with the availability you need.

When contacting different service providers, we recommend that you get in touch with at least 2-3 different companies for quotes. This not only ensures you'll secure services when you need them, but it'll also allow you to get a good feel for the level of customer service you'll receive, compare costs, and ultimately choose the best team for your project. 

Hometown makes it easy to request multiple quotes to dumpster rental companies that service your area. When you fill out our single quote request form, you can send your project info to multiple companies at once, eliminating the need to fill out separate contact forms for each company you get in touch with.

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Key Considerations

Roll-off dumpster surrounded by and covered in snow

Weather can influence delivery of a dumpster or influence a junk removal pickup. This can be tough to avoid, although it’s a good idea to not schedule a dumpster drop off when a blizzard or ice storm is in the forecast near or on the projected service date. Your best bet is to keep in touch with your waste hauler prior to the service day to know in advance if the weather is likely to cause any delays.

Also, be sure to prep the site for dumpster delivery by ensuring there is access to the area you'd like your dumpster placed. This may include moving other vehicles out of the driveway, shoveling deep snow, clearing the drop-off site of debris, etc. Keep the area around the dumpster salted during snowy and icy conditions to ensure your safety.

Finally, cover the dumpster with a tarp during heavy snow and rain storms to minimize the risk of exceeding your dumpster weight allowance. Not doing so could add a significant amount of weight to the debris inside the dumpster and could wind up costing you in overage fees should you exceed the weight allowance.

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