family recycling made easy

3 Things That Should Never Go In A Landfill

Hiring a dumpster rental and trash hauling service to provide you with a dumpster and haul your trash to the local landfill is a great way to make it easier to clean out the garage, basement, or attic. You still have to do the work, but at least you won't have to worry about how you're going to get rid of the trash. However, some items definitely don't belong in a landfill, and they shouldn't go in your rented dumpster. Take a look at some items that should never end up in a landfill.

Tires

If a rented dumpster seems like a convenient place to get rid of those old, flat tires taking up space in your garage, think again. Those steel belts inside of car tires have the potential to puncture the liner of the landfill. When the landfill liner is punctured, contamination spreads underneath the landfill and through the area.

You don't need a trash hauler to get rid of your old tires. Just take them to any automobile dealer or tire service center. They can ensure that the tires are recycled properly.

Electronic Devices

Want to get rid of all those outdated cell phones, broken printers, and old televisions that are cluttering up the basement? Great, but don't put them in your rental dumpster. These items contain dangerous elements like lead, cadmium, and mercury. They also contain valuable precious metals, like gold, silver, and platinum that are better off being recycled for future use than left at the dump.

Look up e-recyclers in your local area to find a place where your old electronics can be recycled. Or contact the manufacturers of the old or broken devices that you want to get rid of – many electronics manufacturers have buy-back recycling programs for just this reason.

Light Bulbs

Light bulbs are a bit tricky. Some light bulbs can go into the dumpster and to the landfill with no problem. Incandescent and halogen light bulbs are both considered non-toxic, and they can't be recycled anyway, so toss old bulbs into your dumpster without guilt. However, fluorescent bulbs – including the spiral-shaped CFL light bulbs – contain toxic materials and need to be recycled safely. LED lights are non-toxic and could be thrown away, but they can also be recycled, and recycling them is the better choice.

Check with the large chain home improvement stores in your area – some of them offer bulb recycling. Or, you can search for bulb recycling centers in your area.

Some trash hauling services offer recycling as well as trash removal, so check to see if this option is available to you before you spend a day running around to different recycling centers. If your junk hauling service will take your recyclables too, all that you'll need to do is separate them and have them ready with the dumpster at pick-up time. 

Contact a service like Waconia Roll-Off Service to learn more.