About Dumpsters

Terminology

• Though the term "dumpster" is used as a generic word referring to any large metal waste receptacle of its type, "Dumpster" is actually a proper brand name. In Britain and Australia, the same receptacles may also be known as "wheelie bins." The most accurate and descriptive term for these items is also sometimes used: front-loader container.

History

• The first dumpsters were patented in the 1930s by the Dempster brothers. The original dumpster design was also intended for mechanical loading, but this was not perfected until the 1950s with the advent of the Dempster Dumpmaster, the front-loading receptacle we're familiar with today. These units are built to be lifted by mechanical arms and upended into a large dump truck. The Dumpmaster-style front end loader receptacle didn't gain massive popularity until the 1970s, when there was an increased demand for efficient for removal of large amounts of commercial and industrial waste products.

Dumpsters and Waste Management

• Dumpsters provide a convenient means to store waste, then transport it to landfills or incinerators. The same receptacles may also be used for storage and transportation of recyclable materials to recycling centers.

The Dumpster Business

• Dumpsters are owned by the waste management companies whose trucks carry waste. The dumpster units are then rented, either on a long-term basis (as implemented by apartment complexes and businesses) or temporarily (as is often used for construction sites and projects). Generally, this rental fee includes set, regular emptying of the receptacle with extra emptying being assessed an additional fee. Major dumpster businesses in the United States include Waste Management, Allied Waste and and Republic Services.

Dumpster Diving

• The prevalence of dumpster use in recent decades, combined with the size and discrete locations the receptacles are generally given (alleys, off-street parking lots, etc.) has lead to a practice and subculture of scavenging known as "dumpster diving" or "dumpstering." This can be as simple as someone who spots a usable item in a dumpster and salvages it, or it can be a person's major source of sustenance and supplies, either out of necessity or, in the case of some groups (such as Freegans) a political statement and response to the perceived wastefulness of an industrial capitalist society.