A dumpster enclosure is a small fence with a hard life. It hides a container, keeps the wind from scattering trash, keeps animals and people out, and takes a hit from the truck every time the container is pulled. Most are required by a city, a site plan or an HOA, and most are built too light. Here is why to build one properly and how.
Reasons to build an enclosure
- It is required on most commercial sites, often with a specified height and finish.
- Appearance. A restaurant, church or storefront should not greet customers with a dumpster.
- Wind and litter. A screened enclosure keeps trash from blowing across the lot.
- Animals and people. Raccoons, hogs, dogs and dumpster divers.
- Neighbors. Businesses next to homes get fewer complaints with the container out of sight.
Best practices
- Size it to the hauler. Container dimensions, lid swing, gate swing and the truck's straight-in approach set the footprint. Get the numbers from the hauler, not a guess.
- Steel-framed gates. Welded frames with R-panel, wood or chain link infill; wood-only gates sag in a season.
- Heavy gate posts in deep concrete, hinges welded or through-bolted.
- Bollards or curb stops inside so the container stops before the back wall and the truck stops before the gate posts.
- Hardware that works with full hands: cane bolts, drop rods, a center stop, a latch that holds in wind, and hold-opens so the gates stay put while the truck works.
- A hard surface under the container where the site allows, so the ground does not rut into mud.
- Three sides screened, built to the required height and finish, in chain link with slats, R-panel, wood or masonry.
Materials
Chain link with privacy slats is the economical screen. R-panel on a steel frame is the most durable solid screen and matches a metal building. Wood privacy fence on heavy posts looks best in front of a restaurant or a church and needs bollards. Masonry walls with steel gates are built where the site plan calls for them. See dumpster enclosure fence and commercial fencing.
Other enclosures
The same construction serves mechanical and HVAC screens, propane and generator enclosures, and recycling and equipment corrals. If it has to be screened, gated and hit by something heavy, it is the same job.
Frequently asked questions
Is a dumpster enclosure required?
Many cities, site plans and HOAs require a screened enclosure of a stated height and material for commercial containers. Check the requirement for your site and bring it to the estimate; we build to it.
How wide do the gates need to be?
Wide enough for the hauler to pull the container straight out, usually a foot or more of clearance on each side of the container, with the gates swinging fully clear. We get the container dimensions from your hauler.
What stops the truck from wrecking it?
Bollards or curb stops inside the enclosure, steel-framed gates on heavy posts, and a layout that lets the truck approach straight. Enclosures without bollards get rebuilt.