Key to the Collection System

The now ubiquitous dumpster was first patented in 1937 by two brothers named Dempster.  Their Dempster Dumpster system allowed a specially designed garbage truck to mechanically unload a large steel bin filled with trash.  The containers were called dumpsters both because of the association with the word dump and because of the close correlation to the name Dempster.  The collection system became so popular that the term dumpster is now used generically to signify all the large waste containers lifted by fork lift mechanisms.

In England, dumpsters may go by the name “wheelie bin.”  Other countries sometimes opt for front loading containers or some other descriptive terminology.  There are now three trademarks officially registered to protect the term, but is so widely used that few associate it with any particular brand of waste receptacle.  It has just become the big bin that people who live in multi unit housing use to empty their trash containers.

Dumpsters are used by businesses as well.  They are found in parking lots, outside of restaurants, and by stores.  Practically every underground garage will have at least one sited somewhere for trash disposal.  They are also found in parks and other public sites where trash may accumulate.

Dumpsters generally are made of steel to give them great strength and durability.  Rectangular in shape, they will have wheels at each corner so they can be more easily moved about.  Their heavy weight, particularly when filled with trash, and large size can make them difficult to move about.  They are seldom rolled for any distance as a result.

Form Follows Function

Dumpsters are designed to store trash on a temporary basis until a garbage truck equipped with a front loading fork lift empties them.  There will be a large slot welded along each side to accommodate the fork tine used for lifting.  Dumpsters are generally emptied on a weekly basis by a trash removal service.

Buildings and businesses will throw the trash they generate into a dumpster for temporary storage.  The garbage truck will then slowly approach the container with its prongs lowered to fit into the apertures along the sides.  The fork lift mechanism will then hydraulically hoist the container up over the cab of the truck and turn it over so the contents fall into a large cargo bay.  The system has proven itself to be an efficient and cost effective means for waste disposal.

Other dumpster systems use both smaller and larger containers and rear loading disposal trucks.  Construction sites will often use large scale dumpsters to temporarily store building waste.  When these containers become full, a disposal truck will be summoned with a flatbed platform that can be angled towards the ground by hydraulic lifts.  Hooks will then be attached to holding points on the dumpster, and the unit will be rolled and dragged onto the flatbed surface in order to haul the material away.  These large scale dumpsters can hold a dozen or more times the amount of standard units.