Getting rid of unwanted bulky items or junk, such as debris from a construction site or garage cleanouts, is not only time-consuming but also an uphill task. It is also essential to dispose of your junk in the most sustainable or environmentally friendly way available. You can hire a dumpster and take the trash to the dump by yourself or hire a junk removal service.
Each choice comes with its advantages and challenges. This article details everything you need to know before going to the dump. Continue reading to learn more.

What You Didn’t Know About the Dump

Want quick and painless junk removal? Then you shouldn’t plan to get rid of your unwanted items by yourself. It might seem simplistic to drive to a local dump and get rid of everything, but it’s more complicated than what you’d expect at first glance. Landfills have fees attached when you drop off your items and specific items that they will and will not accept. You’ll need to research the type of landfill that a nearby dump is classified as to know. Also, if you have any donatable items or recyclables, you’ll have to take extra trips that will multiply the time it’ll take you to finish. Junk Smiths can get rid of your junk quickly, easily, and hassle-free!

A professional junk removal company like Junk Smiths makes getting rid of your unwanted things painless; as opposed to a DIY trash disposal job that takes a lot of your time and energy, our efficient service ensures that you can dedicate your resources to more important tasks within your life

Can You Take Stuff to The Dump?

Yes. You can take your stuff to the dump, but you may face several challenges. These drawbacks are related to the hauling capacity, amount of work, and convenience. Here’s a breakdown of these aspects, comparing hiring a junk removal service and going to the dump.

Hauling Capacity

A typical junk removal service has several dumpster sizes that can haul between 2,00 to 20,000 pounds of junk. Therefore, by choosing them, they will assess the size of your trash and haul it with a dumpster that can carry them on the go. If you decide to go to the dump by yourself, you will most likely have to use your pickup truck (if you own one). Most pickup trucks have a carrying capacity of 1,000 pounds. Therefore, you will make multiple trips to the dump sites if you have more than your pickup’s carrying capacity.

Amount of Work

People dealing with large amounts of junk have a lot of work to do if they decide to DIY. If you don’t have a vehicle big enough to do the job at once, you will make several trips to the landfill. Local landfills charge according to the individual load. Therefore, you will spend more on their fees by making several trips and more money on gas.
DIY junk removal will also take much time and physical labor. Unless you’re familiar with what needs to be recycled and disposed of, you will spend a lot of time sorting out your junk to meet this requirement. Therefore, you have to plan at least half a day sorting and loading the trash and the other half unloading at the landfill. Finally, you will also have to deal with the extra wear and tear you put on your vehicle.

Convenience

A junk removal service will fill their dumpster while you concentrate on your work and get rid of your debris without having you leave your home. However, you must break from your job to travel to the dump to eliminate the trash. This can last for days since you must make the trips at the designated landfill’s operating hours.

Where Can I Dump Junk in Orange County?

You can take your junk to two locations: landfills and collection centers.

If you want to know where to dump junk near you then there are a couple of landfills where you can dispose of your junk in Orange County:

• Prima Deshecha
• Olinda Alpha landfills

Prima Deshecha Landfills
Location: 32250 Avenida La Pata, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675, USA.
Regulations:

• Allows public disposal, subject to the fees provided
• Allows chemically treated wood waste
• Allows broken asphalt, subject to the established requirements
• Allows green waste from pre-authorized green waste providers, but subject to daily limits

Olinda Alpha Landfill
Location: 1942 Valencia Ave, Brea, CA 92823, USA.
Regulations:

• Allows public landfill disposal, subject to the fees provided
• Allows soil disposal complaints to the regulatory criteria
• Allows disposal of broken asphalt, per the requirements
• Allows disposal of shredded green waste from a pre-authorized waste provider but should meet daily limits
• They do not accept treated wood waste

Please note that Orange County’s landfills only accept waste collected from Orange County. Therefore, anyone who intends to dump the junk in these landfills should provide proof of residence in the form of a driver’s license or a current utility bill showing the address of the waste’s origin. 

Landfill Fees

Landfill fees only apply to the Olinda and Prima Deshecha landfills, which are open for public disposal in the county. Here are the fees that apply, effective 1st July 2022 to 30th June 2023, here are the fees that apply:

1. Loads weighing below 360 pounds (autos, SUVs, and passenger minivans – $5.00
2. Loads weighing below 880 pounds (cargo vans, utility vans, pickup trucks with a carrying capacity below 880 pounds) – $20.00
3. Hard-to-handle items such as mattresses, pieces of wood, and furniture more than six feet – an additional fee of $5.00
4. A pre-ton fee for vehicles hauling exceeding 880 pounds – $62.34
5. Pre-ton fee for vehicles hauling more than 880 pounds with hard-to-handle materials – $ 67.34 (an additional $5.00 charge is included)

Payment Options

Several payment options are available for dumping trash in Orange County landfills. These options include:

1. Cash
2. Checks payable to Orange County. They must also include a physical address; the county doesn’t accept those imprinted with P.O. Box numbers. Customers who intend to use checks with a weight-back should provide two checks; one for the deposit and another for the balance
3. Credit cards, such as MasterCard, American Express, and Visa
4. Mobile payments, such as Google Play and Apple Pay. Venmo is unacceptable

It is important to note that several fee exemptions may apply across these landfills. You can learn more about these exemptions by visiting the County of Orange Waste and Recycling Department‘s official website.

Waste Collection Centers in Orange County

Orange County residents have four waste collection centers to dispose of their hazardous waste for free. Household Hazardous Waste or HHW are leftover household products that are ignitable, toxic, corrosive, or contain reactive ingredients. These products include oils, batteries, electronics, and oils. These collection centers include the following:

1. Anaheim Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (1071 N Blue Gum St, Anaheim, CA 92806)
2. Huntington Beach Collection Center (17121 Nichols Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92647)
3. Irvine Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (6411 Oak Canyon, Irvine, CA 92618)
4. San Juan Capistrano Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center (32250 Avenida La Pata, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675)  

These collection centers are open from 9 am- 3 pm PST, Tuesday through Saturday, and are closed during days with rainy weather and major holidays.

What Can I Take to The Dump?

There are things that you can and cannot take to the dump. Some of the things you can legally take to a dump include:

• Non-hazardous household refuse
• Recyclable appliances such as water heaters, refrigerators, dryers, and washers
• Non-hazardous construction and demolition waste, such as roofing, drywall, cardboard, and tiles
• Clean dirt, including granular soil such as silt, sand, or clay. The dirt should also contain less than 10% of grass or root contamination
• Mixed inerts: This is a combination of clean dirt with clean concrete. It should not contain wood, trash, or wood and should have less than 10% of grass or root contamination
• Wood waste and green waste

Since Orange County allows its residents to take Household Hazardous Waste to a collection center, here is a list of the items that you can bring:

• Workshop or paint supplies such as aerosol cans, adhesive glues, furniture strippers, paint strippers, stain and finishes
• Cleaning products, such as bleach, drain cleaners, toilet cleaners, and bleach
• Flammable products, such as kerosene, lighter fluid, propane tanks (should be 5 gallons or smaller), home heating oil, and diesel fuel
• Automotive products, such as fuel additives, starter fluids, brake fluids, and air conditioning refrigerant
• E-waste, such as sterilized blood glucose monitors, tablets and MP3 players, cell phones, computer monitors, stereos, tablets, etc
• Lawn and garden products, such as herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides

Even though there are many things you can take to an HHW collection center, the following items are unacceptable:

• Marine flares
• Explosives
• High-pressure cylinders
• Commercial waste
• Ammunition
• Radioactive materials
• Asbestos
• Tires
• Pharmaceutical waste

Can You Go to the Dump and Take Things?

Another frequent question among Southern California residents is, “Can you take stuff from the dump, or can you take stuff from a landfill?” Yes, you can take recyclables and slightly worn-out items acceptable in goodwill. Some of the recyclable products you can take from a dumpsite include the following:

• Green waste, such as grass, trunks, shrubbery, brush, and yard trimming
• Household items, such as magazines, light bulbs, packaging, and food waste
• Renovation or construction debris, such as fly ash, masonry, wallboard, and concentrate
• Metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, iron, and steel
• E-waste, such as computers, CRT monitors, fluorescent tubes, and computer monitors
• White goods such as fridges, stoves, and freezers

Please note that you should only take items you’re sure to reuse. Otherwise, you may spend much time and energy sorting them out and end up with additional waste at home.
If you’re wondering whether you can go to the dump and take things to Goodwill, here are some of the things that they will accept:

1. Clothing and shoes
2. Hat, gloves, scarves, and mittens
3. Games, sports equipment, and toys
4. Electronics such as flat-screen monitors, CPUs, DVD players, cell phones, and hard drives
5. Housewares, such as kitchen utensils, small appliances, lamps, and glassware
6. Books, videotapes, DVDs, and records
7. Flat screen T.V.s
8. Home appliances such as dishwashers, freezers, fridges, and microwaves

How to Take Stuff to The Dump

If you’re wondering how to dump trash, you can take junk to the dump or hire a junk removal company. Taking junk by yourself is costly, inconvenient, and time-consuming unless you have a small amount of waste and the necessary equipment to make this process effective.
On the other hand, hiring a junk removal company is convenient and less time-consuming. This gives you enough time to focus on other tasks as the junk removal company deals with the junk.

Get Rid of Your Junk with Junk Smiths

Hiring a junk removal service is undoubtedly the best way to deal with piles of junk compared to going to the dump alone. Junk Smiths offers junk removal services with a difference. Our experts are specially trained to handle all kinds of waste with same or next-day availability. Please schedule an appointment today through our online booking tool or call us at 714-369-8886 to learn how we can help you eliminate your trash.

3 Reasons to Choose Us for Your Junk Removal Needs

We see the benefit of hiring professionals for a lot of different tasks. With expert service, you expect timeliness, integrity, and reliability. That’s what Junk Smiths promises to provide whenever you hire us! While going to the dump yourself is one of the more cost-effective methods to get rid of your junk, there are a lot of reasons why choosing the experts at Junk Smiths is the best option.

#1: We Go to The Dump For You!

We’re glad to provide you with the necessary information to haul away your junk to your local dump or landfill by yourself. However, the majority of our clients & most people in Southern California want that process completely outsourced & that’s why we do it for you!

#2: We Make Junk Hauling a Simple Process

Don’t worry about starting from step one when you hire Junk Smiths. We make junk removal simplistic for you, so all you have to do is point at what you want to go! While DIY jobs and other similar methods will require you to do the heavy lifting (literally), a junk removal service takes on the responsibility for you. With Junk Smiths, junk removal is quick and easy.

#3: We Practice Eco-friendly Waste Disposal Practices

As we’ve said, getting rid of your recyclables and donations can be time-consuming when you do it yourself. Junk Smiths ensures that as much can avoid being brought to a landfill as possible. Our knowledge as an industry leader means that we know exactly where everything is properly disposed of. As the video below discusses, even knowing if something is recyclable can be confusing. When juggling whether to recycle or trash something, know that Junk Smiths will employ our eco-friendly practices for every job we do.