Baltimore, Maryland is no stranger to hurricanes and tropical storms. Since 1950 there have been one hundred and eighteen hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions that have affected the state of Maryland.

With these come yard cleanups with enough debris to be the equivalent of a housecleaning or spring cleaning. Storm debris is more than just a normal yard cleanup. That’s thousands of sticks that may not have come from your trees, and as for trees, your trees may be felled by a storm and require cutting down and disposal. In Baltimore County, simply getting rid of debris from backyard cleanup is a challenge.

Trash collection will not pick up poison ivy, poison oak, sumac, giant hogweed, lumber, food scraps, garden hoses, and the last thing on that list “etc,” which means shingles ripped off your roof or a neighbor’s roof. of gutters, or lids of garbage cans.

They collect grass, leaves, vines, twigs, brush clippings, and twigs or branches. What they pick up isn’t just dumped into a garbage truck as they make their way to the next stop. Here are the rules for yard waste collection in Baltimore County:

Grass and leaves should be placed in paper or plastic bags.

Branches and branches may not be more than three inches in diameter and not more than three feet in length and tied in bundles.

Bags and bundles cannot weigh more than thirty pounds.

You may not place yard waste in dumpsters or on the street.

Another consideration, as homeowners in other states have discovered, is how long it takes for waste collection services to remove storm debris. In Florida and Texas, it took months after the hurricanes in 2017 to remove storm debris in front of people’s homes. Their lawns were killed where the trash was found, and in some cases, wildlife such as opossums and rats took up residence in the waste.

To avoid complications if you experience a storm in the coming months or years in Baltimore, you should rent a dumpster and clean up your own yard waste. Let’s take a look at how you can take charge of getting rid of storm debris.

First, contact us for cheap dumpster rental. We can provide you with trash cans or rolling bins in whatever sizes and numbers you want. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff can tell you exactly what you need and in what sizes for storm cleaning. After you’ve secured the waste container you need, it’s time to come up with a plan of attack.

Safety should always come first with a storm cleanup. Inspect the scene to ensure there are no downed power lines. Even if power goes out while you are cleaning, you have no way of knowing when power will be restored and a downed power line can cause serious bodily injury or death.

After making sure there are no downed power lines near your yard, put on a heavy pair of work gloves. Loose shingles may have invisible nails or staples that can cause deep cuts in your hands. Similarly, the edges can be sharp and cut like broken pieces of glass or plastic you might find. You may want to bag shingles that have multiple nails or staples on them to avoid losing them in your yard or cutting yourself on them, this also goes for broken glass. Look under and around larger debris for roofing materials, but don’t climb under large branches that are barely attached to a tree or leaning against something, as they could fall on you and cause serious injury.

Then, wear safety glasses or goggles before cutting downed trees or large limbs with a chainsaw. Be sure to cut the pieces small enough that you can take them to the dumpster without hurting yourself. Finally, use rakes and blowers to clear your yard of small storm debris and place it in the dumpster you rented.

With a little planning and common sense, you can clean up your yard so it looks like there never was a storm. Contact us for rates and availability on our dumpster rentals, we look forward to serving you!