Where do I dump garbage? (Pittsburgh, Bethel Park: renting, house, transfer)

[JoshM25]

So we closed on our house in Bethel Park yesterday! We're super excited, but now the fun begins with some renovations and such.

Since I'm from Maine originally, I'm used to going to the local "dump" or landfill and simply getting rid of household and construction waste. My dad is a contractor and would purchase a tag and slap it on his truck.

Is there anything like that in Pittsburgh? I've lived here for 5 years and can't seem to recall anything like that. We're replacing windows -- so where to I dump the old windows? We're also re-doing a section of the roof -- where do I dump the old shingles? Same goes for carpet and such. I know that private businesses collect scrap metal and stuff, but what about a good old transfer station?

I'm thinking about renting a dumpster or some other container. Is this a good idea?

Thanks for the advice. I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty!

[Renaldo5000]

Renting a dumpster is probably your best option. I am not aware of any "private dumps" in the area.

[fleetiebelle]

Whatever you do, just don't dump them over a hillside on a quiet street, as seems to be a Pittsburgh tradition.

There's a community group in Beechview that does regular litter pickups, and it seems like every year they drag dozens of tires and other junk out of the Seldom Seen Greenway.

[JoshM25]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Whatever you do, just don't dump them over a hillside on a quiet street, as seems to be a Pittsburgh tradition.

I was going to qualify my question by saying that's what I most certainly wasn't going to do. ha ha...

Thanks for the advice though.

[Tinare]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Whatever you do, just don't dump them over a hillside on a quiet street, as seems to be a Pittsburgh tradition.

The house I grew up in is on a corner and the yard is close to an acre, half of which was wooded hillside. Every spring we climbed that hill and cleared bags of other people's crap off of it. I really don't know what makes people think that a hillside full of trees isn't owned by someone. Especially when there is a house nearby.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

I know there's a dump in Aliquippa, but I've never seen one in and around the city.

[fleetiebelle]

Forgot to mention, if any of the fixtures you're getting rid of are useable, you can donate them to Construction Junction: Donate - Construction Junction

[greg42]

Seems to be a New England thing? My girlfriend from Boston area is familiar with that practice as well. Apparently it was common to not even have weekly curbside pickup of your ordinary household waste. Heck, I grew up in the, well, not in the sticks I suppose but still outside a small town in fairly rural WV, and even 30+ years ago we had curbside trash collection. I'm sure there are other rural areas where collection like that would be impractical, though.

Anyway. Renting a dumpster is the main option I know of. While I'm sure you can take loads to a landfill if you look into that, I'm not sure there's such an option as a reasonably priced all-you-can-dump sticker, which is what I envision from the New England areas. I think you would have to pay by the load.

For some of the things you mentioned: Roofing jobs invariably involve a dumpster. I can't remember ever seeing one that didn't, and most of these involved contractors. Which means even they see an inherent value in using the dumpster over trying to take it themselves. Windows, not sure. If they're good for something, like original windows from 80 years ago or something, and not damaged, you may be able to donate them: Donate - Construction Junction

Now, some large stuff might be able to go out with your curbside collection. The rules for what they'll take vary widely. At my place, they're pretty lax. Even officially you can put out one bulk item (like even a couch, appliance, etc.) every week. In practice, you can generally put out a large amount of stuff without them saying anything. A room or few of carpet? No problem. They'd take the windows too, long as I only set out a couple at a time and not 8 or 10. Not sure if that's the case where you are. The shingles, though, probably out of luck unless you can set them out a couple of cans at a time. But it wouldn't hurt to find out the policy on this. Another option could be a special pickup. Not sure if they offer this, but I've heard that with some companies you can arrange a one-time bulk collection for a fee, and that might be cheaper than the dumpster. For example, if you want to toss 12 windows at once, etc.

[BrianTH]

Just an idle story, but we discovered that in our neighborhood (Regent Square), if you put anything remotely recyclable in your trash area (pretty much anything metal, substantial pieces of wood, and so forth) a couple days before pickup day, it would be gone before the garbage trucks arrived.

[robrobrob]

Construction Junction may take the windows if you don't destroy them while taking them out.