Tag Archive for: dumpsters for yard debris

How winter changes your backyard and how to keep it alive.

How Winter Changes Your Backyard and Why You’ll Want a Dumpster Come Spring

Winter is a wonderful, beautiful season necessary in most parts of the world for the natural environment to flourish; unfortunately, our precisely-landscaped lawns, gardens, and outdoor structures aren’t always included in the ‘flourishing’ facet of the season. We all know that colder temperatures, less and weaker sunlight, and snowy, icy precipitation causes dormancy in most plants, but that most don’t die over the winter. Despite a lot of winter changes, your yard will likely make a comeback on its own!

So why would you need a dumpster in the spring?

Even if you think that you won’t need something as large as a dumpster (and Moon offers sizes as small as 6 yards for all dumpster needs), remember that bulky yard waste might not be accepted by your neighborhood garbage services, and that dumping yard waste can be illegal and have negative consequences on the environment by damaging native plants, lowering soil quality, and spreading invasive plant species.

So, even though lawns are quite resilient with the correct care and environmentally-adjusted greenery choices, the amount of work that will need to be put in when springtime comes around again depends heavily on a lot of different factors, such as:

  • The amount of pre-winter lawncare you took part in
  • The type and longevity of precipitation and weather that you experience during the winter months
  • What your vision for your springtime yard is
  • How long you’re willing to wait for full lawn recovery

Based on these components, here are some very common winter changes that make a good reason for getting a dumpster for your springtime yard revival so that you can save time, money, and effort!

Fallen Sticks and Limbs

Especially if you had periods of heavy precipitation followed by large amounts of snow, you sometimes might not even be aware of what lurks under the undisturbed blankets of snow until it all melts. Sticks and limbs that fall during the winter might be too water-damaged to use in backyard fires by the time you get around to it, and can fill up your yard waste bin pretty quickly if you choose to try and fit them there.

Deck Damage

The combination of heavy ice, trampled snow, and trickles of water that sit on it all winter, your deck is a very important item to check when it clears off, especially if it’s old or was already showing signs of weakness and damage before the winter. Don’t wait for injuries to happen! If you do decide that its time for a new surface and DIY the breakdown, we have a dumpster size to fit your project!

Dead Plants

Not all plants are suitable for long winters, and there are always other factors that can have a hand in taking even the most resilient plants out. Weighty ice can break down stems and support, salt from de-icers can cause dehydration and salt burns, deep frost can destroy a plant or tree’s central root system, and late frost can be a silent killer when you think you’re in the clear.

Critter Damage

While looking for a snug, snow-free home for the winter, backyard critters might cause some accidental decimation in your yard. You might find that shrubs and trees have been stripped for food or sit on top of newly-dug hole-homes that create structural instability. While most of this damage has the potential to be reversible, if your yard was a hotspot for wildlife, there might be some greenery that just won’t make a comeback in the spring. Winter changes to your yard aren’t always caused by the weather!

Frost Cracks

In a lot of cases regarding frost cracks in trees from water infiltrating the wood and expanding when it freezes, there won’t be any need for removal. But if you notice structural instability in a very young or very old tree that is dying from too many, too often and can’t take the stress, you might want to consider removal and replacement. If you aren’t convinced, here’s 5 Reasons to Remove Dead Trees from Your Yard.

Matted Grass

After months of packed-in snow, ice, and little feet pitter-pattering everything into an even more compact layer, you should expect your grass to look a little worse for wear. With some help from tips on lawncare in the late winter and early spring, your grass should come back nice and strong. But to help aerate and groom it, raking any loose debris is recommended by most lawncare experts! If you have a big yard, that might be a big job – too much for a regular yard waste bin.

New Weed Growth

Finally, after a winter off-duty from weed watching, pulling, and spraying, these pesky plants will be some of the first to pop up and thrive in the warming temperatures and increased sunlight. Once you’ve psyched yourself up for the job, Moon dumpsters is here to haul it all away!

Moon Has Your Back This Spring

Backyard winter changes aren’t all bad and they also aren’t all so serious that drastic measures must be taken. But, as seen above, there are many ways that changes could need a dumpster. Moon has you covered!

Consider renting a Moon Mini Dumpster, no matter what size project you choose to undertake. Our driveway dumpsters come in 6, 9, 12, 16, 20, 30, and 40 cubic yard capacities. Affordable and lightweight, a dumpster will be delivered directly to you and placed on boards for surface protection. We are environmentally-friendly, locally-owned, and willing to work with any time frame. Give us a call at 502-772-2821 to learn more!

Should I remove dead trees from my yard?

5 Reasons Why You Should Remove Dead Trees From Your Yard

When you landscape a yard, it never seems complete without a nice, big, shady tree to hang a tire swing from or build a treehouse in. They’re sturdy, they’re hardy, and they bring an extra aesthetic and dimensional pop to your yard that you can’t always get with shrubs and flowers. But trees, just like all other organic matter, can still succumb to a whole list of afflictions that cause them to die – sometimes in obvious ways, and sometimes in more subtle ways.

When you know you have a dead tree, or even a dying tree, on your property, though, action needs to be taken.

In a forest or a heavily wooded area, these dead or dying trees are also called snag trees, and can be very helpful to the environment – so much so that there are certain amounts of snag trees often required to be left standing. This is not, however, the case when it comes to dead trees in your yard. Here’s 5 reasons why you need to remove dead trees from your yard – the sooner the better!

Why You Should Remove Dead Trees From Your Yard

1. They’re a Safety Hazard

This is the first and most important reason for you to remove dead trees is because they pose a safety risk. As trees die and begin to decompose, they also begin to lose their structural integrity. The root system holding them in the ground will likely rot away, the bark will become loose, and the wood that once made it strong crumbles.

That means that the treehouse you built becomes more liable to fall, and anyone standing near or under the tree at any point in time is taking a huge risk of falling branches. Your house is put in the danger zone should any branches or the entire tree uproot itself in a storm, and you’ll be held responsible if any cars or houses are injured in the process as well.

2. They Can Attract Pests

If you thought that your living trees were the home to a variety of insects before, you won’t want to do any exploring in your dead ones. Dead wood is an especially attractive place for insects to make their home, as the wood becomes more malleable and more easily moved – and sometimes eaten – by certain species. Some of the most dangerous pest species that can end up doing a lot more damage than taking up residence in your dead trees include:

  • Ants, especially carpenter ants
  • Wasps
  • Bees
  • Wood-Boring Beetles
  • Termites

These pests can very quickly invade your home and healthy trees and threaten their integrity, as well as accelerate the rate at which the dead tree is decomposing, which makes it even more of a safety risk.

3. They Can Infect Other Trees

Whether by infectious tree diseases or invasive pests, dead trees have a high potential of passing both the afflictions they died from or what they developed as an effect of death on to other trees. This, then, multiplies your risk of dead and unstable trees and the amount of pests on your property that can develop into an outbreak if not controlled.

This was seen with the Emerald Ash Borer, which is an invasive insect that has wiped out a huge population of Ash trees in the Midwest because control methods were not studied and implemented quickly enough. When you have a dead tree, the best defense is to remove it as quickly as possible to prevent any risk of infection or pest spread.

4. They Can Devalue Your Property

While most people think that this reason doesn’t apply to them if they aren’t actively trying to sell their house or land, it’s actually pertinent to all home owners. Anyone who has ever planted a sapling or had to treat and care for trees knows that these plants are long-term investments. In order to take into consideration your property value, you have to think in terms of the ‘big picture.’

Trees can get very big, and they play an important role in the ecosystem of your yard. Even if you aren’t planning on selling your house in the near future, keep in mind that it will take some time for that ecosystem to recover from the loss of even one tree. This, combined with the time that it will take for the area to heal in terms of aesthetics, requires some forward thinking. You might need a stump grinded down, your grass will need to regrow where falling branches may have damaged it and where the stump used to reside, and you’ll likely have A LOT of yard work and waste to clean up after the fact – all of which contributes to the property value.

5. They Can Cost You a Lot In the Long Run

As the culmination of what most of the previous reasons revolve around, dead trees will end up costing you much more than a tree removal service will if you choose to wait. Reconstruction costs if the tree falls on a house or fence, insurance if it falls on a car, a lower property value, pest removal services if pests that made a home in your dead tree invade your home, and more tree removal services if disease spreads to the surrounding trees – it can all be avoided by early detection and early removal.

Don’t wait for these costs to pop up, and when you suspect a tree on your property has died, get an expert opinion or a removal service so that you can avoid all these unnecessary costs in the long run. And then after, when you need a yard waste removal service, give Moon Dumpsters a call! We deliver dumpsters from 6-40 ft for however big your tree removal waste may be!

Consider renting a Moon Mini Dumpster, no matter what size project you choose to undertake. Our driveway dumpsters come in 6, 9, 12, 16, 20, 30, and 40 cubic yard capacities. Affordable and lightweight, a dumpster will be delivered directly to you and placed on boards for surface protection. We are environmentally-friendly, locally-owned, and willing to work with any time frame. Give us a call at 502-547-1974 to learn more!

7 Helpful Tips for Cleaning Up Yard Waste and Debris

Dumpster Rentals from Moon Dumpsters

Moon Dumpsters delivers your dumpster rental to your location and picks it up and disposes of the contents whenever you are finished with your project. Call for more info about our services in Kentucky and Southern, Indiana.

Yard waste and debris can ruin the exterior appearance of your home. It can build up over time and can be challenging to clean up after a while. Regular yard cleaning is an excellent way to maintain your home’s outdoor areas. And if you get organized, you don’t need to sacrifice the entire weekend on this task. Follow along for some helpful cleaning tips that may help you complete this chore efficiently and effectively:

  1. Remove Large Debris First – Remove debris like plastic pans, boxes, paper, bags, toys, etc., first. You can collect all of these items in a bin for more straightforward disposal. Be on the lookout for dangerous objects like sharp tools, nails, pieces of glass, etc. It is especially important to do this after winter because snow cover can hide dangerous debris easily. Remove all tree branches, pinecones, large debris, and big pieces of wood as well. Addressing large waste first ensures you don’t miss smaller items later.
  2. Clean Up Pet Litter – Pet litter is a common sight in backyards, especially after the winter snow melts away. It is a good idea to remove all pet waste and discard of it safely. Don’t use it in compost or add it to the soil. There are safer and more effective ways to restore soil nutrition. Most pet owners have tools to scoop up litter and easily transport it to a garbage bin. They’re easily available at local pet stores or online as well.
  3. Use Biological Matter for Compost – Use small twigs, fallen leaves, flowers, and fruits for composting. You can also include waste from your kitchen in a compost pile. Use a small rake to remove everything from fallen foliage to dead grass before adding them to your compost pile. People who don’t have a compost but are interested in making one can know how to make one can find detailed information online about composting. This process is very beneficial, especially for people who like to maintain smart herb gardens or planters.
  4. Pack Away All Garden Tools – Remove all landscaping and gardening tools from your yard and lock them away safely. Many homeowners forget to store their gardening tools properly after tending to their plants, which can lead to injuries. You need to be especially careful if you have children or pets.
  5. Recycle Everything You Can – Recycle debris wherever possible. Everything from stray plastic bags to leaves and twigs is recyclable. A good recycling center will collect all of these materials and dispose of them according to mandated guidelines. Don’t throw these items in your regular trash bin as many trash collection companies don’t have sound recycling systems in place. Some companies won’t even pick up trash with landscape or backyard debris.
  6. Turn Twigs, Leaves, and Plants into Mulch – You can turn twigs, branches, and dead plants into mulch. A wood shredder can turn this debris into mulch for landscaping and gardening. Mulch adds a layer of protection around a plant’s roots, helps the soil retain moisture, and protects the delicate roots from the weather conditions, which contributes towards overall tree health. Wood chip mulch is good for planters, herb gardens, trees, and bushes but isn’t suitable for grass. Make sure you use the right kind of mulch during landscaping.
  7. Use a Professional Dumpster Service to Make Yard Clean Up Easier – If you have a large yard or a yard with a lot of debris, you might benefit from renting a dumpster to make your clean up experience easier.  Moon Dumpsters, for example, offers units for rent in many different dumpsters sizes ranging from 6 cubic yards to 40 cubic yards. Delivered straight to your door, and picked up and disposed of whenever you are ready, a dumpster rental can take a lot of the hassle out of yard cleaning.

All of these tips detailed above will help you maintain your yard easily, without wasting too much time on the process. Landscaping experts recommend a thorough cleaning during early spring as it can help grass and plants grow without problems.