The "Ins and Outs" of Polyethylene Roll Off Dumpster Liners
What is a Roll Off Dumpster Liner?
In short, a dumpster liner is a massive garbage bag. Of course, there is much more to dumpster liners, such as several thicknesses, colors, sizes, chemical make-ups, uses, manufacturing techniques, and packaging. Most importantly, there are many different liner requirements, each based on a company's specific needs. Concrete companies, asbestos abatement professionals, environmental service corporations and many more rely on Roll Off Dumpster Liners daily to contain materials which may be harmful to others or our environment. Liners are often purchased in addition to renting a container from the local Roll Off Dumpster company. Drivers simply drop off a container, quickly install a liner and the dumpster box is ready for use. From New Hampshire to Kansas to California, environmental laws demand the use of dumpster liners.
Do my company's day to day activities require the use of a Roll Off Dumpster Liner?
As an owner, manager or site superintendent if you ask yourself this question the answer is most likely yes. Insulation and asbestos abatement professionals are required by law to contain and encapsulate any materials which have been found to be hazardous to the public's health. Concrete companies have been the target of environmental agencies for years. The main concern with regards to concrete is the run-off or intentional pouring of wash out material. Even when just pouring a new curb or a foundation for a 5,000 SqFt home, the cement trucks have to clean out their material by spraying down the shoot. This material can't be poured down the street sewer or in the neighbor's lawn. Often there is over-pour and excess material which is just part of the job. Man made disasters such as the gulf coast oil spill and hurricane Katrina make liners a must. There is no American who wants to see a dumpster driving down the highway dripping contaminated liquid. In other cases, many manufacturing facilities produce a daily amount of liquid refuse or semi-solid refuse. Again, these companies depend on liners for daily operation to maintain man-hours spent on clean up. It may be "green" not to use polyethylene, which is essentially "plastic". In this case it's not the choice between "paper and plastic", it's a matter of containing and encapsulating a possibly hazardous liquid.
At this time the majority of America's Dumpster Liners are made domestically. Unfortunately, at times our prices are affected by the often-volatile overseas polyethylene resin pricing. There may be less than ten resin suppliers worldwide at any given time. Recently, due to the natural gas vs. oil price ratio, American resin has seen a rise in demand and therefore price increase (but that's another article all together).
That said, let's answer the question, What makes up a Dumpster Liner?
These liners are manufactured much like a trash-can liner or garbage bag (depending on the company). Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is what is commonly referred to as a plastic garbage bag. This resin is used to produce a Roll Off Dumpster Liner. LDPE has a recycle number of 4. One positive is that the majority of these liners used to keep our streets clean are made of recycled resins. It only made sense for the user and manufacturer to use recycled plastic to produce a liner, which in most cases ends up in a landfill or, at best, a recycling center.
Roll Off Dumpster Liners are mainly produced black opaque in color. Clear, white, or just about any other color is always available but not cost effective. Thicknesses typically range from 3 MIL (.003 MIL) thick to 12 MIL (.012) thick. As a point of reference, most contractor bags sold at hardware stores are 3 MIL thick. Typical household trash bags are 0.1 MIL to 0.9 MIL thick. As unethical as it may be, many manufacturers will "cut gauge" when it comes to the thickness of liners. This means you may order a 6 MIL liner and end up with a liner closer to 4 MIL thick. In the United States, it is industry standard for a product to be +/- 10. In other words if you order a 6 MIL liner, a minimum thickness of 5.4 would be acceptable. Always check with your local and state requirements when choosing a Dumpster Liner thickness. I doubt any of us would wish an "EPA" fine on our worst enemy.
The most popular container sizes are 10, 15, 20 and 30 yard. 10 - 15 yard containers make washing out a cement truck shoot easy due to their shorter sidewalls. Liners are also made for larger applications such as railway trailers and truck trailers. Roll Off Dumpster Liners are designed to have an overhang on each side. This is done so that the liner may be secured by tying it off to hooks, and taping or tying in knots to avoid having it blow off in windy conditions.
Skid quantities of Roll Off Dumpster Liners are typically shipped "freight paid". The size of the skid is based on weight, which is 1,200 to 1,700 lbs on average. The weight of a liner can very from 6 lbs to over 20 lbs dependent on the size and thickness. Manufacturers will package Roll Off Dumpster liners from 1 to 5 per case. Some liners are folded, some are rolled and others rolled on a corrugated core.
What are the manufacturing techniques of Roll Off Dumpster Liners?
"Seal-on-side", "Envelope" and "M-fold gusset" are the most popular designs of these liners. All serve the same purpose, to hold in contaminated material during fill and transit. The first is basically a very large sheet of low-density polyethylene (plastic) folded in half and sealed on each side. The next is a liner of similar size but designed to have folded layers at each end in each seam. This liner was developed to keep all seams up and outside of the container. The idea behind this technique was that with seams / seals out of the dumpster there would be a lowered possibility of leakage inside the container. The later design is basically a pallet or rack cover inverted to make the liner more form fitting to the container.
On behalf of myself and the Kipling Enterprises, Inc. team, I hope this informative article helps you on your way to ordering the right Roll Off Dumpster Liner for your needs. For a quote on our custom products or our always in stock products, contact us toll free at 866.338.0674 or info@kipling-ent.com.
