Have you heard of Bagster? It’s like a cross between this…
…and this.
It’s a really small dumpster. It’s a really big bag. It’s a Bagster!
We used one for our front porch demo, and it was perfect for our needs. So today I’m sharing why we used Bagster, the basics of how it works, and a few insider tips in case you’re looking for a mini dumpster solution. (Btw, this is not a sponsored post. I wish! Just kidding…kind of…But this post is definitely not paid or perked.)
Why Bagster worked for us:
As far as renovations go, we had a small amount of debris. Just the porch floor, railings, and two posts. Definitely not enough to warrant a big dumpster. Besides, we have to get a city permit and pay a per-day parking fee to have a dumpster on the street in front of our house, which gets pricey and means the pressure is on to work quickly. No thanks. You may have noticed we don’t work all that quickly.
Alternatively, hauling stuff to the dump on our own would allow us to work at a leisurely pace. But we knew we’d have more than one pick-up truck load of debris to haul away. Not super convenient since (a) the dump is kind of far away, and (b) we don’t have a truck. My dad graciously hauls stuff to the dump for us with his truck sometimes, but we didn’t want to burden him, especially since his truck is busy with other stuff this time of year. Of course we could have rented a truck (e.g., by the hour from Home Depot), but that would also add up and was a hassle we just didn’t feel like dealing with.
So Bagster was the perfect middle of the road solution for us.
As you can see, the basics of how it works are: buy, fill, gone.
1. BUY
* First things first, check here to see if Waste Management offers Bagster pick-up service in your area.
* You purchase the Bagster itself at a retail location, then pay separately to have it picked up. We bought ours at Home Depot for $29. Find a retailer near you here, or you can purchase through Amazon.
* Collection fees vary by location. We paid $150. Not pennies, I know. But it was a good value for us. You can look up the collection fee in your area online.
2. FILL
Actually, wait, before we get to what can/can’t go in the bag, we need to talk about Bagster placement. It’s crucial.
Think about the end game when placing your Bagster. A big truck with a crane arm is going to come lift this thing up…
…so you have to make sure the truck has unfettered access. That means at least five feet clearance all around your Bagster from any structures like fences or mailboxes; no wires, branches, etc. overhead that could interfere with pick up; and no further than 16′ feet from the street or driveway. But don’t plan on driveway pick-up if it’s a tight squeeze to get in (e.g., from an alley). It’s a big truck, y’all; it can’t make tight turns. And you have to sign a damage waiver if you want the truck to pull onto your driveway, so consider that carefully.
* Once you’ve found the right location, lay the Bagster out flat, unfold it, and have a couple of toddlers step inside to open the sides.
You can substitute an adult here if no children are available, but I don’t recommend it.
* Then fill ‘er up with up to 3300 lbs of non-toxic, non-hazardous waste. Different restrictions apply for things like yard debris and appliances in different locations. Check out the specifics for your area online.
* You can fill all the way up to the top. They just have to be able to get the orange straps to meet at the top during pick-up. (But if it’s too full and seems unsafe, they might not take it and may charge you a fee.)
3. GONE
* When you’re ready to bid adieu to your junk, you call to request a pick-up. That’s when you pay the collection fee. Your Bagster will be picked up within three business days of your call. That’s as specific as it gets, folks: a three day window.
That was kind of a big deal for us, and we seriously lucked out with our pick-up time. See, there is public street parking in front of our house. It’s always full. We can’t ensure open access to our curb (without getting the city involved) EXCEPT for the three hour window in a week that parking is restricted on our side of the street for street sweeping. And sweet mother of all things holy, that’s actually when our truck arrived! Bullet dodged.
* The pick-up routes for a given day are set by 6am. If you give your email address when you call to request collection, they’ll email you on the morning of your pick-up. Hubby didn’t know that and didn’t want to give his email address, so we were getting up at 6am to call and find out if we were on the day’s route. (But again, we were really sweating our pick-up time.)
* You don’t need to be home for pick-up. Here’s what you’ll miss if you’re not there.
The whole removal process is very efficient. I don’t think it even took ten minutes. (So much nicer than multiple dump runs!)
* Your driver may or may not have a co-pilot.
So that’s it–our Bagster experience. A bit pricey, but definitely worth a premium since it met our needs so well. Bonus: now we have something to blame our dead grass on.
Anybody else tried Bagster? Or a good old fashioned dumpster? Anybody else find a million and one uses for those blue Ikea bags?
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Linking up with Dining, Design, & Diapers; Serenity Now; and It’s Overflowing
; and Too Much Time on My Hands.