Trash & Dumpster Enclosures: A New Approach

Table of contents:

• The Current Climate
• A New Approach to Trash Enclosures
• The 5C Methodology
• metroSTOR Enclosure Systems

The Current Climate

For waste-management infrastructure across America, one of the most persistent challenges in urban environments is how to enable effective storage for household waste and recyclables as they await collection, particularly for multi-family residential settings with restricted internal space. Containerization of trash is, without doubt, the necessary transition, however, designing effective and visually presentable storage areas for trash bins and on-street dumpsters can be challenging.

Typically, trash and dumpster enclosures are designed as simple screening systems to coral a certain number of containers or dumpsters, with the main focus on providing visual concealment. While screened trash enclosures will, to some degree, address the visual aspect of untidy & overflowing garbage containers, they won’t necessarily deliver improved accessibility, vermin control, reduce trash overage and increase recycling rates through better separation of waste streams.

Modern requirements mean that traditional trash & dumpster enclosures need to offer more as waste management infrastructure. It’s also worth considering that, depending on whether the enclosure is a custom installation or purchased as a pre-manufactured solution, there are several factors that come into play that can potentially limit their suitability, such as structural considerations, access to durable materials, availability of space and flat surfacing, and environmental considerations, such as ventilation and effective drainage if the enclosure has a roofed design. There is also a likelihood that the relevant municipal organization will hold their own stipulations for an installation of this nature.

Developing a new approach to effective well-designed trash & dumpster enclosures that are visually appealing, easily accessible, and situated in prominent on-street locations, provides municipal organizations with opportunities to drive visual improvement and user-engagement within local community environments.

A New Approach to Trash Enclosures

For a trash and dumpster enclosure system to deliver optimum effectiveness as a feature of waste management infrastructure it is crucial that the system supports the long term vision of zero waste by opening essential pathways to waste diversion targets. A new approach to trash & dumpster enclosures should make it as easy for people to dispose of trash safely and recycle correctly. Any confusion over the details of ‘mixed recycling’ often produces mixed results, limiting opportunities to achieve consistent waste diversion results.

The integration of clear, beneficial messaging helps to educate users of the correct streams, as well as color-coded graphics that coordinate with household kitchen caddies, organics carts, and commercial dumpsters at household convenience centers. Embracing these principles within A clean and compact design can help to deliver a number of benefits for municipal organizations and local communities, including:

• The mitigation of rodent and vermin contamination.
• A convenient and safe source of waste management that provides easy access for residents and refuse vehicles for collection.
• An enclosure system built to withstand demanding urban environments. 
• The optimization of curb space and more accessible pathways by eliminating obstructions caused by loose trash bags.
• An enclosure system that invites use and enables receptacles to be located in more prominent positions, driving better participation.
• A highly effective, external solution for multi-family schemes requiring community deposit points.

The 5C Methodology

Providing a framework that informs all product design at metroSTOR, the 5C methodology considers specific elements to help deliver solutions that address waste diversion and contamination targets for municipal organizations at local community and regional levels.

• Capacity: In order to deliver genuine improvements for local communities, successful trash and dumpster enclosures rely on sufficient storage capacity for maximum anticipated volumes across all streams between collections, whether from households, commercial businesses, on-street locations, or public space environments.
• Convenience: Situated within easy but appropriate reach of all points of generation enables enclosure systems to be accessible and safe for everyone to use, including those with limited mobility or vision. Ensuring convenience ultimately makes it easier for users to use the system appropriately. 
• Communication: User-focused communication is key to supporting waste diversion infrastructure and successfully educating changing population structures. This can be achieved by establishing enclosure systems supported by visual aids, color coordination and multi-lingual signage that is easily understood and instructs users of the specific stream type. 
• Consistency: Supporting a consistency of design helps to ensure that trash and dumpster enclosures look smart, are clean and inviting for users, and appropriately designed for different settings; both local and regionally. This approach can also be considered integral to the success of waste diversion targets.
• Cleanliness: By enclosing trash carts and dumpsters to prevent wind-blown litter and reduce illegal dumping, a new approach to trash and dumpster enclosures ensures cleanliness by reducing sanitary requirements, in addition to restricting the potential impacts of arson.

metroSTOR Enclosure Systems

Developed specifically for a variety of use types, including outdoor trash enclosures and commercial dumpster enclosures, metroSTOR Enclosure Systems provides a highly effective, modular solution for the storage of organics, recycling, garbage, and bulky waste between collections, supporting multi-stream waste diversion strategies.

Ideal for use in multifamily, commercial or municipal drop-off centers, units can be added to form a series of enclosures for co-located waste and recycling with waste containers enclosed and bags or pails deposited directly into an open dumpster or cart through the loading aperture, removing requirements to lift heavy and dirty lids to deposit trash.

Rather than enclosing multiple containers behind a screening system, each cart or dumpster is enclosed individually within a housing designed specifically to optimise storage capacity, help increase recycling using clear signage, improve pest control and reduce the visual impact on sidewalks through the use of attractive facades.