The Disaster After the Natural Disaster
September 05, 2023
By: Meagan Sassone
We see it every year. Several big storms or natural disasters strike somewhere in our great country and cause a lot of damage. While the nation watches on the news and via social media, dumpster rental companies frantically try to buy more dumpsters to help clean up their communities. It’s a wonderful and admirable task, but when companies are all trying to buy the same limited available inventory of containers at the same time, there are bound to be complications. In-stock roll-off containers are purchased very quickly after such a devastating event. This sudden and exceptional demand then naturally leads to increased prices and lead times.
Let’s rewind to before the natural disaster happened. Catastrophic events such as hurricanes, floods, tornados, fires and earthquakes leave a trail of destruction behind in their wake. Effective dumpster rental companies can significantly contribute to rebuilding these communities with the use of roll-off containers. The large dumpsters are filled with debris and waste, loaded onto trucks, transported, emptied, and returned to the location to repeat the process. Whether it is a fallen tree, a damaged roof or siding, broken furniture, appliances or other items; roll-off containers provide a cost-effective and efficient solution for handling the waste. Because of this, the demand for roll-off containers is high following a natural disaster, making it difficult to procure them on short notice.

No one likes to talk about natural disasters. However, proactively investing in roll-off containers helps to ensure that you and your community have enough resources to meet the increased demand for waste disposal after a catastrophic event. Beyond the satisfaction of helping a community, here are additional benefits when you better prepare for a natural disaster.
Availability: Procuring roll-off containers ahead of time helps you avoid potential shortages and delays when disaster strikes. You’ll be ready to quickly dispatch the containers to the affected areas. In addition, having a larger number of containers in your fleet will allow you to perform routine maintenance and fixes on those in inventory without putting a halt on current operations.
Flexibility: Having an abundance of roll-off containers allows you to address the varying needs during different types of natural disasters. Each type of natural disaster has different characteristics, and the volume of waste generated may vary. A hurricane or typhoon is likely to generate a higher volume of waste than a wildfire or earthquake. Therefore, you may choose to dispatch larger containers from your container inventory for those recovery efforts.
Efficiency: Being well-prepared with roll-off containers enables you to provide efficient and timely waste disposal services to affected areas. This helps maintain cleanliness, prevent the spread of disease and facilitates the overall recovery process. Consider creating a basic and efficient collection schedule ahead of time. That would also help keep your company nimble, responsive and ready to handle any unexpected challenges that may arise during the disaster.
Customer Satisfaction: Having an ample supply of roll-off containers allows you to promptly cater to the needs of your customers and community. During a natural disaster, people rely on dumpster rental companies to dispose of debris and waste from their properties. By being prepared, you can ensure customer satisfaction by providing the necessary support during a challenging time.
Business Continuity: Investing in proactive disaster preparedness helps your company maintain its operations during emergencies. By being ready with roll-off containers, you can continue serving your customers, contributing to the cleanup efforts and generating revenue while helping affected communities recover. Regardless of whether a catastrophic event occurs or not, the additional containers will allow you to rent out more dumpsters than you have before, ultimately bringing in additional revenue.
By taking these proactive measures, your dumpster rental company can be positioned to play a critical role in disaster management and contribute to the overall recovery process in and around your community. Contact your roll-off container manufacturer today. They may have standard products you want in stock and ready to ship. If not, consider placing an order for the product you need.