Trash happens. But commercial properties shouldn’t let the trash define them. A concrete dumpster area that handles refuse in an aesthetically minded and functional way lets visitors see dumpsters without really noticing them. It all begins with a concrete dumpster pad that can withstand the stresses imposed on it.
Why You Should Be Using a Durable Concrete Dumpster Pad:
Commercial dumpsters are heavy, steel boxes. A 4-cubic-yard container can weigh 800 pounds empty. All that weight bears down on four wheels or skids, putting tremendous pressure on the pad beneath. Additionally, garbage trucks are extremely heavy. The trucks can also cause a lot of damage when driving on the pad loading and unloading the dumpster. That’s why we always recommened a pad that not only covers the square footage of the dumpster but for the length of the garbage truck. If not the full length of the truck. At least enough to cover the front tires to withstand the bouncing of the truck as it picks up and sets down the dumpster.
A concrete dumpster pad that fractures under the pressure becomes a business liability. It can foster dumpster instability and put workers at risk.
Making sure your pad is done correctly is key to maintaining your business’ aesthetic standards.
How Does It Work?
To ensure long service life, we recommend that a poured concrete dumpster pad be 6 -8″ thick, and be reinforced with welded steel or concrete fiber mesh. By design, such a pad will be a far more durable paved product than surrounding asphalt or concrete pavement. It must be stronger to withstand the pounding it will take. In many cases it is also recommended to have steel bollards installed within the curcumference of the dumpster to not only protect the dumpster but they also work as a guideline to assist the driver of exactly where the dumpster needs to be set.
It should also be:
- Wide enough to incorporate within its boundaries steel posts for slatted fencing that will screen the sometimes-overflowing dumpsters from public view.
- Deep enough to allow placement of concrete abutments behind the dumpsters to ensure containers are not placed so far back that they damage rear fencing.
- Extend forward from the dumpsters 12-15 feet so that the front wheels of a dumpster truck can rest on the reinforced pavement when it loads and unloads the heavy containers.
Contact Atlanta Paving Solutions Today for all of your Parking Lot Maintenance needs in Atlanta & Athens!
