DIY Storm Cleanup in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland is no stranger to hurricanes and tropical storms. Since 1950 there have been one hundred and eighteen hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions that have impacted the state of Maryland.

With these come yard cleanings with enough debris to amount to a house cleaning or spring cleaning. Storm debris is more than just yard cleanup. It’s thousands of sticks that may not have come out of your trees, and as for trees, your trees can be felled by a storm and require to be cut down and disposed of. In Baltimore County, simply getting rid of the debris from a backyard cleanup is a challenge.

Garbage collection will not pick up poison ivy, poison oak, sumac, giant parsley, wood, food scraps, garden hoses and the last thing on that list “etcetera” which means shingles from your roof or from a neighbor’s roof, torn from gutters, or garbage can lids.

They collect grass, leaves, vines, twigs, shrub clippings, and twigs or branches. What they collect is not simply thrown into a garbage truck as they move on to the next stop. Here are the rules for yard debris collection in Baltimore County:

Grass and leaves should be placed in paper or plastic grass bags.

Branches and twigs cannot be more than three inches in diameter or more than three feet and tied in bundles.

Bags and packages cannot weigh more than thirty pounds.

You can’t put yard debris in trash cans or on the street.

Another consideration, as homeowners in other states have found, is how long it takes for trash services to remove debris from the storm. In Florida and Texas, it took months after the 2017 hurricanes to clear debris from the storm in front of people’s homes. Their lawns were killed where the trash was, and in some cases wildlife, such as possums and rats, took up residence in the waste.

To avoid complications if you experience a storm in Baltimore for months or years to come, you should rent a dumpster and clean up your own yard waste. Let’s take a look at how you can take care of getting rid of storm debris.

First, contact us to rent an affordable dumpster. We can provide dumpsters or roll bins in any sizes and numbers you want. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff can tell you exactly what you need and in what sizes to perform a storm cleanup. After securing the waste container you need, it’s time to come up with a plan of attack.

Safety should always come first with a storm cleanup. Inspect the scene to make sure there are no downed power lines. Even if the power goes out while you are cleaning, you have no way of knowing when power will be restored and a downed power line can cause serious bodily injury or death.

Once you’ve made sure there are no downed power lines near your yard, put on a pair of thick work gloves. Loose shingles may have invisible nails or staples that can cause deep cuts to your hands. Also, the edges may be sharp and cut like broken pieces of glass or plastic. You may want to bag shingles that have multiple nails or staples to prevent them from getting lost in your yard or cut with them; This also applies to broken glass. Look under and around larger debris for roofing materials, but don’t climb under large branches that are barely attached to a tree or leaning against something, as they could fall on you and cause serious injury.

Next, put on safety glasses or goggles before cutting downed trees or large limbs with a chainsaw. Make sure to cut the pieces small enough so that you can carry them to the garbage container without hurting yourself. Finally, use rakes and blowers to clear your yard of small storm debris and place it in the trash container you rented.

With a little planning and common sense, you can clean up your yard to make it look like a storm never happened. Contact us for rates and availability for our roll container rentals, we look forward to serving you!