A dumpster or a haul-away?
Pick a dumpster if you'll be sorting and loading over several days while you pack. It sits in the driveway, you toss things as you go, and we haul it away when you're done.
Pick junk removal if you'd rather not lift it, or if everything that's leaving is already in one place: a garage, a shed, a spare room. We load it and take it away, and the job is quoted before we start. Call, text or send a photo.
Some moves use both: a dumpster for the weeks of packing, and a haul-away for the heavy pieces at the end.
What a move usually leaves behind
What's left after a move is usually worn-out furniture, boxes of odds and ends, old rugs, and garage and closet clutter. It is bulky but mostly light, and disposal is billed by weight after the load is dumped.
A whole-house clear-out is a bigger job: a family cabin that has been filling up for decades, or a garage, a shed and a crawlspace all being emptied at once. Give it more days, and sort before anything goes in.
Text Robert a photo of the pile or a few rooms, and he will help you plan the dates and the load.
Timing the dumpster around your move date
Have the dumpster arrive a few days before the movers so you can sort as you pack, and schedule pickup for after the house is empty. The rental includes the first 24 hours, and each extra day is added at a flat daily rate, so match the dates to the days you will actually use it.
Book as early as you can, especially around summer weekends and holidays. There is no payment online. Robert confirms your dates and how to pay by call or text, and sending a booking request on its own does not lock in a date.
Winter moves need slack in the plan. Snow can move delivery days, Caltrans chain controls require any vehicle towing a trailer to chain a drive axle, and plow berms can close off a driveway overnight.
Snow-season parking for moving trucks
In the City of Big Bear Lake, snow conditions run from October 15 to April 15, and during that window no vehicle may be left parked or unattended on a City street. Fines run up to $500 per offense, and vehicles can be towed. Work out where a rental truck or trailer will sit before moving day.
The same thinking applies everywhere on the mountain: by default the dumpster goes on your driveway or property, not the street. A dumpster in a County road or a Big Bear Lake street needs an encroachment permit from the road owner.
Sort before anything goes in
Go room by room with four piles: keep, sell or give away, donate, and toss. Pull the first three out before the dumpster arrives and stage them well away from the trash pile, so nothing good ends up buried.
Plan on taking donations yourself unless we have agreed on something else when you call. Charities and thrift shops each set their own rules on what they accept, so check with them before you load the car.
Old paperwork, photos and anything with account numbers on it should be shredded or kept, not tossed loose into an open dumpster.
What can't go in the dumpster
Garages and sheds are where moves turn up hazardous leftovers. California bans these from the trash, so they can't go in a dumpster:
- Paint, thinner, solvents and wood preservatives
- Motor oil, oil filters and antifreeze
- Pesticides and pool chemicals
- Propane tanks and other gas cylinders, and aerosol cans that aren't empty
- Batteries, fluorescent bulbs and mercury thermostats
- TVs, computers and other electronics
Ask first: appliances and tires
Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners need their refrigerant removed by a certified technician before disposal, and County sites take refrigerators only with no Freon left in. Tell us about any appliance before it goes in the dumpster.
Tires have limits too. County sites take up to nine per load, off the rim. Ask before loading any.
Where to take household hazardous waste
San Bernardino County Fire runs free household hazardous waste drop-off for residents. In Big Bear, the collection facility is at 42040 Garstin Drive in Big Bear Lake, open Saturdays 9 am to 2 pm. Check the County Fire page before you go, since it posts status changes there.
The Rim communities from Crestline to Running Springs have no permanent site. The nearest are in San Bernardino (2824 East W Street, weekdays 9 am to 4 pm) and Redlands (500 Kansas Street, Saturdays 7:30 am to 12:30 pm), and County Fire holds temporary collection events through the year. Call 1-800-OILY-CAT (645-9228) for the next one.
Each trip is limited to 15 gallons or 125 pounds, in containers of 5 gallons or less. These sites take household waste only, not business waste.
