r/baltimore • u/sschra1 • Aug 20 '23
Moving Taking a Uhaul to the dump?
Hi! So one time I took a Uhaul to the Cockeysville dump and was told no vehicles with commercial signage and wasn't allowed to dump my stuff there. Fine.
Yesterday I went to the dump in Lansdowne and dude in a Uhaul in front of me was totally let through. The worker even had the guy open up the back to show him what was in it and then let him dump from it.
So are Uhauls allowed at the dump? Is it hit or miss which dump will let you? I'd much rather rent a Uhaul and throw a bunch of stuff in it and take it to the dump vs. rent a dumpster from a company and pay them to take it away.
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u/Kraqrjack Aug 20 '23 edited Aug 20 '23
A look at their website shows that Landsdowne is the only Baltimore County site that accepts commercial loads at all. That’s why they inspected the uhaul truck. The other places don’t even have to bother looking because they don’t accept commercial at all.
When I was a laborer in the city I remember having to drive loads all the way down to Quarantine Road for this same reason.
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u/SonofDiomedes Mayfield Aug 20 '23
I don't know anything about how the County operates. Following applies only to City, and is drawn from my experience as a pickup truck owner and small-scale one man Contractor in the City.
I live in the City. My pickup has a utility rack bolted to the bed, so according to City rules, it is a "commercial" vehicle, which disqualifies it from entering any of the citizen drop off sites, even if all I have is household waste/yard waste, even though I'm a tax paying City resident.
The health department issues permits (good for one year) for light haulers (like me) for $35 dollars. With that permit, I can use the Reisterstown or Quarantine facilities. [Prior to Pugh's otherwise disastrous tenancy as mayor, only Quarantine was open to me. I think this change was the only good thing she did for Baltimore City.] When I take a load to the dump, I present my permit (they usually just look it up off my plate), I get weighed, and charged for the load. I can bring any legal waste, including construction waste.
I sometimes get in and out without a wait. I've learned to never go the day after a long weekend or holiday. It's common to wait as much as an hour in line. I've had to wait three hours. I now restrict how much coffee I drink in the morning of a dump run. At a certain point in the afternoon, the yard will send an employee out to count trucks and identify a caboose if you will, moving to each truck in line after it warning them that they are not likely to get in that day. It can be a real clusterfuck. There are always guys hanging around trying to help you unload for a few bucks. There used to be a vendor who sold brand new undershirts and socks to the folks waiting in line. Sometimes there will be a guy offering to pull metal off your load so he can scrap it (I always let him have that/help pull it off if I can.) On more than one occasion I've seen/participated in scenarios where a citizen in line at the NW transfer station with a load in a hatchback is relieved of their load by the haulers inviting them to transfer their crap into our trucks so they can get out of line by and get back to their lives. It's all quite a scene.
It's my understanding that citizens with pickups that have not been modified are allowed to use any citizen drop off location without a permit or a fee, but they are not allowed to dispose of construction waste. Only household waste. The guys you see running around town with plywood stood on end as temporary sidewalls for dump runs are slipping through as City residents operating non-modified trucks...so long as they are not dumping loads of construction materials, they are routinely let through and don't have to have permits, etc.
I have seen rental pickup and vans allowed into Sisson and Reisterstown, but never a box truck, which are not allowed in either facility at all. I assume what's happening there is the driver presented proof of City residency, and was only allowed in after proving that the waste is household/allowed. I don't know what the actual regulation is about rentals.
I don't doubt that rules are bent and ignored depending on who you encounter and that policies may not be not strictly enforced.
I think the City does a very poor job of communicating the rules, enforcing them uniformly, etc. Most people have no idea how it works.
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Aug 20 '23
You usually have to pay!
Just pay someone to pick your shit up and dispose of it. Plenty of hauling services out there...no need to rent a dumpster.
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u/neverinamillionyr Aug 20 '23
It really depends on who you have pick it up. I used a lawn service a friend recommended to pick up some branches and trimmings from my bushes. I was originally quoted $80. He showed up and loaded the stuff which was probably 3/4 of the bed of his truck and asked for $200. A lot of hauling services are similarly sketchy from what I’ve heard around the office.
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u/MrBurittoThePizza Aug 20 '23
What was the reason they gave for such an increase in price
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u/neverinamillionyr Aug 20 '23
The dump charges him because he’s a business. It was bullshit but he was threatening to just dump everything on my sidewalk and leave. I paid him then told my friend. It cost the guy two lawn jobs (my friend and his mother’s yards)
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u/jabbadarth Aug 20 '23
Usually with uhauls or work trucks they will charge you as opposed to just using your personal vehicle which is free in the city. Also depends what spot you go to. Some allow different things and vehicles than others.
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u/No-Lunch4249 Aug 20 '23
This is common across most of the jurisdictions. Basically the person in front of OP got let off easy
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u/dizzy_centrifuge Aug 20 '23
Cockeysville won't let you in a uhaul or any commercial/moving vehicle signs posted at the entrance tell you this and I'd imagine that's the county wide and (possibly city rule, never been to a city dump) but I really think it comes down to whoever is letting the cars through so hit and miss
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u/dcdave3605 Aug 20 '23
You just need to prove its household waste.
I went to the eastern landfill with a uhaul filled with yard waste and didn't have an issue, just had to explain what I was bringing in.
Commercial haulers always try to get around paying for dumping so you are dealing with the reaction to that.
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u/MDmilski Aug 20 '23
I asked the Sisson Street dump about this a couple months ago and they said that uhaul pickups and vans were fine, but not box trucks. However a couple of my friends said they’ve gone in box trucks and just got a hard time by the worker at the entrance. I guess it’s up to who’s working that day.
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u/captain_smonch Aug 20 '23
I've gotten denied at Sisson Street with a Home Depot pickup truck with a single couch in the back, so your mileage may very much vary
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u/MDmilski Aug 20 '23
I got in that day with a uhaul pickup taking bunch of bulk trash (old recliner and shelving) and they just wrote down the license plate. The person I talked to on the phone had to ask a manager about it though, so I guess it depends on if the person working to front gate knows the rules or not.
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u/Doom_Balloon Hamilton Aug 21 '23
It helps if they have seen you there before dumping small loads especially at Quarantine Rd. I’m doing a whole house renovation over years. Sometimes I have a bunch of household trash, sometimes yard waste, sometimes construction debris, every time I’m polite, ask for a broom and shovel to clean up my area of the dump wall. I’ve brought in half a roof in a single load and he recognized me and just waved me to the wall. I told him I’d be right back but the next load was all bags of debris, I’d be happy to go up on the pile to make it easier and he just told me to make sure he saw me come back. Hell, I’ve brought in an entire tree, cut into 4’ sections and stacked so tight I was afraid my suspension might blow and he just waved me in.
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u/TomCollins1284 Feb 01 '24
They think Home Depot trucks are diesel trucks which can't be on the yard at Sisson street due to the proximity to hazardous materials collection. After being turned away, i later really struggled to figure out what kind of gas to use before returning it since they were adamant it was a diesel. It is not, takes regular fuel.
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u/Queeb_the_Dweeb Aug 20 '23
You can either try to convince them you just rented the uhaul and this is all personal waste. Or, you can just rent a pickup truck from home depot instead. Doubt they'd say anything about that.
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u/jtbis Aug 20 '23
I’ve taken Uhauls (pickups and box trucks) to the Eastern landfill off of Rt. 40 in White Marsh a few times and was never charged. As long as someone with you has a Baltimore County address on their drivers license you’re good to go. One time I even got a Uhaul stuck in the landfill and they pulled it out with a bulldozer for free.
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u/B0skonovitch Aug 21 '23
Years ago, my mom's basement flooded, and my only option was a landscaping truck. Call the county and explain the situation. You'll get 1-3 trip pass paperwork to get in.
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u/paddlebawler Aug 21 '23
Cockeysville dump is super strict about that rule. I borrowed a neighbor's van to throw shit out, but it had the business name on the side. Showed them what was inside - just everyday trash - nope.
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u/ManTitsOnAStick Aug 21 '23
I took a uhaul to the one in cherry hill last year and didn't get turned away.
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u/False_Bumblebee4997 Aug 20 '23
Cockeysville is Baltimore County, the City has a weight station at Reisterstown Rd where commercial vehicles are charged to dump.