If you’ve lived in Green Country for more than about fifteen minutes, you know the weather here doesn’t do anything halfway. Spring brings hail the size of golf balls, summer brings straight-line winds, and winter likes to coat every tree in Tulsa County with a quarter inch of ice just to see what happens.
When the storm passes, you’re left with a yard full of limbs, a soggy carpet or two, and maybe a fence that’s now lying in the neighbor’s yard. Here’s how to tackle storm cleanup without making it harder than it needs to be.
First things first: safety
- Stay away from downed power lines. Always assume they’re live and call your utility.
- Be careful with hanging limbs. Arborists have a name for broken branches stuck up in a tree: “widowmakers.” Big ones are a job for a tree service, not a ladder and good intentions.
- Take photos before you clean. If you’re filing an insurance claim, document the damage before anything gets hauled off.
Common storm debris we see around Tulsa
- Tree limbs, branches and brush
- Damaged fencing (wood privacy fences take a beating in Oklahoma wind)
- Hail-damaged shingles, gutters and siding
- Wet carpet, pad and drywall from leaks or flooding
- Broken patio furniture, trampolines and playsets that tried to fly
When a dumpster makes sense
For a few sticks in the yard, your regular trash and bulky pickup will do the job. A roll-off dumpster makes sense when:
- The pile is bigger than your truck bed, several times over
- You’re tearing out wet materials like carpet and drywall that you want out of the house now, before they start to smell
- Repairs are happening, like a new roof, fence or siding, and the crew needs somewhere to put the old stuff
- You don’t want to wait for the city’s storm debris pickup to reach your street
Which size for storm cleanup?
- 15 yard dumpster (starting at $295, 1 ton included): yard limbs and brush, a damaged fence section, or wet carpet from a couple of rooms.
- 20 yard dumpster (starting at $350, 2 tons included): larger cleanups, a full fence replacement, or a combined yard and interior tear-out.
One heads-up: wet debris is heavy. Soaked carpet and drywall can weigh a lot more than the dry version, so tell us what you’re dealing with and we’ll help you pick the right size. More on that in our heavy debris guide.
Storm cleanup tips
- Cut limbs into manageable lengths. Shorter pieces pack tighter and you’ll fit a lot more in.
- Load heavy and flat items first. Fence panels and plywood go on the bottom, brush on top.
- Keep hazardous stuff separate. Damaged propane tanks, gas cans, paint and chemicals can’t go in. See our prohibited items list.
- Watch for nails and broken glass. Wear real gloves and boots. Flip-flops and storm debris don’t mix.
Replacing the roof after hail?
If your roof took a hit, check out our guide to renting a dumpster for a roof tear-off. Shingles have their own rules, mostly about weight.
Local help when you need it
Durco Dumpster Rentals is based in Broken Arrow. We live here too, so we’ve cleaned up our share of storm debris. We serve Tulsa, Bixby, Jenks, Owasso, Glenpool, Sand Springs, Sapulpa and the surrounding area, with up-front pricing and a local person on the phone.
Call 918-508-8370 or book online, and let’s get your property back to normal.