Mice and rats need food, water and shelter. They, and other pest animals (e.g., gulls and pigeons), can find those items especially in and around dumpsters. Pest animals can carry diseases, foul property, and damage structures. However, with good sanitation practices, pests can be controlled and that means a healthier environment.

Follow these tips to help solve or prevent rodent problems near dumpsters.

1. Use dumpsters with tight-fitting lids. Keep lids and doors closed at all times. This prevents trash from overflowing onto the ground, wind from blowing trash out, and rodents from jumping inside. Light-weight plastic lids are advantageous where children and seniors use dumpsters. Similarly, dumpsters with sliding plastic/ metal doors can be easier to use than those with metal lids.
2. Rats can jump 3 feet vertically and 4 feet horizontally! Mice can run up a concrete wall. Consider these facts and space dumpsters away from walls, fences, etc. Place dumpsters on pavement, rather than soil, because rats like to burrow in soil and underneath large objects.
3. Choose the right type and size of dumpster for your needs, and don’t allow trash to overflow.
4. Dumpsters sometimes rust along their bottom edges, resulting in holes that provide access for rodents. Insist that your waste disposal company provide a dumpster made of sound metal and free of any openings ¼” or larger.
5. Rodents can enter dumpsters through the 1¼” to 1½” drain hole usually present in the dumpster rear wall (or side of a compacter). Ask your waste disposal company to put a drain plug in the dumpster. If drain hole threads are damaged, a rubber plug can be installed. Supermarkets sell inexpensive copper scrubbers that can be used in drain holes as a temporary barrier.
6. Clean under and around dumpsters daily if necessary, and sweep up any spilled debris after collection. Trash tends to accumulate especially under and around compactors. Ask your waste disposal company for a dumpster or compactor that will minimize spillage.
7. Clean dumpsters and storage areas with a hose. Make sure wash water flows into a drain so there are no puddles left, since rats need water daily.
8. Use a chain and lock on the dumpster lid if necessary to prevent scavenging and unauthorized use.
   

Remember:
Sanitation is the single most important factor for rodent control---and that means keeping dumpster areas clean!