What a good garbage or storage enclosure does for a business

Most businesses don't think about their dumpster until a customer sees it, a neighbour complains about it or the wind spreads it across the lot. An enclosure fixes all three. It hides the bins, keeps loose trash where it belongs and gives the back corner of the property a finished look. Done well, you stop noticing it. Done badly, it's the first thing a visitor sees.

What the enclosure has to do

• Screen the bins from the street and from customers.
• Let the hauler's truck reach the container and empty it without hitting anything.
• Stand up to wind, because an enclosure is a tall fence with an open side.
• Take a bump now and then, because someone will eventually back into it.
• Be easy for staff to use, because a gate that's a hassle will be left open.

Start from the container and the truck

The bin sets the size of the enclosure, and the truck sets the size of the gate. Measure the container with room to spare for the lid to open fully and for staff to walk around it. Then find out how your hauler empties it. Some trucks lift from the front, some tip from the side, and each needs a clear approach and a gate opening that doesn't force the driver to guess. Ask the hauler before the posts go in, since they know what has worked on your route.

Gate type depends on the space. Swing gates need room to swing clear. Where space is tight, a slide gate can be the better fit. Whichever you choose, a drop rod or a stop that holds the gate open while the truck works is a small addition that saves a lot of damage.

Chain link, set in asphalt

MF Fencing built a garbage enclosure in 6-foot black chain link with the posts set in asphalt, and the photos show the finished enclosure in a parking lot. The black keeps it quiet against the pavement, and chain link has a practical edge on a site like that: it's strong, it's easy to repair if something clips it, and it takes the beating a loading area gives.

Setting posts in asphalt isn't the same as setting them in dirt. The pavement has to be cut and the post needs a proper footing beneath it, so it holds when a truck brushes the gate. Ask a contractor how they handle the surface. It's a detail that tells you whether they've done it before.

Slats: privacy, and what it does to wind

Plain chain link lets you see through it. If the point is to hide what's inside, privacy slats woven into the fabric close the view. One thing to know before you choose them: slats turn an open fence into something much closer to a solid one, and a solid fence catches a lot more wind. That puts more load on the posts and gate hinges, so the framework needs to be built for it.

MF Fencing did a version of this fix for another customer, who wanted a new, cleaner look on an enclosed storage area. The area was re-faced with privacy slats. That kind of face-lift can change how a property reads from the street without touching the structure behind it.

Longer runs for lots and yards

Enclosures are often one part of a larger fence plan. Proper Builders LLC recommended MF Fencing on Facebook after the crew installed approximately 400 feet of 6-foot chain link for them. That's a long run, and the same logic applies on a big one: straight lines, solid terminal posts at corners and ends, and gates placed where your people and vehicles really move.

Before you build

Your hauler can tell you how they want to reach the bin, and the City of Yakima or your county can tell you what applies to a structure on your lot, so check with both before you build. Call 811 before anyone digs or cuts for posts.

MF Fencing is a licensed, insured and bonded contractor in Yakima, and commercial and business fencing is part of the work. For a bid on an enclosure, a gate or a longer run of chain link, call (509) 594-9013 or email mffencingllc@gmail.com. Dustin Owen will come take a look at the site.