Waste disposal problems can seem never-ending. But there are solutions to be had.

This article will show you what your known (and unknown!) waste issues likely are and what you can do about them.

Your waste disposal problems will likely fall into one or more of these categories. 

1. Missed Trash Pick-ups

2. Overages at Waste Dumpsters

3. Poorly Performed Service of Waste Dumpsters

4. Illegal Dumping at Waste Containers

5. Wrong Container Sizes and Service Frequency

Most businesses have experienced at least one of these issues in the past - or are currently experiencing them. 

These problems can cut into your bottom line. They reduce staff efficiency and can create a poor impression for your visitors or residents. 

So it’s important to not only know the extent of these issues, but how we solve them. Today, we’ll take some time to do both. 

Missed Trash Pick-ups

Missed pick-ups don’t make anyone happy - and they rarely go unnoticed. 

Your staff, residents and/or visitors to your property rely on getting trash picked up quickly and efficiently. When this doesn’t happen, it’s abundantly obvious. 

Why missed pick ups happen

Sometimes missed pick-ups happen because haulers are human. Sometimes, they’re running behind schedule and your location gets accidentally skipped. 

But other times, haulers intentionally miss your location. Maybe they don’t feel like going all the way to your property, or they don’t feel like navigating your tricky corral. 

And still other times, haulers try to service your location but can’t access the dumpsters. Occasionally, this happens when there has been an influx in trash - perhaps after a holiday, or during a seasonal rush. Trash piles up outside the dumpster, and some haulers won’t service these dumpsters when this occurs. 

But haulers may also be prevented from accessing your dumpsters due to illegal dumping.

Most often, this happens at multi-family complexes where neighbors - those who do not live at your property - use dumpsters at your locations. (We’ve seen everything from toilets, to furniture, to mattresses!)

What you can do about missed garbage and recycling pick-ups 

Have a waste ally who will resolve waste problems on your behalf. 

No one wants to waste their time trying to figure out why their service was missed. No one wants to spend hours on the phone trying to convince their hauler that serviced was missed and that they do in fact know what they’re talking about. 

That is exactly why we exist. We take care of service issues, but we also do everything we can to prevent them in the first place. Our clients’ contracts ensure they have recourse when service is constantly sub-par. 

Overages at Waste Dumpsters

Just this past month, one of our clients got an invoice that included six overage charges. This amounted to hundreds of dollars in extra fees. As their waste ally, we’re getting to the bottom of why these charges occurred. 

I wish we could say this is an isolated incident - but most businesses have seen one or more overage charges.

What are waste overages fees?

Overages fees are charged when the waste does not fit into the confines of the dumpsters. When trash spills over the sides of your containers, you’re in trouble. 

And unfortunately, most haulers are not going to overlook it. The nicer haulers will toss the excess garbage into their truck, then empty the dumpster and go on their merry way. 

But your typical hauler will make a note of it, and an overage charge will appear on your invoice the next month. 

For some businesses, overages occur due to seasonal influxes. Restaurants and hotels, for instance, may experience an increase in trash output during the busy summer months. (We typically negotiate contracts that take seasonal fluxes into account.) Multi-family units may experience higher volumes of waste output before or after new residents move in. 

Whatever the reason they occur, when you get them repeatedly, it’s not ideal.

What You Can Do About Overage Charges on Your Waste Bill

When you see them on your bill, always ask for pictures of the overages from the hauler. If they can’t provide proof, they shouldn’t appear on your invoice. 

If you can prove you’ve mistakenly been charged for your overages, your hauler will likely provide a credit on the following month’s bill. 

Pro Tip: Always take notes when you are talking to your hauler about anything that pertains to your bill. You’d be surprised how often there are communication gaps between what your customer rep has agreed to and what your hauler’s accounting department actually sends you on your invoice. 

Poorly Performed Service of Waste Dumpsters or Compactors

This past summer, one of our multi-family complex clients had an on-going issue with their hauler. The hauler was emptying the compactor on schedule, but he was leaving behind a mess every time he emptied it. 

Piles of garbage bags were left where the compactor broke away from the main unit. And to make matter worse, the hauler left trails of garbage throughout the property after each pick-up. 

Needless to say, the residents were less than thrilled. 

The project manager for this client, Allen Banfield, knew that the compactor was being emptied incorrectly - hence the spillage issues. He was able to explain to the client exactly what was wrong, and hold the hauler accountable for emptying the bins correctly. 

This client hasn’t had another compactor issue since. 

At the end of the day, your hauler is supposed to do their job. When they do it poorly, it’s a problem - and not one that is easily ignored. 

We ensure that our clients receive their ideal service levels as contract - it’s one of the five main ways we find substantial savings.

Illegal Dumping at Waste Containers

This is mainly a problem that happens at multi-family complexes, but we’ve seen it occasionally occur at business parks as well. 

Illegal dumping, as we briefly mentioned above, happens when people who don’t work or live at your locations or properties dump their trash into your containers. 

It’s a fairly common problem, unfortunately. But there are simple solutions to it. 

What you can do about illegal dumping

You may not be able to prevent every instance of illegal dumping, but you can prevent a lot of it.

Consider one or more of these possible solutions.

• Putting a lock on your containers

• Post private property signs

• Use security cameras

• Put your dumpsters in corrals

• Use landscaping to deter dumping

An ounce of prevention will go a long way. Investing in one or more of these options can save you headaches down the road.

Wrong Container Sizes and Pick-Up Frequency

All of the problems to this point have been about obvious problems. This last one is not as obvious - but it’s one that happens on appropriately 80% of our accounts. 

Suppose you have 1 6-yard dumpster that is getting picked up 3 times a week. Pick-ups happen on time, and you rarely have overages. But, unbeknownst to you,  if you switched out this 6 yard dumpster for an 8 yard dumpster, you could drop down to twice a week service. This switch could save you an estimated $150 a month. 

But you don’t know what you don’t know. Everything is going smoothly, right? So there’s no reason you would necessarily know about the savings potential you’re sitting on. 

This is why our exhaustive audits are the backbone of what we do. We look at every possible revenue stream, and we have a 90% success rate doing so.

Waste and Recycling Audits Find Savings Opportunities 

Our waste audits are exhaustive, so they find every savings opportunity available to you. 

As Tom Driscoll, VP of PS Business Parks told us just a few days ago, “You gave us clear and actionable steps to vastly improve our waste management process.” 

On average we cut waste spend by 20-40%. You don’t have to keep throwing money and resources on overpriced, less than stellar waste service. 

Sign up for a discovery call today to take the first step towards saving big!