Over 60% of clients in the past 18 years have had inefficient waste equipment. Could you be one of them?
In this post, we’ll go over what waste equipment is and what problems you could have.
What is Waste Equipment?
Your waste equipment comprises every waste and recycling receptacle serviced by your hauler. This includes, but is not limited to:
Compactors
Front Load Dumpsters
Open Top Dumpsters
Balers
Toters
The efficiency of your waste equipment has a direct impact on your waste spend. If you don’t have the equipment you truly need, or if you have too much equipment, you’ll overpay.
You’ll also overpay if your service levels are incorrect. “Service levels” indicate how often trash and recycling is picked up at your locations. About 70% of the clients we’ve worked with in the past 18 years are being serviced too frequently! Are you one of them?
How Your Service Levels are Ineffective
Your hauler is paid to pick up your trash, not to find cost-cutting waste solutions. As a result, we’ve seen inaccurate service levels occur in almost every state - regardless of which waste vendor was employed.
What exactly do we mean by inaccurate service levels? We mean that your real waste disposal needs have no correlation with what you’re paying for.
You may be paying for 5 pick-ups a week when you only actually need 2. Or, alternatively, your dumpsters are too big.
How would we know the difference? Let’s walk through an example that shows the level of detail we frequently use to maximize savings.
Thorough Audits Reveal Savings Opportunities
Suppose you have a location in Raleigh, NC with two 6-yard dumpsters that is serviced three times a week by Waste Management. We would find out:
How full those containers are when serviced
The equipment history for the site
Pricing options for larger dumpsters
Pricing options for less frequent service
Whether the materials in these containers can be recycled
Whether the hauler frequently misses pick ups
If there is a history of overage fees
These questions would give us the full picture of your current waste process. We’d find that your dumpsters are only about half full when serviced, and that it’s more cost-effective to pay for larger dumpsters that get serviced fewer times per week. After checking in with you, we’d implement the change, ensuring all parties involved are kept in the loop.
A typical client in this scenario could save as much $3000 over the lifetime of their waste hauler contract.
This is only one cost-cutting measure that we typically take out of many.
Waste Equipment Solutions
For clients who have insufficient equipment problems, we most often recommend one or more of the following solutions:
fewer dumpsters
a compactor
more dumpsters (with fewer pickups)
larger containers
smaller containers
What we recommend is based on several variables: whether your current hauler can amend your equipment, whether other area haulers can provide cheaper service, when your contract expires, and what limitations you may have onsite. (You may be able to pay less with bigger dumpsters and fewer pick-ups, but if you don’t have room for larger containers this isn’t a viable option for you!)
This post will cover the top two recommendations we most frequently make: fewer dumpsters and compactors. An upcoming post will cover the rest.
Waste Disposal Solutions: Fewer Waste and Recycling Dumpsters
Are your dumpsters full each time they are serviced? Does your dumpster usage differ seasonally? Do you need every dumpster at every location? You may be paying for wasted space.
We often remedy this situation by evaluating your unique location needs. First, we’ll scour your invoice history. Do you have any overages? If so, how many? If you have none at all, your dumpsters may not be used to maximum capacity. We help our client find their usage balance: you don’t want to pay for too little service and end up with overage fees. You also don’t want to pay for too much service. Our audits find solutions tailored to you.
If you have a waste container that is charged by weights, we’ll look at your tonnage history. If you consistently have low container weights, this is an indicator that either you need few containers or that you ended fewer pick-ups.
Our recommendations will take into account pricing from other market providers and your waste hauler contract specifications. We also evaluate your seasonal needs. You may need a contract that stipulates different levels of service based on the time of year. You may need five pick-ups a week in July, but only two in November. Tailored contracts make sure you’re not paying for service five times a week all year if you don’t need it.
Waste Disposal Solutions: Compactors
There are many reasons you may need a compactor, but these are the top two:
You’re a higher trash generator. Does an 8 yard dumpster picked up every day meet your service needs? If you’re generating more trash, you need equipment that can perform accordingly.
You generate food waste. You don’t need me to tell you this, but food can reek if it’s left out too long. Compactors help contain liquid and smells, keeping your location tidy and clean.
A waste compactor crushes garbage so that fewer pick-ups are necessary. The most frequently used size is 30 cubic yards. It requires an investment up front, but it can save quite a bit of money over time.
We typically recommend compactors to clients who produce large amounts of waste and those who have space at their site.