In part I, we talked about what waste equipment is and how easy it is to overspend on it. We also talked about the solutions we frequently recommend to our clients.
Today, we’re going to talk about additional solutions for ineffective waste and recycling equipment.
At any one of your locations, you may need:
more dumpsters (with fewer pickups)
larger containers
smaller containers
A thorough waste audit will show what cost-cutting solutions are right for you.
You need more dumpsters but with fewer pickups.
You may be in a situation where it’s cheaper to pay for additional dumpsters, but fewer pick-ups. Assuming your dumpsters are being emptied when they are completely full, adding more dumpsters can be a cheaper option than paying for more pick-ups.
This solution depends on:
What your haulers charge for pick-ups
What your waste haulers charge for dumpster rentals
When your contract expires.
For clients that are in the middle of a current contract term, we see if the hauler is willing to adjust service levels. Our success depends entirely on the hauler. Some haulers are more amenable to mid-term adjustments than others. It’s much easier to make changes to a contract if you are nearing the end of your contract term. The hauler likely wants to keep your business, so they are more willing to give allowances they wouldn’t otherwise be open to.
You may need larger waste and recycling dumpsters.
On the other hand, you may have the opposite waste disposal problem. Instead of needing more dumpsters, you may just need larger ones.
Suppose you have three 6-yard waste dumpsters on your site location that are picked-up 3 times a week. We do an extensive audit, and we find that these dumpsters are not used to capacity. Then we evaluate your options and find that the best option is to replace your current dumpsters with 2 8-yard waste containers instead. As a result, the larger size will allow you to decrease service to once a week. The rent for the larger dumpsters will be more expensive, but you’ll save more over time because you’ll be paying for fewer pick-ups.
More companies need a solution similar to this - and they have no idea! As a result, many overspend by thousands of dollars over the term of their contract.
Most haulers we’ve seen aren’t going to volunteer cost-cutting solutions. Of course, few are willing to cut into their profits to benefit you. But there’s another reason - haulers are experts on trash and recycling pick-up, but they’re not experts on evaluating waste streams. There’s a difference between knowing how to service your dumpsters and being able to thoroughly evaluate your waste output, service levels, and equipment. Haulers are incentivized to make as many pick-ups as possible, not to find cost-cutting solutions that are right for your business. What they do and what we do could not be more different!
Haulers are haulers - not waste consultants.
You may need a smaller waste or recycling container.
If your dumpsters are not full when serviced, you may need to downsize the containers. But you may also need more frequent pick-ups. How can you tell what’s right for you?
When we find that one of our clients is in this situation, we get in touch with the hauler and ask which would be least expensive. Pick-up rates and rental fees for dumpsters vary based on what hauler you use and your geographical location. Hauler A may be more expensive than Hauler B. And waste rates tend to be less expensive in the midwest than in the southeast. There are no blanket fixes that are right for everyone, which is why we tailor our solutions to you.
In the end, we would typically recommend implementing the least expensive option based on your particular variables.
Smaller containers vs. fewer pickups
When we evaluate a location, we also weigh the benefits of getting smaller containers against keeping the current containers and instead getting fewer pickups.
Suppose you have four 8 yard dumpsters, but we find that they’re only half-full when they’re picked up. So long as there are no seasonal usage issues to keep in mind, we would likely recommend that you remove two of those dumpsters. Why pay for what you’re not using?
You could keep the same pick-up schedule; but you’d be paying significantly less.
Implementing Waste And Recycling Changes
When we conduct an audit, we persistently look for common and creative ways for you to save on your waste expenses.
Before we implement any changes, we first talk to your site managers, and then with you.
We get in touch with every site manager and go over their waste and recycling details. We ask questions about current service levels and pick-up frequency. We ask about the equipment they have on site. We ask these things to ensure that we have accurate information. Hauler invoices sometimes say one thing, but the reality may be something completely different!
We also find it invaluable to talk with those who have day-to-day knowledge of your current waste management process. We’ve found that they often have information that allows us to tailor our recommendations to the real needs of that location.
For instance, when our senior analyst will often ask “I’m thinking about “X” solution for this particular problem. Have you all ever tried that before? Would that work for your location from your perspective?”
Sometimes the site manager will give us really good reasons why that idea may or may not work. Maybe there’s a construction issue we don’t know about. Maybe there’s a vendor issue we haven’t heard of. Before we present our final recommendations to you, we run them by the site manager who will likely know how feasible a possible solution really is.
Then, we present our findings to you.
We go over our findings from the audit, and show how much you can save - and how. The recommendations themselves show what changes you ought to make to reduce expenses at every applicable location. (Some sites save thousands of dollars, some don’t have any savings. Overall, we reduce most client’s annual waste and recycling expenses by 10-35%.)
Then we get your feedback. Most clients are excited to have us quickly implement the vast majority of savings solutions immediately. Every so often, there are minor adjustments that need to be made to implementation timelines or other lesser changes that need to be made. We talk through every step of the implementation process to ensure you are kept in the loop about exactly what to expect on each of your sites.