Apartment and HOA managers may be able to save money on trash by better understanding their community’s needs and the services their trash hauler provides. Here are four ways your community may save money on trash.
1. Check your bill for services provided. Understanding your bill is the first step in saving money. Trash haulers usually provide an itemized list of trash bins and pick-up frequency on your community’s bill. Count the number of trash bins in your community and check that the items on the bill match the current service (number of trash bins and pick up frequency) you are receiving. Sometimes there are errors which cost you money.
2. Buy only the services your community needs. If you are not using all the trash service you are currently charged for, contact your trash hauler to update your account. Conversely, when a community has trash problems such as messy and overflowing trash bins, trash haulers will sell more service as the solution. Buying more service might not directly solve your trash problems.
3. Implement a recycling program. Not only is recycling good for the environment, but recycling bins often have a lower cost than regular trash. Additionally, recycling bins can help offset the amount of trash in your regular waste bins. Contact your trash hauler to get a quote on adding more recycling bins.
4. Have a plan for large items that your trash hauler won’t pick up. Trash haulers won’t pick up items such as old furniture, mattresses, and discarded TVs automatically. Some haulers will pick up large items free of charge; others have a fee per item. In either case, you need to plan by calling in advance for these pickups. If residents place these large items inside the bins, there will be no room for the rest of the week’s trash and the trash enclosure will become a mess. If residents leave couches or other furniture outside of the trash bins they may block the trash truck from picking up the bin. If your community experiences a missed pickup because the bin is blocked by large items or trash is overflowing, you may have to call the trash hauler and pay an additional fee to pick up the trash bin.
Sincerely,
Broomer