Reduce Costs of Commercial Trash Collection

Commercial garbage collection is like other utility services, where the service is charged by the size of the dumpster and the frequency of collection. The less garbage you produce, the more you can save on garbage collection costs.

• Monitor the dumpster on a regular basis to determine if you may be paying for more garbage capacity than necessary.
• Determine if your garbage dumpster is “right-sized” or “over-sized” by monitoring the dumpster’s garbage level for about four (4) weeks. Take photos and note how full the dumpster is before collection, when the garbage level should be at its highest.
• Note how much airspace is in your dumpster. Airspace is the space between the top of the dumpster and the height of the trash. If you consistently have lots of extra airspace during the monitoring period, then you likely have an “over-sized” dumpster and are paying for a larger dumpster than necessary. If your business is generating garbage that is overflowing the capacity of the dumpster then a larger dumpster size is required.
• Before making changes to the size of your dumpster or frequency of collection it’s important to think about seasonal variations or other trends in your business that may periodically generate larger quantities of garbage.
• Maximize the available space in your dumpster by taking simple steps, such as requiring staff to break down boxes.
• The more data you have, the more informed a decision can be made to determine the optimal level of service for your business. Implement a recycling program to remove recyclable items from the waste stream and into a recycling collection program. This often cost-saving or costneutral step can help to reduce the level of service needed for garbage collection while also doing your part to help the environment through recycling.
• Evaluate what’s in your waste stream and try to target items that are recyclable and make up the most of your garbage by weight or volume. Identify common recyclables like glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles and containers, cardboard, cartons, paper, paperboard boxes, and aluminum, tin, and steel cans.
• Unlike trash collection in Hillsborough County, which must be performed by one of the County’s franchised haulers, recycling is an open market system, meaning there is no restriction on which companies you can work with to implement recycling.
• Research and obtain quotes from multiple recycling haulers. Your waste provider might also collect recycling, so you can start with them.
• To have a successful recycling program, there needs to be high participation. Contact Hillsborough County’s Recycling Team at Recycling@HCFL.gov or (813) 221-6549 to learn how to engage your employees and ensure your program’s success.
• Continue to monitor trash levels as you are recycling. There should be less material entering the garbage dumpster, potentially allowing you to cut back on trash service.

Measure success and report back to your employees and customers to foster a culture of waste prevention and environmental stewardship.

Learn more about waste reduction recognition programs, free presentations on solid waste management and recycling, and other resources.