The Incorporation of Technology Benefits Restaurants

The incorporation of technology into the customer experience has resulted in several well-known restaurant brands making headlines lately

Some of the benefits that technology can offer restaurants are improved order accuracy, higher revenues, and in-store entertainment options. One example of the latter is Chili's, where patrons, at many locations, can now play trivia games with each other and order drinks from devices at their table. Applebee’s made public, at the conclusion of fourth quarter 2014, that they plan to deliver 1,800 tablets to restaurants throughout 2015.

In France, patrons can now order a Big Mac directly from their mobile device for future in-store pick up at McDonald’s. This ability to order directly from their smart-device eases the anxiety and pressure some customers might experience as they peruse the menu in the drive-thru lane. As a result, the option to order remotely has “significantly increased the average revenue per order”, according to market analyst Thomas Husson.

This type of “self-service” mechanism is not a new phenomenon in business. Banks have long relied on ATM’s as a convenient means to service their customers after hours, while big-box retailers such as Walmart introduced self-check-out kiosks at their stores years ago. However, until recently, technology has not played as large a role with fast-casual restaurants, and they have relied largely on employees to render services.  

Global Trash Solutions helps restaurants in their efforts to increase revenue

Global Trash Solutions specializes in off-site management of waste and recycling services, reduces the cost of waste and recycling service by an average of 38%, and provides companies with a sole point of contact for all waste and recycling needs. This translates to millions of dollars annually in savings for restaurants who utilize the services rendered by Global Trash Solutions.

In addition to streamlining waste management processes, Global Trash Solutions educates restaurants about advancements in technology related to compaction equipment and balers.

One way Global Trash Solutions helps restaurants in their efforts to increase revenue has been via trash compaction technology. Trash compactors improve logistics, minimize the time garbage trucks spend on the parking lot, and saves businesses money in the process.

Global Trash Solutions' clients are benefiting from compaction technology such as this quarter's featured product.

The GTS X-Press Pack Compactor

The X-Press Pack Compactor, is designed to save space and eliminate the mess of multiple front load containers. Less trips by the hauling company mean savings to both the customer and the hauler. Ideal for restaurants, fast food locations, shopping centers, supermarkets, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and hotels. Simple install and simple design combine for long life and simple service. 

Ease of usage makes the X-Press Pack Compactor a perfect portable trash compactor ready to use and requires no additional sight prep such as concrete pad, anchors or channel guides.

If you would like information on how GTS’ products and services can benefit your business, please contact us at (866) 760-8194.

Recycling Ideas for Home and Your Place of Business.

Businesses in the United States produce a great deal of waste through servicing their clients.  From large-scale operations, to small family run businesses, there is a continuous generation of waste.  One of the many ways to control the amount of waste and ultimately control the costs of waste removal is to recycle.

Recycling can be done at home through local recycling programs or in concert with local artist coalitions, and area crafters.

Recycling at home can be done through groups like www.freecycle.com  in your local area.  Just gather up the goods that have a potential reuse and post that a pick up is necessary.  Very easy, and the people that need or will use the items will be grateful. Local artist coalitions and groups will often know who in the area works in what medium. Meaning they may have an artist in the area that is willing to give you a reasonable sum of money and take your recyclables off your hands.                  

Artwork and furnishings created from recycled materials.

               

 

                There are many other ways to work within the community to both promote recycling and get these items out of your waste. Doing so within the community creates a positive buzz around your business, generating more customers and more clients. One easy way to do this, is by helping to sponsor an art contest in the community.  You do not need to provide funding for the contest, but you can provide the raw materials, your recyclables. Once the ball starts rolling, artists and the community can take them over.  Your business can win in multiple ways. You can reduced your waste, increase your business’ recognition within the community, and gain clientele.

An artisan crafting glasses from recycled glass bottles.

                Small scale operations have the opportunity to work with crafters to utilize the materials minimally, like the glasses being created above.  Simply by cutting the top half of the glass and smoothing or beveling the edge, the crafter can create a re-saleable item. There are other crafters that create stained glass windows and lamp shades, both may purchase your recyclable to further their crafts.  If you have a great many bottles or glass needing to be recycled in your waste, this is a great option.  Www.Etsy.com  is a great resource to check the possible and appropriate pricing of these items, once created.

Recycling can be done on a large scale providing the business owner with revenue through the resale of their recyclable materials using balers and other mechanisms.

Large scale recycling can be done with cardboard, glass, metals and plastics.  There are a wide variety of balers available that be used in both large and small spaces.  A baler takes the material being recycled, like cardboard, and compresses it into a large brick that can be resold at commodity prices to go back into the consumer stream, not into landfills or burned in garbage piles.

               

Balers, like the GTS VB Baler (above), compress hundreds of pounds of cardboard boxes into transportable and saleable bales.  These bales can be stored easily because they are compressed and bound.

  

                As a business owner, recycling can pay huge dividends in the social arena and could put a sizeable amount of money back in your pocket. So, give us a call at Global Trash Solutions, and let us help you find a way to make your waste disposal and recycling a more profitable experience.

Calling Global Trash Solutions toll-free at (866) 760-8194 or visiting us at www.globaltrashsolutions.com can give you the insight into the best possible solution to reduce your waste bill and potentially turn your recyclables into cash you can reinvest in your business.

                

Recycling Ideas for Home and Your Place of Business.

Businesses in the United States produce a great deal of waste through servicing their clients.  From large-scale operations, to small family run businesses, there is a continuous generation of waste.  One of the many ways to control the amount of waste and ultimately control the costs of waste removal is to recycle.

 

Recycling can be done at home through local recycling programs or in concert with local artist coalitions, and area crafters.

 

Recycling at home can be done through groups like www.freecycle.com  in your local area.  Just gather up the goods that have a potential reuse and post that a pick up is necessary.  Very easy, and the people that need or will use the items will be grateful. Local artist coalitions and groups will often know who in the area works in what medium. Meaning they may have an artist in the area that is willing to give you a reasonable sum of money and take your recyclables off your hands.                  

               

 

                There are many other ways to work within the community to both promote recycling and get these items out of your waste. Doing so within the community creates a positive buzz around your business, generating more customers and more clients. One easy way to do this, is by helping to sponsor an art contest in the community.  You do not need to provide funding for the contest, but you can provide the raw materials, your recyclables. Once the ball starts rolling, artists and the community can take them over.  Your business can win in multiple ways. You can reduced your waste, increase your business’ recognition within the community, and gain clientele.

 

                Small scale operations have the opportunity to work with crafters to utilize the materials minimally, like the glasses created above.  Simply by cutting the top half of the glass and smoothing or beveling the edge, the crafter can create a re-saleable item. There are other crafters that create stained glass windows and lamp shades, both may purchase your recyclable to further their crafts.  If you have a great many bottles or glass needing to be recycled in your waste, this is a great option.  Www.Etsy.com  is a great resource to check the possible and appropriate pricing of these items, once created.

 

 

Recycling can be done on a large scale providing the business owner with revenue through the resale of their recyclable materials using balers and other mechanisms.

Large scale recycling can be done with cardboard, glass, metals and plastics.  There are a wide variety of balers available that be used in both large and small spaces.  A baler takes the material being recycled, like cardboard, and compresses it into a large brick that can be resold at commodity prices to go back into the consumer stream, not into landfills or burned in garbage piles.

                Balers, like the one above, compress hundreds of pounds of cardboard boxes into transportable and saleable bales.  These bales can be stored easily because they are compressed and bound. 

                Calling Global Trash Solutions at (866) 760-8194 or visiting us at www.globaltrshsolutions.com can give you the insight into the best possible solution to reduce your waste bill and potentially turn your recyclables into cash you can reinvest in your business.

                However you do it as a business owner, recycling will pay huge dividends in the social arena and could put a sizeable amount of money back in your pocket. So, give us a call at Global Trash Solutions, and let us help you find a way to make your waste disposal and recycling a more profitable experience.

               

A Snapshot on Snapshot Charges

A Snapshot on Snapshot Charges

Figure 1 – Snapshot on Left; Ideal Dumpster on Right

Overflowing waste bins and dumpsters cost you money each and every time they are picked up by your waste hauler.

A dumpster can overflow for a number of reasons. Most commonly, there is simply more trash than expected because of an increase in business and the hauler cannot get to you before the overflow occurs. Other times, your hauler may miss a scheduled pick-up because a customer parked inappropriately and blocked the trash corral.

The split image in figure 1 depicts a dumpster in both ideal state and in a state of overflow. The right-hand frame is the hauler’s expectation for the appearance of your dumpster—this is what they want your dumpster to look like each and every time they visit for their scheduled trash pickup. Often, however, your dumpster is likely to look like the overflowing dumpster on the left. When this happens, your hauler will photograph the overflow and charge you a very expensive additional fee—a “snapshot charge.”

Figure 2 - Large "Snapshot" Overflow

Waste haulers justify snapshots by claiming that trash stops are supposed to be routine and mechanical. 

An overflow, turns the stop into a manual pickup according to waste haulers, because the driver must get out of the truck and manually pick up the trash—in other words, they claim that an overflow causes them to spend more time spent at your stop, which means higher costs to you (see Figure 2). Additionally, haulers claim that even though their trucks compact trash, the overflow fills the truck faster causing them to make additional stops at the landfill. Therefore, it is prudent for business owners to take measures to prevent overflows and avoid their associated fees.

Global Trash Solutions can analyze your trash and suggest some simple techniques to help you avoid snapshots and other unnecessary fees. Call Global Trash Solutions at (866) 760-8194 or visit our website at www.globaltrashsolutions.com and you can learn how GTS can save you money by eliminating these fees entirely!

How Can An Indoor Compactor Help Your Bottom Line?

GTS 2000 Indoor Compactor

The ever-increasing cost of waste disposal is frustrating to those who own and operate a restaurant. Trash bills inexplicably rise from month-to-month, haulers charge unreasonable fees, and it seems as though every month, the check you write to the waste hauler is larger than the month before. The good news is that you can take control of these costs by making some basic changes in how you deal with waste. One option is employing the use of a GTS 2000 indoor trash compactor.

Indoor compactors result in fewer weekly pick-ups.

Your trash hauler should only come to your restaurant when you need them—when the dumpster is full. Every time you see their big truck out in your parking lot, they are charging you. Indoor compactors have the power to compress up to twenty individual bags of trash into a single brick, which can be transported to the dumpster with ease. This creates up to twenty times more space in your dumpster, and in turn, leads to fewer pickups. In some cases, an operator can realize savings of up to 60% on waste expenses by simply compacting their garbage before throwing it in the dumpster.

Compactors result in reduced parking lot disruption.

Having the trash picked up can cause business disruptions. Garbage trucks are large, noisy, dirty, and get in the way of everything. They have been known to block incoming and outgoing traffic and block the drive-thru. They can drive off customers and frustrate employees by taking up parking spaces while they work. A compactor will reduce the overall number of trash pick-ups and, in turn, reduce the potential for a cluttered lot or lost business in the midst of a lunch or dinner rush.

Compactors reduce the opportunity for work related injury.

Winter weather creates a slip and fall hazard for employees. Ice, snow, and rain can cause even the most careful worker to go down in the parking lot. Eventually, employees must venture out into the harsh weather to take out the garbage. When they do, there is always the risk of a work related injury. Compactors reduce the number of outdoor trips because the trash stays contained within the compactor until it is full. Instead of eight or ten trips, employees may only need to exit the building once or twice. A compactor will keep your employees inside, where it is safe and dry.

An Indoor Compactor is Just One Option: You Have Many

At Global Trash Solutions, these options are our business.  We provide compactors, supplies, recycling, baling, resale, and brokering for the restaurant industry at more than 2500 locations. We are a full-service, single point consulting service dedicated to reducing your trash expenses. In most cases, the compactors we supply to restaurants pay for themselves within the first two years.  Combined with our consulting services, our customers can realize an overall saving 65% on their initial waste disposal cost.

Please give yourself and your business the benefit of reduced costs. Call now for a free consultation at (866) 760-8184 or fill out our form online. 

Contact Global Trash Solutions Today!

How Can My Company Cut Costs on Waste Service in Colorado?

• Do you own a business in a major metropolitan area of Colorado such as Denver or Boulder?
• Are you located in a more rural market in Western Colorado where you feel your options for waste and recycling service are limited? 
• Have you become frustrated with the outcome of the relationship with your current hauling company? 
• Were you led to believe you would be charged a single flat monthly price for quality service, and instead seen a series of price increases and miscellaneous surcharges appear on your invoices like rude, uninvited dinner guests on your doorstep? 
• Has your quality of service declined, or do you simply expect more from the capital you are spending every month on waste and recycling service? 
• Have you wondered why dumping your trash has become so expensive, or sought ways to lower cost through recycling?

Waste and recycling service has become an albatross to many business owners in Colorado, just as it has in practically every other state in the union. The reasons are not very different than those in other states where business owners find themselves overpaying for waste hauling services. Many business owners feel like they are playing a game of whack-a-mole (only these moles are gluttonous, and devour profits). The moment they trim one area of their waste and recycling expenses, whether by changing companies, or renewing with their current hauler under the premise that they will pay less for service, another aspect of this cost invariably rises. You may have seen increases in recycling fees, extra trash charges because the lid does not close one morning, and the garbage truck driver gets artistic and decides to take a picture of your dumpster, or any number of 3-letter acronyms followed by the word “fee”. Many hauling companies billing practices have become so complex that even their own employees have a difficult time explaining the bills!

Global Trash Solutions (GTS) has developed cost savings strategies for over 3,000 businesses around the US, and has been helping businesses in Colorado cut hauling costs for over two years. No matter what challenges your business may face with respect to waste and recycling services, GTS can help! Please contact us today at (866) 760-8194 so we can help you reduce your costs.        

Which Commercial Trash Compactor Is Best for My Company?

• Do you manage a business that uses trash compactors or balers to reduce the volume of waste on site, or bale recyclable commodities so they can be palletized and sold? 
• Did you buy or inherit a business that had an old trash compactor on site that you think of as a nothing more than a foul-smelling eyesore with no practical application? 
• Are you aware of the cost benefit to compacting waste? 
• Are you considering purchasing a commercial trash compactor because you are tired of paying several hundred or thousand dollars monthly for multiple dumpsters that occupy a substantial amount of space on your property? 
• Are you considering a commercial trash compactor for another reason, such as aesthetics, security, or loss prevention, but do not know where to start when considering what kind of compactor to buy?

There are about as many kinds of compactors available on the market as there are types of businesses who can use them, so it can be difficult for business owners to know where to look or what kind of compactor to consider purchasing. Global Trash Solutions (GTS) is a great source for information about what compactor will best suit your business’ needs. GTS also understands how difficult and frustrating it can be to deal with some of the companies out there that pick up waste and recyclables. We happily provide insight into the waste industry and information on how to get the best deal for service on whichever compactor is best for your business. At GTS, we pride ourselves on offering comprehensive solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes!

At grocery stores, restaurants, casinos, resorts, and other facilities that produce large volumes of wet waste, GTS would likely recommend one of the many self-contained “GTS-SC” models that we offer, or for smaller applications like fast food restaurants with limited space, we might recommend our GTS X-press Pack series or an indoor model such as the GTS 2000. For transfer stations, recycling facilities, and distribution centers, we usually recommend horizontal balers with a conveyer system, or auto-tie balers that can produce multiple bales of all types of recyclable plastic and cardboard per hour. For recyclers with smaller operations, we offer a full line of vertical balers. We even offer drum crushers, pre-crushers (for pallets) and residential compactors for high-rise buildings and residential communities. If you would like to consult with us about what commercial compactor will best suit your needs and save you the most money, please contact us today at (866) 760-8194.  

Waste Compactors Save Fast Food Restaurants Money

• Do you own one or more fast-food restaurants or fast-casual dining establishments? 
• Have you noticed that the waste disposal expenses at your restaurants are a substantial cost to you each month? 
• Have your costs risen over the previous months and years? 
• Have you examined different ways to mitigate these costs for your business, but found this to be a daunting, if not impossible task? 
• Are you aware that each month thousands of quick-service restaurants and fast-casual dining establishments such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Panera Bread, Chick-Fil-A, and many others save money by compacting?

Waste disposal is a rising cost for practically all fast-food and fast-casual establishments. Whether sales are rising or decreasing at the restaurants, waste disposal seems to be an ever-increasing line item on the P&L statements. What some multi-unit chain store operators do not realize is that most waste haulers’ standard rate structures are based on the volume of trash collected in cubic yards. For instance, an 8 cubic yard dumpster serviced 5 times weekly may cost a restaurant $1,000.00 monthly. However, if the restaurant begins compacting their trash using an indoor or outdoor compactor (whichever is more efficient given their trash composition and space limitations) it could reduce the monthly expense to $400.00 or less. That is because they effectively cut the number of lifts and volume of trash from 40 yards per week to 16 – a 60% reduction!

Global Trash Solutions (GTS) realized this years ago, and has been spreading the good news to fast food restaurant and fast-casual restaurant owners ever since. In most cases, the compactors GTS supplies to its customers pays for itself in less than two years, and offers more than $10,000.00 annually in waste cost reduction. GTS not only supplies equipment, they facilitate the removal of old equipment and use their negotiation skills to ensure their clients always pay the best possible rate for service for the life of the business. Please contact them today for a free quote or consultation at (866) 760-8194.

How Can a Trash Compactor Save my Business Money?

• Are you curious as to why you see trash compactors outside shopping malls, residential complexes, or restaurants?
• Would you like to save money on waste and recycling services at your business?
• Have you heard from other business owners that trash compactors have saved them space and money, but uncertain about how your business might benefit from such equipment?

The economics behind purchasing or renting a dumpster compactor vary widely in nature, and there are several reasons why. In some markets, haulers charge their base rates by volume (per cubic yard) of trash produced, and a trash compactor will greatly reduce costs to the businesses these haulers service. 

For example, some trash compactors compact on a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio, depending on the model of the compactor and density of the trash inside. If your business can reduce a 6 yard dumpster going to 3 times per week to a 6 yard dumpster going 1 time per week, a compactor will obviously lower your waste expenses. Unfortunately, some haulers try to charge a multiplier if a compactor is installed, claiming that there is the same amount of trash going into the dumpster, it is just not going as often. Compacted trash is obviously more dense and heavy. However, the hauler stands to benefit from your trash being compacted because they spend less money on fuel and payroll when they have to come pick up the trash less frequently. Some haulers claim the cost of disposal goes up because of the weight of the trash, but many haulers own their own landfills or grossly exaggerate the cost per ton for disposal.

If you want to find out more about how a trash compactor can save your business money, please contact Global Trash Solutions (GTS) at (866) 760-8194. GTS specializes in helping businesses save money on waste and recycling in many different ways.