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!

A Guide: Does Purchasing a Compactor Make Sense for My Business?

Most astute Business Owners and CFO’s spend much time pondering how they can maximize their company’s profits and lower their overhead costs. Perhaps the most obvious way to increase profits is to lower operating expenses. Like Benjamin Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

Still, the question that plagues many Business Owners is how to lower their expenses. That is why many businesses hire outside consultants, whose core competency is loss prevention in one area or another, to help them add money to their bottom line.

For many businesses, an important expense to consider is waste removal, especially if they generate enough trash to warrant an expense of more than $200-$300 per month. Keeping disposal costs low is particularly important for businesses that generate large volumes of waste. Every Business Owner who is looking to reduce disposal costs should ask: “Will a trash compactor save my business money?”

This can be a difficult question to answer, as sometimes compaction equipment can be a considerable investment, and it can be tough to determine or guarantee a return. However, in certain scenarios, few investments offer the kind of return that trash compactors do.

For example, let’s use John Doe, owner of a high volume QSR Restaurant that has a monthly expense of $1,150.00. The owner of this restaurant has done everything he can to lower his trash bill. He has added cardboard recycling, which helped by lowering his cost from $1,300.00 to $1,150.00, but he still has a hard time stomaching the fact that he pays $13,800.00 every year just to have his trash taken to the dump. He has even thought about hiring someone in a pick-up truck to drive the trash to the dump, but he knows this is illegal as well as unsanitary.

Frustrated by the fact that his trash bill is higher than his car payment, he does some research and decides to seek help from a company many of his fellow QSR Owners swear by, Global Trash Solutions. GlobalTrash Solutions performs a free analysis and calls Mr. Doe with great news: He can save 66% per month by investing in a trash compactor. The compactor will also improve security and aesthetics at the restaurant. Mr. Doe is ecstatic. Global Trash Solutions provides him with a detailed return on investment, financing options, and even negotiates the new price with his trash hauler for him. His equipment pays for itself in 15 months, and he adds over $9,200.00 annually back to his bottom line!

Stories like this are happening every month in 48 states throughout the country. Global Trash Solutions offers a myriad of different turn-key compaction solutions, which is why GTS is one of the fastest growing waste consulting firms in the country. Please contact us today so we can help you improve your profitability, and keep your waste costs as low as possible for life.

Photo Courtesy of Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net