How Much Is Trash Pickup for My Business?

Source: Parilov/Shutterstock

Food scraps from a restaurant kitchen. Waste paper and shredded documents from financial and legal services. Packing materials and garment bags from a clothing store. Whatever your business does, there’s no escaping the fact that it almost certainly creates trash in the process! 

At Plasticplace, we’re happy to offer a huge selection of trash bags for safe and sanitary disposal of all of the above. However, once the trash is bagged, almost every business will need to contract with a trash pickup service to haul it away. But how much is trash pickup going to cost your business? 

While there’s no single answer to that question, understanding how trash pickup services work will help you get a better idea of how much you can expect to pay.

How Much Is Trash Pickup for Businesses?

The cost of trash pickup services varies based on your business’s needs. Most waste pickup companies offer several service package tiers to choose between. Businesses that need more frequent pickups or larger dumpsters will need services in a higher price tier.

When you’re making your selection, these are some of the major factors that will affect how much you pay: 

• Your business’s location
• The size of the dumpster you rent
• How often you want the dumpster serviced
• Whether you want regular dumpster service or a one-time roll-away for construction
• Whether your business also needs recycling service
• Specialty services such as bulk pickup or hazardous waste disposal

Finding the Best Rate on Business Trash Pickup

Many areas in the U.S. now have multiple waste disposal companies that offer pickup, especially if your business is located in an urban metro. To get the best rate for your business, it’s smart to shop around and get quotes from multiple options.

Some waste management services offer estimates on their websites, while others provide quotes through their customer service departments. Make sure to read the quote carefully and ask the provider whether the quote is all-inclusive. Some disposal companies charge extra fees on top of their quoted rates. Order a Black Trash Bag Roll for Your Business!

Tips for Reducing the Cost of Your Trash Pickup

1. Reduce the amount of trash that your business throws away. By reducing waste, you might be able to downsize to a smaller dumpster or have trash picked up less frequently. There are actually some relatively simple steps you can follow to reduce waste at your business, and the savings can be surprisingly beneficial to your bottom line!
2. Use a trash compactor to squeeze your waste down to a smaller size. By reducing the volume of space it takes up, you may be able to increase the amount of trash you can fit inside your dumpster. Either rent a dumpster with an attached compactor, or use a kitchen trash compactor and trash compactor bags. (Wait, what is a trash compactor, anyway? Click to read our guide that answers that question.)
3. Learn whether it’s possible to share a dumpster with a neighboring business. If your business is in a shopping center or otherwise located close to other businesses, you may be able to save money on dumpster rental by sharing a dumpster with your neighbors.
4. Make sure to follow the rules set by your waste disposal company, such as leaving a certain amount of clear space in front of dumpsters. Waste disposal companies will often fine customers who don’t follow their pickup rules. 
5. Get the right size dumpster. If your dumpster gets too full, your waste disposal company might charge you to pick up the extra trash bags, or they might not pick the bags up at all. If your dumpster overflows often, talk to your waste disposal company about moving up a size. Even if it costs more in the short run, you’ll have a more predictable pickup and avoid surprise charges.

Source: Alex Stemmers/Shutterstock