Tips for Starting a Successful Business

Do You Need To Adjust Your Business's Garbage Pickup Schedule?

28 July 2020 by Brianna Cole

With more businesses looking at making working from home the norm, they may need to adjust the services they usually get onsite at the office. For example, janitorial services may not be needed as frequently if there are fewer people in the office each week. Trash pickup is another service that might need adjustment — or not. Garbage pickup is not just about removing the garbage material; it's also about good sanitation and pest control for the property as a whole.

Fewer Days in the Office Means Less Trash

On the one hand, having fewer people in the office on fewer days each week means less garbage will be generated. It makes no sense to have garbage pickup for a building every day if the volume of garbage has dropped substantially; maybe three days a week would be just fine. You will need to monitor how quickly the main garbage dumpsters fill up each day, especially if the property houses several businesses with different in-office and work-from-home requirements. You want the dumpsters to be full enough that they really shouldn't have to wait another day for pickup, but not so full that they're overflowing by the time the next pickup occurs.

Keep track of janitorial changes, too, as the janitors are the ones who move the trash from inside the buildings to the dumpsters. If you reduce janitorial service frequency, be sure to account for that when you see empty or full dumpsters. You don't want to reduce garbage pickup just because janitors aren't working on certain days and the dumpsters appear empty; staff at each company can easily empty full trash cans into the dumpsters, too.

Is Food Waste Still Going in the Garbage Daily?

The really big question is about food waste. Waste from lunches and snacks can attract rodents, flies, and other pests, and the waste can begin to smell terrible on hot days. Garbage removal removes potential nesting spots and takes away food that could rot and create terrible odors. This is mitigated somewhat if the waste is in plastic bags that are tied shut, but because people can throw lunch containers directly into the dumpsters, you can't count on all the food waste being sealed up. If people are all leaving the property to go eat, or if they're there part-time and not staying to eat lunch there, then you might consider reducing garbage pickup. However, if there's still a lot of food waste going into the dumpsters, then you need to continue with your current garbage pickup service to avoid pest and odor problems.

If your budget for building services has gotten very tight, contact your garbage removal company and ask about current deals or other ways to reduce costs. You still need to have garbage removed without creating pest and odor issues, and the garbage removal company wants to keep your business. You should be able to work something out.

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