How many of you ever think about garbage collection? I admit it’s not at the top of my list…unless it’s Monday night or when the garbage isn’t picked up! I remember the garbage strikes in NYC many years ago. It was not a pretty picture! When we lived up north as well as our last neighborhood, we contracted with the garbage company on our own. In the community in which we live now, that’s part of our HOA dues. Thank goodness!
But, have you ever thought about what it takes to actually start your own waste hauling business. It’s a great business to be involved with. It’s something that will always be in high demand, no matter what the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) may bring. That said, it’s not exactly easy work. Our old waste management company was family-owned. Then, they sold it to a large corporation. Let’s just say, it wasn’t good for customers. So, let’s take a look at starting your own waste management company.
Image Credit: Pexels
When that company began to falter, many smaller waste management companies sprang up. We had already moved so that didn’t affect us. At first, everything was hunky-dory. People were so happy to have their garbage picked up on a timely basis as well as paying quite a bit less. But, it wasn’t long before problems began to emerge. The new companies hadn’t been prepared for the sheer number of people who contracted with them. Soon, they were missing pickups because they just didn’t have the manpower nor the equipment. It wasn’t long before they closed up shop.
While people may not think it, a waste hauling business has a lot of moving parts and many logistical challenges to consider. Efficiency is everything in this line of work, so it’s important to prioritize getting faster and more accurate in everything you do. Thankfully, as the waste industry continues to grow, more tools and services are being made available to help you. In this article, you’ll learn about four ways to make your waste hauling company more efficient in 2025.
1. Facility Finding Tools
Waste hauling can take you anywhere, and when you’re out in the middle of nowhere, trying to locate the nearest transfer station or landfill can be a pain. Searching for ‘transfer station near me’ brings up a variety of different facility-finding tools you can use on the fly. All you need to do is input your zip code, set the search radius, tick which service you’re looking for, and you’re good to go!
2. Smart Routing Technology
There’s also a variety of smart routing tools available for fleets, negating the need to use older GPS devices or your phone to plan a route. Most routing software can analyze real-time traffic conditions and plot the route depending on specific time constraints, and at the end of the day, the faster you can get the job done, the happier your customers are and the more jobs you can take on.
3. Vehicle Telematics
Vehicle telematics are an essential element of any business that uses vehicles are part of their day-to-day operations. This type of software utilizes various high-tech sensors to measure fuel economy, wear and tear, and general vehicle stability, alerting you to a problem when it’s minor. Without it, it’s easy for something small to turn into a major issue, costing your business thousands in repairs. Telematics helps keep your vehicles on the road for as long as possible, and reassures you that they’ll continue to offer the reliable service you depend on.
4. Experienced Drivers
And finally, there are your drivers themselves. You can have the fanciest system in the world, but without the human element of skilled, trustworthy drivers, it’s largely irrelevant. Make sure to employ rigorous training programs for all of your drivers, and when you’re considering new staff, ensure they have the relevant experience, not only with driving the sorts of vehicles you use, but also with this line of work. Of course, it’s important not to be too strict with your drivers on exactly how they should operate their vehicles, so it’s key to strike an appropriate balance.
Wrapping Up
You should now have a better idea as to how to make your waste hauling company more efficient. It’ll take a few tweaks to get everything running smoothly, but you’ll be glad you put the effort in.
It’s a county matter here, they make the contracts with the companies.. We have different ones for organic waste, the “yellow bag” aka recycling (without glass, we have public containers for that), the paper bin, and what we call the “rest waste”.
If there’s a problem with pick-up, we have to call either the local authority or the company itself.
Boy, I wish it was that way here. When we lived up north, recycling was a county thing, but trash pickup itself was individual. These days, it seems like more people just thrown their recyclables in the trash. I can tell that because we have recycling bins that are completely different. We do have to pay for those, and I fill mine up every two weeks. I even wash my recycling so it doesn’t smell! But, we are just a handful of homes (in our neighborhood) that do it.