How Expert Waste Brokerage Services Can Save Your Business Time, Money, and Headaches
Working with a waste broker (also known as a trash broker, garbage broker or waste management broker) is like having a waste management expert on your team with specialized understanding of the ins and outs of the complex commercial waste removal industry, and whose sole focus is to look out for your best interests.
Waste brokers work for you, not for the waste hauler. Their recommendations are based on your waste-related needs, budgets and goals, and they provide oversight to ensure you are always getting the best deal.
Do you need a waste broker? Understanding what a commercial waste brokerage expert does (and reading the case studies below) will help you make that decision. If your business has never worked with a waste broker, now is the time to explore how this partnership can uncover waste removal savings, improve service, help you meet sustainability goals, and avoid the headaches of daily waste management.
Overview: What Does a Waste Broker do?
If you are unhappy with your organization’s current waste removal service, if you think your business is paying too much and you are looking for waste removal savings, or if your waste hauling service is unreliable with missed pickups, a waste broker can:
- Review your existing invoices and contracts to uncover overcharging, irregularities, excessive fees or surcharges, identify potential waste removal savings, billing errors, and help decipher confusing contract terms that may be unfavorable to you.
- Research and identify reliable waste haulers that meet your specific location and service needs.
- Rebid your waste contacts to ensure you are receiving services at the right price.
- Negotiate or renegotiate with waste haulers to get the best terms, ensure no surprises, and to limit price increases.
Once you have found the best hauler for your needs at the best price, a waste broker can:
- Provide continuous waste haling management oversight to ensure reliable service, stay on track with goals, and meet changing needs.
- Optimize and right-size service schedules and waste equipment to ensure efficiency and reduce costs.
- Navigate the myriad of local and federal regulations to ensure you remain in compliance.
- Handle daily trouble shooting and on-demand pickup requests.
- Consolidate billing across sites and resolve any errors.
- Verify waste hauler data and ensure accounting transparency.
- Provide one-stop management by taking care of all hauler communication.
Benefits of Working with a Waste Broker (with Case Studies)
Great Forest waste brokerage experts manage the waste hauling services for 120 million square feet of commercial properties nationwide, from retail and commercial real estate to hospitality and manufacturing.
Here are some insights from our waste experts about the strategies effective waste management brokers bring to the table, and the resulting benefits, along with waste brokerage case studies.
1. Save Money on Waste Hauling Services, Control Rising Costs
Waste brokers help companies reduce waste costs in numerous ways, including by finding the best rates for waste hauling services, avoiding overcharges and regulatory fines, and eliminating inefficiencies. Due to their large portfolio of trusted waste haulers, waste brokers can drive down costs by getting multiple quotes from its vendor partners.
Case study: A strategic RFP process across 10 properties saved a client $300,000 a year.
2. Save Time with Centralized Oversight: Hassle-Free Waste Management Across Portfolio
Businesses with large campuses, with multiple sites spread across the country, or a larger number of waste streams (organics, trash, recycling, e-waste, hazardous waste, etc.) will especially benefit from the expertise of waste brokers, who can:
- Manage all waste needs from trash and recycling to electronic and hazardous waste.
- Consolidate all billing across an entire portfolio, even if the properties are serviced by a variety of different waste haulers.
- Provide excellent customer service, ensuring that any waste-related issue is solved in a timely manner.
Case study: A national retail bank reclaimed 140+ staff hours/month by letting Great Forest handle all waste management logistics and daily waste hauling needs for their branches nationwide. The bank’s staff had previously wasted time on tracking missed service pickups, troubleshooting issues, correcting accounting errors, and more. With Great Forest, the bank only needed to make one call to take care of any issue or request.
3. Access Trusted, Reliable Waste Haulers
Waste brokers have broad knowledge of waste haulers operating across the country, what materials they handle, and their service quality. But, the best waste brokers have identified and established networks of haulers they know and trust, built on years of solid relationships. This allows the best waste brokers to advocate for your needs even more effectively. Trusted haulers will not only provide reliable service, but will also go the extra mile for you to solve any challenges that might arise.
Case study: Read the story of how one trusted hauler worked to investigate a case of “suspicious metrics.” This hauler is part of Great Forest’s network of vetted waste haulers, built over 30 years.
4. Get Optimized and Right-sized Waste Service
Many businesses are unknowingly overserviced. For example, dumpsters may be collected half full, or roll-off containers may be swapped too frequently. A waste broker ensures your service frequency and containers are right-sized to match your actual waste generation. This not only reduces costs but also prevents unnecessary waste hauler trips, cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions and supporting sustainability goals.
Case study: One manufacturer in Mexico was being significantly over-serviced and overcharged until Great Forest waste brokers put a stop to inflated waste removal fees and held the hauler to more accountability.
5. Ensure Accurate Data and Reporting
Accurate waste data is the foundation of every successful waste management program. Waste brokers can help verify the data provided by waste haulers to ensure accuracy, transparency and accountability. Waste brokers like Great Forest use waste audits, waste meters, and data and invoice analysis to give businesses a clearer picture of the waste they are paying to service, and why. This level of insight is essential for benchmarking, regulatory compliance, and internal sustainability reporting.
Case study: This group of 14 residential communities cut waste costs by 14% and improved service with Great Forest by using smart AI-driven waste sensors to capture more accurate data and right-size their waste equipment and service levels.
6. Maintain Compliance, Find Responsible Solutions for All Waste Streams
Waste brokers can help you maintain compliance because of their deep understanding of local, state and federal waste-related regulations. They can find solutions for the safe, responsible, cost-effective and compliant diversion of all your waste streams, from e-waste and IT assets to organics, and even hard-to-recycle materials, hazardous materials, and specialty waste like hand sanitizers and vape pens.
Case study: A financial services giant saved $10+ Million with smarter IT asset disposal solutions from Great Forest.
Do you need a Waste Broker?
You may benefit from partnering with a waste management broker if:
- You manage multiple properties and want to centralize waste management across your portfolio with consolidated billing, reporting, and streamlined oversight.
- Your waste costs keep increasing, and your bills are difficult to understand.
- You’ve faced service disruptions, missed pickups, and complaints about overflows.
- You’re unsure if your current service levels are right-sized and optimized.
- You are unsure if your waste data is accurate and you want more transparency and accountability from your hauler.
- Your waste hauler is unresponsive and you’re looking for a new provider.
- You’re working toward Zero Waste, LEED, ESG or other certification or sustainability goals.
Waste Brokerage + Zero Waste Consulting = Complete Waste Solutions
When combined, waste management brokerage services and Zero Waste consulting expertise can deliver end-to-end solutions for all your waste needs. Great Forest’s ability to provide complete waste solutions rests on this combination, and is supported by its industry-leading expertise in waste audits and data analytics.
This means Great Forest can help you reduce waste generation and costs, reduce recycling contamination and keep more materials out of the landfill, simplify and streamline your daily waste removal needs, optimize your waste program, educate and train all stakeholders, achieve certification and reach all your Zero Waste and circularity goals, and so much more.
Ready to Save on Waste Costs?
Contact Great Forest today to learn how our waste brokerage experts can reduce your waste removal costs, ensure compliance, and streamline waste management across your entire portfolio. Learn more and connect to a waste broker now.
Top photo: Nathan Cima, Unsplashed
Learn more:
Reduce Waste Removal Costs: 7 Proven Strategies (with Case Studies)