Cost Reducing Hints

The following five components make up pricing offered to businesses for the removal of their hazardous waste. Understanding these elements will help you save money when you call for disposal of your hazardous waste. Of course, there are laws which require the proper disposal of hazardous waste with large fines if you do not follow them. Never the less, this process can be expensive by any measure. Read this page and perhaps the process will be less painful.

COMPONENTS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE REMOVAL

1. Transportation – A significant cost. Depending upon where the transporter originates, given the higher cost of fuel, this is a part of the overall cost that can have little room for reduction.

2. Containers – Hazardous waste must be properly packaged to meet D.O.T. requirements. There are very specific types of containers specified in the regulations. Only new or legally reconditioned drums and other containers can be used. With the price of steel going up, it is always to your advantage to use the right type of container.

3. Labor – Someone must package the waste. If you do not have the containers, you can not package the waste. Generally the transporter will package the waste and charge a labor charge plus of course the cost of containers used.

4. Waste disposal – This is generally the largest cost if the job is large. This cost contains more transportation as the waste must move from the transporters facility to ultimate treatment plants. It includes the labor involved in unpacking and the cost of actual treatment which may include incineration, neutralization or some other form of handling to render the material safe. Understand that waste disposal is charged based upon the size of the container shipped and not the contents. If for example you have a ½ full 55-gallon drum, you will pay for the shipping of a full one. The entire industry works on the concept of container processing.

5. Surcharges/profile fees – Could be anything from additional fees for fuel, taxes, permit fees, lab costs. Often expressed as a percentage of something i.e., transportation cost. These fees are not usually spelled out in a proposal. They are expressed as a percentage to be added. Do not forget to add them to the proposal. With the possible exception of profile fees (not very common), At Your Door Special Collection^SM has decided not to make things more difficult for our customers. If we need to recover a cost, we add it to the category it belongs in and include it in the price. 

HOW CAN YOU SAVE MONEY?

Pack your own waste – This can be done in some cases where you are familiar with the materials, have the right containers on hand and the time to do so. If you do not have containers, you can purchase them from At Your Door. If you pack your own waste, you will be responsible for mistakes which could increase the price. Ask us for more information.

Reduce waste – Simple, use less of a hazardous product. There may be alternatives. Use what you have for another process. Ask employees of they need the materials (assuming they are products that employees can safely use).

Store for 6 months – You can reduce transportation costs if you have waste collected twice each year. You are generally permitted to store for up to six months. If you have the space, the proper storage containers and are permitted to do so, call us twice each year.

Consolidate waste – If you have a number of containers definitely of the same materials, contact us about the possibility of consolidation. This can be dangerous with some materials. If, for example, you have 50, one-gallon containers of oil based paint (and you are sure it is oil based paint), you can pour them into a single 55-gallon, lined drum. The alternative is to pack 32, one-gallon containers as they are into one, 55-gallon drum and use a 30-gallon drum for the remainder. You will save the cost of the empty 30-gallon drum and the disposal fee for a 30-gallon drum.

Identify the materials – Mystery materials can add to your disposal cost. We must test any unidentified material to properly package it. If you or an employee knows what it is, label it. Better yet, obtain a MSD sheet (material safety data sheet). Having an MSD sheet on hand for each waste product will save labor time and as mentioned testing fees. Basically, know what must be removed before it is time for packaging.

Please contact us if you have any questions.  888-449-3733 ex 107 or email:  haz4smallbusiness@wm.com