Unlikely way to save: The Garbage

When you’re trying to cut down on expenses, every dollar matters. And frankly, among all the bills that you have to pay every month, some of them are just downright irritating. Like your trash collection bill, for instance. The very idea that you have to pay someone to haul your trash away can seem like a ridiculous way to spend your hard-earned dollar. 

But with a little moxy, creativity, discipline, or just plain physical work, perhaps you can cut or at least reduce this expense in your annual budget. 

Negotiate

Nearly every industry has been impacted by the lagging economy over the last two years, trash collection being no exception. As more people have sold homes and moved into apartments and in with relatives—evidenced by the number of empty houses on the market—private collection services have lost customers. 

In some areas, competition has driven prices down and, as City and County services increasingly offer garbage removal services to outlying areas known as suburban sprawl, higher priced private services take the hit. 

The weakened economy actually gives the individual residential customer leverage. First of all, check out what the competition charges and ask around for positive recommendations. But before you automatically switch service companies, contact your current provider and ask if they offered any reduced rate services or would be willing to match a competitor’s price. 

Many companies have reduced rate plans that they don’t advertise but keep on hand for this very situation. You may find you can reduce your cost in half by maintaining one trash can instead of two. Ask if they have smaller garbage containers with a coinciding reduced rate plan.  

The trash service may have a plan to pick up every two weeks instead of every week.

Some service companies will charge only when you call them to come for a pick up. If you can reduce your garbage to the point where you only need pick up service once a month, you could save up to 75% of your cost. 

Whether the company has a reduced plan or not, it never hurts to ask. Companies are desperate to maintain the customers they currently have in light of the ones they’ve lost.

By the same token, competitors may be more willing to negotiate a reduced rate in order to get new customers.  

If your company is not willing to reduce its rate, you still may have some bargaining room. When the cost of oil rose, sending fuel prices through the roof, many trash collection agencies started adding a “fuel surcharge” to their bills. And for many customer bills, that surcharge is still on there. Point this out to your company and ask them to at least drop this charge since gas prices are no where near where they were at the time the surcharge was initiated. Chances are they may be willing to throw you that small bone. Remember, the weakened economy can be your gain if you use it to your advantage. 

Recycle More, Throw Away Less

Find out if your City or County offers recycling pick-up in your area and, if so, get a rundown of exactly what recycled goods they cover. 

Set up a recycle bin in your home (or several if items must be separated) and attach a label of all the items that can go in there as reminders for you and your family members. Once you start a regular, disciplined recycling program, you’ll likely find you have much less “real” trash.  

Share the Expense

Consider asking your neighbor to share the expense. This way you each pay half and use the same set of cans. You should negotiate payment upfront (preferably several months or even the whole year in advance) so neither of you has to hassle the other when the trash bill comes. If you have a plan that gives you two trash cans, each of you can take one and be responsible for putting it out in front of the house responsible for the bill. If you’re sharing just one can, be sure to discuss sharing the responsibility of hauling the cans curb side and returning them at the end of the day. 

Trash the Trash Yourself

If you have a lot of trash, you’ll need to plan on regular trips to the dump. If you only have a small amount of trash infrequently, you may find a convenient commercial dumpster nearby where you can discreetly dump your trash. 

And if you live in an outer lying area or the country, check with local authorities for guidelines for burning your trash in a burn barrel on your property. This may require a burn permit from the fire department and alerting them whenever you plan to burn trash. 

Health Conscious, Shop Conscious

One way to reduce your trash bill is to shop for more package-free foods such as fresh meats and produce and, as much as possible, eschew pre-packaged goods at your local grocery store. Also consider bringing your own recyclable bags instead of using the regular plastic and paper choices at most stores. 

By increasing your natural foods intake, you open up another option for at least some of your trash. Build a compost bin and use your disintegrated trash as soil fertilizer for a garden. 

Kara Stefan is a freelance financial writer and author of Head of Household: Money Management for Single Parents. You can find her at Linkedin or Kara Stefan Communications.