When planning for a Commercial Trash Compactor, no two businesses have exactly the same needs. What’s right for your business might not be right for somebody else’s. There’s no “one size fits all” solution. Thankfully there are a wide variety of waste equipment possibilities that make it so everybody’s needs can be met. When planning for a commercial trash compactor, your account executive will need to learn a little bit about your current trash situation to ensure you receive the best solution for your needs. They will want to know:
What type of business do you run?
Is it an apartment complex, school, hospital, distribution center, manufacturing facility, etc.? Although no two situations are exactly the same, businesses are likely to have similar needs to other businesses in the same industry. For example, distribution centers often produce high volumes of packaging waste and apartment complexes often produce high volumes of household trash.
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What is your Waste Material?
What type of waste do you need a solution for? Is it wet waste, dry waste, or bulky waste?
- Wet Waste- Food items, hygiene products, soiled wrappers, soiled packaging, used tissues, used paper towels, ect.
- Dry Waste- Mostly recyclable waste. Things like paper & cardboard, plastic, aluminum, textiles, rubber, etc.
- Bulky Waste- Large waste material. Things like pallets, drums, refrigerators, TV’s, couches, tables, etc.
A Self-Contained Compactor is often the best option for wet waste. With a self-contained compactor, the compactor body and container are built as an integral unit and are taken to the landfill together. This is primarily to hold in liquids. A Stationary Compactor is the ideal solution for dry waste. Stationary compactors are separated from the container, so that only the container needs to be taken to the landfill for dumping. The compactor itself remains bolted to the customer’s concrete pad. If you need a solution for bulky waste then you may be in need of a Pre-Crusher. Pre-Crusher’s are stationary compactors that are built with a reinforced steel wall at the end of the charge box designed to destroy material before compacting it into the container. They work by first crushing the material up against the steel wall. The steel wall then slides up, and the ram compacts the now crushed material into the compaction container.
There are also certain materials that compactors aren’t solutions for like hazardous waste, flammables, explosives, concrete, etc. Your account executive should know what materials a compactor can and cannot handle. If a compactor is not an ideal solution for your material, they will be able to let you know that fairly quick.
What is your Volume?
How many cubic yards of trash are you currently producing per week? Use the below equation to figure this out:
(Number of Containers) x (Number of pulls per container) = Number of Pulls/Week
(Number of Pulls/Week) x (Size of Containers) = Cubic Yards of Trash/Week
For Example- If your business has 2, 6 yd containers, each hauled twice per week. This adds up to about 24 cubic yards of trash per week.
2 Containers x 2 pulls per container = 4 Pull Per Week
4 Pulls Per Week x 6 (Containers are 6 yards each) = 24 Cubic Yards of Trash/Week
What’s the location of your trash?
Where on the property will this trash compactor be located? Will it be against a loading dock? Inside an enclosure? Will it be indoors or outdoors? Wherever you would like the compactor located, there will be certain space requirements that need to be met. Which prompts the question…
Is the property equipped to handle a compactor?
Concrete Pad Requirements for Compactor– Most trash compactors require 6″ thick steel reinforced – 3000 psi concrete that is a minimum of 10 ft. wide x 5 ft. greater than the combined length of the compactor and container.
Electrical Power Requirements for Compactor– Is your power supply single-phase or three-phase? Most compactors have a three-phase power standard. You can get single-phase 208V or 230V, but there is usually an upcharge.
Space Requirements for Compactor- This will depend on the type of compactor and your hauler’s specific requirements for pick-up. The variables make it difficult to give a general answer here. Always confirm this information with your hauler. If you are working with FleetGenius Compactor Solutions, we will work with your hauler to confirm this information for you.
What’s your preferred method of payment?
Do you want to purchase or rent? There are advantages and drawbacks to both. If you decide to purchase, you have no monthly rental payment and total control over your equipment. If cash flow isn’t an issue and having complete control is important to you, then purchasing might make sense. With that said, owning your compactor requires a large capital expenditure that may be hard to justify for a non-revenue generating asset if you’re low on funds. If you decide to rent, there’s no need for a capital expenditure since it becomes an operational expense. Renting also improves your operational leverage by reducing your variable costs since maintenance and installation are also included. Overall, purchasing and renting are both options that can work; it just depends on your preferences and needs.
What is your goal?
Lastly, but ultimately most important, what do you want to accomplish out of using a trash compactor? Are you looking to save money on your waste hauling bills? Do you have an issue with employee pilferage and unauthorized access to your trash? Maybe you’re just trying to improve housekeeping for your facility? There are many reasons for and benefits to using a trash compactor, but it’s important to let your account executive know specifically what’s important to you. If your main goal is to save money on your waste hauling bills, tell your account executive that so they can ensure using a trash compactor would accomplish that. We want you to be happy with your equipment. Sometimes businesses just don’t produce the volume of waste necessary to benefit financially from using a compactor and in those cases a Front Load Container or Rear Load Container may be a better option for what you want.
To learn more about the benefits and reasons for using a commercial trash compactor, check out our “A Guide to Commercial Trash Compactors” blog.
Commercial Trash Compactors are massive pieces of industrial equipment that can have a major positive impact on your businesses waste handling operations if utilized effectively. That’s why planning accordingly is so important. The more information you can provide your account executive, the better. Think a trash compactor might be right for your facility? We want to hear from you! Let our team of trash experts help you with this process to ensure you receive the best solution for your needs.