At Great Annual Savings Group we work with businesses on reducing their costs in all areas of expenditure. One we’re frequently finding to have been neglected, despite being a potential gold mine for creating efficiency, is waste management.
To become ultra-lean market leaders, understanding the intricacies of how waste is collected; what time; how often; by whom; what it weighs; and what is diverted from landfill is essential for businesses.
Here, we’ll take a look at one component of what makes up your waste collection costs: the ever-inflating ‘Landfill Tax’ and how you can manage it.
Whilst the waste industry has always attached a theoretical weight to the size of bin, in years gone by it has never been an issue for customers as very few collectors in the industry have had the necessary equipment to be able to weigh bins.
However, as a result of the weight-based landfill tax increasing year on year – around £5.90 of your cost per collection (lift cost) is now tax – in recent months more and more contractors have started to retrofit weighing systems to their trucks. All new trucks now come with weighing systems as standard. The result is that the industry is now passing on ‘overweight charges’ to customers where the bins are heavier than standard, so they don’t have to cover it themselves when the waste is delivered to landfill.
In due course, it’s likely we will see the waste industry charging per collection and weight. This is not necessarily negative; it can work in favour of the customer as much as the supplier as they will only be paying for the weight of waste they are actually throwing away.
What this will create is a necessity for closer monitoring of waste by businesses.
Moreover, having this data is useful to businesses as it will give greater visibility of their waste habits and allow them to segregate more effectively for maximum efficiency. The most efficient, as always, will be able to reduce costs even in a climate of rising rates.
Ultimately, reducing the amount of waste produced should continue to be the key priority in this area.
Great Annual Savings Group can help you streamline your waste collection processes and organise your waste in the most cost-effective manner to ensure you pay no more than you need to. Is every waste collection at your premises a perfectly full bin? If not, it’s time to address the money you’re throwing out with the trash.
A little on landfill tax:
Landfill Tax was created by the government in the 90s and aims to reduce the amount of waste the UK puts into the ground. It increases year-on-year in line with inflation, but recent technologies are making it easier to police more heavily.
Read all about the tax on the government website