| The business of waste hauling has grown to be | | | | them to acquire the new high compaction machines |
| extremely lucrative. With the focus on the | | | | on the market so they really could be as efficient |
| environment these days, the waste hauler is in a | | | | with their waste hauling as possible, that waste |
| position to charge just about anything they want. | | | | hauler's nightmare would become a sweet |
| After all, according to them, they are the stewards | | | | money-making dream with a market share that |
| of the environment. They would have us believe that | | | | would go through the roof. |
| they are working on our behalf to protect and enrich | | | | They would have less of an impact on the |
| our environment. With television advertising telling us | | | | environment with less trips being made by the big |
| how they are turning landfills into nature preserves | | | | diesel trucks, less overhead costs from fuel and |
| and little league baseball diamonds and what a good a | | | | maintenance costs and a reputation as a reputable |
| neighbor to Bambi they are, could you have any | | | | waste hauler with whom companies would want to |
| doubt? | | | | do business. With that hauler's market share up, |
| Then there are some people like me and possibly | | | | reputation clean and less money spent on developing |
| you, who ask the difficult questions, the people who | | | | strategies to mislead their potential customers and |
| have to deal with the waste hauler every week in | | | | with customers' lower overhead costs and higher |
| our business, knowing that the waste hauler is using | | | | profits, everyone would be a winner: the |
| spin tactics on the public. Is it fair to use that spin to | | | | environment, the customers and the waste hauler. |
| make us feel guilty about producing waste, especially | | | | Unfortunately, as blinded as the haulers are by their |
| when at the same time they are paying their sales | | | | greed and set in their way of doing things, we, their |
| reps top commissions to classify even our recyclables | | | | unfortunate victims, their customers, will have to |
| as waste with little regard for recycling, waste | | | | endure this nightmare scenario until we open our |
| reduction strategies, or new compaction technology | | | | eyes, educate ourselves and stop blindly trusting that |
| in order to keep their profits up? (Please see article | | | | our hauler has our or the environment's best interest |
| "Talking Trash - The Waste Hauling Salesperson's | | | | at heart. |
| Moral Dilemma), | | | | As business people we have the responsibility to |
| As a matter of fact, one of the big waste haulers | | | | protect our company's bottom line profits from this |
| sent out an inter-company memo that instructed | | | | kind of pilferage, our environment from this kind of |
| their employees to "disrupt and stop the sale by any | | | | abuse and our communities from this kind of |
| means necessary of new high compaction machinery | | | | environmental impact. Our priorities must change from |
| to their hauling customers". | | | | "whom do we call to get rid of this waste?" to "what |
| At the time, when I was working for them, I | | | | waste strategies would be the most efficient, cost |
| thought the hauler was just trying to keep their | | | | effective and environmentally friendly way to dispose |
| customers. Then, when I thought about it in the | | | | of our waste?". (Please see "Solid Waste Removal - |
| context of the operations and sales strategies they | | | | Prioritizing for the Future".) What resources can we |
| were teaching me, it became crystal clear and | | | | call on to achieve the highest compaction rate |
| seemed very insidious, to say the least. (Please see | | | | possible? How can we lower our waste hauling cost |
| "Waste Haulers and Manufactures-The Truth behind | | | | and lessen our impact on the environment? |
| the Story".) | | | | The answers are out there. It is time we woke up |
| If a waste hauler was to let a new kind of high | | | | from this nightmare, started educating ourselves, |
| compaction waste handling machine become available | | | | took the time to research, and asked ourselves |
| to their customers, it would be a nightmare for them. | | | | some not-so-hard questions. "What is currently |
| More compaction, in their eyes, means more weight | | | | available in the market?" Is there new high |
| in the bins which means fewer loads and a big drop in | | | | compaction waste handling technology that will help |
| their profits. Without even considering all the time and | | | | to achieve our goals? Is it cost effective? If |
| money they will have lost in developing their | | | | implemented, how much of a positive effect will my |
| strategies and training their sales and operations staff | | | | company have on lowering our environmental impact |
| on implementing these strategies. The most | | | | in our community? |
| frightening part of this nightmare for the waste | | | | All of these questions can be answered in a positive |
| hauler is that their customers would be educated and | | | | way. You can educate and shock yourself with the |
| not so easily manipulated. | | | | outcome -- just by waking up from the waste |
| Their greed for higher profits and bigger market | | | | haulers' nightmare and seeing that the solutions is not |
| share has blinded them to the fact that, if one of | | | | a dream. |
| them were to work with their customers and help | | | | |