Under the right circumstances, talking trash can be a good thing. You see, we talk trash – every day. It’s what Quest Resource Management Group does. But we’re not talking the on-the-court variety. We’re talking real-life materials (resources) being tossed away; materials that may or may not truly be trash and are likely costing your company a lot of money.

We don’t just talk trash – we manage and reduce it. It’s in our DNA. We geek out at uncovering operational savings and reducing environmental footprints. Seriously. We’ve achieved it successfully for hundreds of clients – managed their trash and recycling streams saving them 10-25% on average. Talk about resource reallocation!
One size does not fit all

In business operations, trash is all too often an afterthought. Out of sight, out of mind. Just another operational cost – just toss it, pay the bill and move on. ‘Part of doing business’. ‘It’s the way we’ve always done it’. ‘It’s just trash’. Or is it?

Just because it’s the way it has always been done doesn’t necessarily mean it is optimized. Whenever we work with a client, we begin by asking if the existing program is sized appropriately to operations – right-sizing if you will.

Based on individual client needs, right-sizing can entail one or a combination of:

Negotiating better pricing
Aligning the service level to the amount of material generated while ensuring the optimum tonnage per service is achieved
Helping employees properly segregate material streams so that all recyclable materials are being placed in a recycling container and safely diverted from the landfill
Just this year, we rolled out a right-sizing program for a large specialty retailer with over 1,300 stores across the U.S. and Canada. The goals? Increase recycling, and reduce trash and operation costs. The results thus far have been bark-worthy – right-sized operations and cost savings of 22%.

Here’s how we did it.

Select a size

For this retailer, their locations are spread out all across the U.S. and Canada. This presents challenges due to varying market factors including available haulers, accepted commodities, pricing, and franchise requirements. It is a lot of information to keep track of – even for the most seasoned operations manager.

Upon program roll-out, we provided the client with informational visibility into each store’s trash and recycling operation in the form of in-depth data and analytics. This data provides the foundation for success. After all, you can only manage what you can see.

Time is money

Next, the time required to effectively analyze hauler invoicing is extensive. Was the weight on the invoice correct? Was the pricing right? Who really wants to look at all those trash hauler invoices every month? Just as the materials being discarded are resources, so too is the time needed to effectively manage a program. You know the old adage, time is money.

By entrusting Quest, the client was able to allocate the (time) resources needed to make the program a success. Each and every invoice is now methodically analyzed looking for inaccuracies and improvement opportunities. And it is working.

Buying power

Trying to go out and negotiate tens, if not hundreds, of hauler contracts is a logistical headache. That’s where collective buying power comes into play. By entrusting Quest, the client was able to take advantage of our national network of resources and the cost savings that come with it.

Remember the part about the hundreds of invoices? Those hundreds of invoices have been replaced with a single consolidated invoice. One. Numero uno. Not only does this streamlined invoicing make your life as an operations manager easier, but it also makes your accounting team very happy too.

And because it’s how we do things, all of our clients get a dedicated client services manager backed by an immensely knowledgeable team. This allows you to focus your time and resources on something other than trash and recycling.

Unleashed rewards

With a trash and recycling program that is now optimized and right-sized, this large specialty retailer has unleashed the benefits – to the tune of 22% savings.

Ready to unleash your company’s operational savings?