By Michael Hess, Waste
Harmonics
The holiday season is a highly anticipated
and busy time for owners and operators of retail companies. The vast increase
in shopping, shipping and more in such a short period of time can result in
increased profits, revenues and even new employees for additional support.
But when retail chain executives are planning
ahead and in the thick of the holiday season, waste management is a service many
rarely think about — until it’s too late. Similar to electricity for a home or
gas in a vehicle, day-to-day garbage, trash and recycling collection is often taken
for granted.
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Collecting garbage, trash and recycling
materials may seem simple, but it can be an additional stress on retail chain
executives during the holiday season. Seasonal shopping occurs in just a few
short weeks of highly increased activity, and working with a waste broker is a
key step to ensuring you’re able to deliver the best results to every customer
while still driving profits.
Proactiveness Is Key
With the 2018 holiday season in full swing,
retail chain owners and operators are dealing with the large task of handling the
variety of holiday-related employee, customer and logistical issues that are
likely to hit their store footprints at some point. The key is to be as
proactive as possible.
Develop a plan with your waste broker well
before the holiday season to set up any extra pickups across your footprint and
establish additional services that might be needed for the holiday season, such
as recycling. As you continue a longstanding relationship with your waste
broker, they can help you look back at past holiday seasons to tweak or change
your plan.
Identify Holiday
Season Waste Costs Early On
Setting up an established waste management
system with your waste broker will help you identify your holiday season waste
costs from the onset, heading off any unexpected surprises or hits to your
profit in the middle of December or the beginning of the new year.
Doing so will not only help ensure your 2019 profits
and revenues, but also help maintain the razor-sharp efficiency that’s required
to keep your business running and moving forward throughout the year.
Establish A Turnkey
System
Retail executives work hard to maintain very
complex supply chains across their footprint, and managing these chains
successfully depends on optimal efficiency. During the chaos of the holiday
season, that efficiency can take a downturn.
To stay on track, work with your waste broker
to develop a turnkey system that allows you to see all of your trash, garbage
and recycling needs and plans across your footprint. Doing so will allow your
entire team to manage each store’s needs individually as needed, while keeping
an eye on the overall efficiency of your program. Be sure to alert your
suppliers and vendors of this waste management plan for the holidays so they
can help you keep up efficiency throughout the season.
Michael Hess is founder and CEO of Waste Harmonics, a Rochester,
N.Y.-based company that provides customized waste and recycling management
solutions for businesses across North America. Hess leads Waste Harmonics’ team
of waste/recycling, technology, logistics and customer service experts who
broker waste and recycling services — which deliver significant costs savings —
for single- and multi-location businesses in a wide range of business
categories, including retail, grocery, restaurant, travel center, logistics,
distribution and shipping. Prior to founding Waste Harmonics, Hess served as
vice president of U.S. operations for Capital Environmental Resource Inc.
