The True Cost of Commercial Waste Disposal

The monthly collection costs for a 2 yard dumpster is around $130. The national average landfill tipping fee is $53.72.

There are various costs associated with commercial waste. We've broken them down in this article to give you a better idea of what to expect.

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What is the Cost of Commercial Waste Disposal?

The fight against rising commercial waste disposal costs starts with understanding the different components of your bill. There are four types of costs that you need to consider:

• Container costs
• Collection costs
• Transfer costs
• Landfill costs

Commercial Waste Container Costs

You can buy or rent commercial waste containers of different sizes. Average monthly rents and purchase prices for each type of container are shown in the table below:

Average Commercial Waste Container Prices

Container Type	Size	Avg Monthly Rent	Avg Purchase Price
Front-loading box	4yd3	$15	$350
	6yd3	$15	$475
	8yd3	$20	$600
Roll-off container	30yd3	$60	$2,000
	40yd3 (without compactor)	$60	$2,800
	40yd3 (with compactor)	$275	NA

What’s the Best Container Size for My Business?

The most cost-effective container is one that you can fill, but not to the brim. Come pickup time, you’ll be charged extra for any makeshift containers holding excess waste.

If in doubt, go for a size bigger than you need so that you don’t have to worry about waste overflowing as your workforce grows.

As you can see, buying only makes sense if you plan to keep a container for at least 23 months. Because of this, and the low cost of renting, most small businesses choose to rent.

Commercial Waste Collection Costs

Collection costs vary depending on your location, container size, and collection frequency. Up-to-date collection rates for a leading waste management services firm are shown in the table below:

Monthly Collection Costs by Container Size and Number of Pickups

Source: Commercial Dumpster Rental Prices

What’s the Ideal Collection Frequency?

Anywhere from daily to monthly, depending on the nature of your business and the size of your premises. For example, regular collections are essential in restaurants, for hygiene reasons, but less important in retail outlets, where there’s no health risk to storing junk on-site.

Commercial Waste Transfer Costs

Your waste has a long way to travel before it reaches the landfill. You have to account for the fuel and transportation costs of getting it there.

There are basically two ways you can transfer waste to the landfill:

• Direct transfer – waste is transported from your premises to the landfill in a single trip
• Indirect transfer – waste is transported from your premises to a transfer station, where it’s stored and batched before being shipped to a landfill site

What’s the Best Way to Transfer Commercial Waste?

There’s all sorts of complex economics involved in deciding which method is best in each case. A lot depends on where your premises are located in relation to landfill sites. The further away you are, the more you’ll need to rely on transfer stations to dispose of your waste. Of course, that increases costs – transfer stations aren’t free to use.

Waste management contractors like Republic Services and Rubicon maintain relationships with transfer stations and commercial landfills (see below) across the country, giving their customers access to special rates. This is the main reason why it’s cheaper to outsource commercial waste disposal to a professional waste management provider.

Commercial Waste Landfill Costs

The other major cost of commercial waste disposal is a landfill tipping fee. A landfill tipping fee is a charge levied against anyone who disposes of waste in a landfill. Different landfills charge anywhere from $30-$150 per ton. Most offer preferential rates for customers of the top commercial waste management firms.

Here’s a look at average landfill tipping fees in each state in 2020:

Average Landfill Tipping Fees by State (2020):

Alaska – $142.33 (± 69.52)
Arizona – $44.89 (± 10.9)
California – $58.48 (± 24.78)
Hawaii – $114.33 (± 4.04)
Idaho – $59.02 (± 63.48)
Nevada – $39.9 (± 19.52)
Oregon – $71.53 (± 18.67)
Washington – $95.99 (± 37.94)
Northeast – $68.69 (± 20.46)
Connecticut – N.A.
Delaware – $85 (± 0)
Maine – $75.21 (± 16.51)
Maryland – $66.73 (± 15.65)
Massachusetts – N.A.
New Hampshire – $74.34 (± 8)
New Jersey – $78.8 (± 11.69)
New York – $71.71 (± 29.68)
Pennsylvania – $73.45 (± 15.23)
Rhode Island – $115 (N.R.)
Vermont – $101.95 (N.R.)
Virginia – $53.43 (± 14.97)
West Virginia – $54.66 (± 15.14)
Mountains/Plains – $47.83 (± 24.54)
Colorado – $58.42 (± 41.3)
Montana – $32.06 (± 14.2)
North Dakota – $48 (± 13.24)
South Dakota – $51.22 (± 9.96)
Utah – $33.8 (± 7.62)
Wyoming – $57.64 (± 23.66)
Midwest – $47.85 (± 20.3)
Illinois – $51.71 (± 26.37)
Indiana – $36.27 (± 16.71)
Iowa – $47.07 (± 17.68)
Kansas – $42.79 (± 13.25)
Michigan – $42.77 (± 11.56)
Minnesota – $57.78 (± 18.8)
Missouri – $67.91 (± 37.17)
Nebraska – $41.47 (± 15.75)
Ohio – $45.39 (± 10.8)
Wisconsin – $61 (± 33.91)
Southeast – $46.26 (± 15.87)
Alabama – $32.93 (± 9.59)
Florida – $56.51 (± 20.71)
Georgia – $47.88 (± 13.83)
Kentucky – $36.32 (± 9.6)
Mississippi – $30.36 (± 11.5)
North Carolina – $45.97 (± 11.21)
South Carolina – $45.91 (± 8.61)
Tennessee – $51.53 (± 15.22)
South Central – $39.66 (± 11.93)
Arkansas – $30.53 (± 8.17)
Louisiana – $37.53 (± 10.42)
New Mexico – $38.2 (± 9.48)
Oklahoma – $44.76 (± 17.01)
Texas – $42.22 (± 10.68)

Source: EREF Analysis of MSW Landfill Tipping Fees (2020)

Are There Any Hidden Commercial Waste Disposal Costs?

Here’s a quick look at other common charges you might get billed for:

• Dismount and Push Charge – applies when drivers have to get out of their cab and push your containers to an unobstructed spot for emptying. Levied on a per bin basis.
• Key Charge – applies when drivers require a key to unlock any locked containers. Levied on a per bin basis.
• Enclosure Charge – applies when drivers have to remove your bins from a fenced enclosure and replace them when emptied. Levied on a per bin basis.
• Gate Service Charge – applies when drivers have to open a closed or locked gate to access your containers. Levied on a per bin basis.
• Long Walk Charge – applies when your containers are placed a certain distance (i.e. 10 feet) away from where collection trucks have access. Levied on a (you guessed it) per bin basis.
• Regulatory Charges – these cover haulers against the costs of complying with environmental regulations and fluctuating fuel prices.

Next Steps

Now you should have a better idea of why commercial waste disposal costs as much as it does. Just remember, every business creates waste, but few have the resources to properly manage it. With the right waste management expertise at your disposal, you’ll be one of the few that does.

To learn more about which contractors offer the best low-cost service, read our roundup of the best commercial waste management companies.