Starting a business is hard enough, it shouldn’t be made harder with worries about how your new business will dispose of trash, and how much trash might be generated. With that in mind, Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) works with new businesses to anticipate solid waste removal before a business opens, and then adjusts the service and pricing according to the amount of garbage the business actually generates.
Robin Lawrence, deputy director Solid Waste explains how to start the process: “For new construction and/or remodels, the first step for a new business is working through the permit review group ‘one-stop shop’ at City Hall. LCU has engineering technicians there to review the plan and then coordinate location of dumpster enclosures through Solid Waste.”
LOCATION IS CRITICAL: Finding the right spot, where a dumpster can be placed near your business, is more complex than you might think. Crucial is that large, front-loading, commercial trash trucks have access to the dumpster. Sometimes limited space in parking lots, trees, and overhead wires limit the location where a dumpster can be placed. Without enough space to get to the dumpster, automated trucks are not able to service them.
ADJUSTING: “Another consideration is that there might be an ebb and flow to your business, or in the best-case scenario a huge demand that wasn’t originally anticipated,” says Lawrence. “Sometimes, a temporary dumpster helps relieve the initial load for a brand-new business.” We also check-in with our Solid Waste Heavy Equipment Operators, she adds. “If dumpsters are being used at capacity, we can change the size of the container, or the number of times per week that we service that location.”
OPTIONS: Another option is using LCU’s Grappler services to manage trash generated during large events. The LCU Solid Waste Line of Business is ready to assist all businesses, with rate plans for Low, Intermediate, and High Volume Disposal as well as Compactor Services. Call 541-2111 for pricing information.
You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.