It’s not always true when they say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Sometimes it simply is just trash. It is also one of the things a landlord has to take into account when running his business. Whether you have a single-family rental or a multi-family rental, you are bound to encounter large amounts of garbage. The question is, is it managed properly or not?
If you are having a few problems with your trash disposal, let me share with you some ways on how to handle it.
Construct a recycling system
Certain items can still be used if you have the know-how. Most of the time we don’t stop and think about what else to do with our trash. We forget how to recycle. Well, maybe it’s time that you initiate recycling in your properties.
You can provide bins for recyclable materials and place them on strategic areas inside the property. Color code your bins to make it easier for them to separate their items. You can use plastic containers and bottles as plant pots. Make it a fun activity for children to paint these items before putting the plants. That way, they will also learn how to recycle and the plastic will not end up on the ocean.
Having such activities and utilities can boost your image as an environmentally friendly landlord. Don’t forget to highlight this when you post your property listing at Padleads before syndicating it to other rental sites. It can attract a lot of tenants because there are more people nowadays who are concerned with environmental issues.
Widen your discarding area
It is a bit common for trash to pile up if you have a multi-family rental unit. You have a lot of tenants and that’s understandable. But if it gets too much, you might have to adjust the discarding area. If you are not able to expand, an option would be to add disposal areas around the property that is accessible to them.
Anticipate large items
Large items like furniture and appliances can be a bit tricky to dispose of but not impossible. You can schedule a pick up for such items. Instruct your tenants to inform you if they are planning to get rid of large pieces of furniture so you can schedule the pick up ahead of time. That way, their trash won’t sit outside for a long time and your area will not look unclean.
Correct the unwarranted disposal of vendors
Now and then you may need to hire other workers to take care of the maintenance and the upkeep of your properties. With this comes additional trash which they are not supposed to leave inside your premises. Always monitor their work and remind them not to dispose of their trash in your property. It will also help if you have a secured area for trash disposal exclusively for your tenants.
Strategize a system for disposing of trash
Even if there are things that cannot be recycled, they should still be disposed of properly. Form a systematic way of disposing trash. You can put up signages around the discarding area and you can also send them pamphlets with instructions. Some examples are:
- Encourage the use of tie-off trash bags.
- Make sure that pick up is frequent and consistent for your tenants to know when they should discard their trash.
- Instruct them to break down all their boxes and do not dispose of any hazardous items with their regular trash.
- Labeled and color-coded trash bins will help your tenants segregate. Include the areas where they can dispose of their items.
Anticipate seasonal concerns
The holidays come with an increase in the volume of trash due to the tenants’ shopping and having parties and guests over. The way to address this is to schedule an additional pick-up day so that it will not pile up.
Although, you also have to take the weather into account. There might be possible delays because of extreme weather conditions. Using sturdy trash bins that can hold a lot of trash will be helpful in such scenarios.
I hope you can apply these trash management techniques because I guarantee that with these tips, your trash disposal problems will lessen and hopefully disappear altogether.