Does anyone understand pricing behind waste removal?

[Nate Hall]

As the controller for a property management company, I have to sign off on all of the bills. Most utility bills are pretty straight forward whether they're high or not, but the waste removal bills are a different animal. I usually check on the costs of an 8-yard dumpster and divide it by the number of dumpsters and the times it is picked up in a month so I can get the cost  of one pick up for that dumpster. So far, I've seen fluctuations between $30 to $300 per pick up of an 8-yard dumpster. Can anyone explain why there is such a variation in pricing?

[Richard C.]

Two answers, both serious, but only one that SOUNDS serious.

First, check and see if you are paying by the "tip" (individual pickup at a flat rate) or by the ton.  Sounds like you might be paying by the ton.  This often actually works out cheaper, by the way, so don't immediately switch to by the tip without doing the analysis.

Second, while I don't think it is likely to be true in Alabama, in large parts of the Northeast, garbage hauling is controlled by certain families of Italian extraction, and pricing is what they say it is.