In-house incentives

Cal-Waste Recovery Systems, a Galt, California-based waste management company offering residential and commercial recycling, green waste processing and organics and trash collection services, has long embraced the importance of quality and efficiency.

As part of its service offerings, the third-generation, family-owned company boasts a fleet of 1,000 roll-off boxes and 16,000 front-load containers for residential and commercial use. Maintaining these assets is largely done in-house with a staff of four employees, two of whom work full-time on container repairs.

Casey Vaccarezza, director of operations at Cal-Waste, states that the choice to handle repairs internally was motivated by cost savings and quality control.

“There’s a big, I think, cost savings logistically,” says Ken Kimmel, Cal-Waste’s maintenance shop director on handling maintenance in-house. “We’re not transporting this equipment to locations that are farther away. We do all the metal work in-house.”

He adds that there is a lot of “fly-by-night” work in the container repair business, with many shops prioritizing quantity over quality. By having its own repair team, Cal-Waste can conduct maintenance as it sees fit and ensure the work is done correctly.

Quality parts and service

Some of the most common repairs needed, Kimmel says, are rotted bottom floors and leaks caused by the acidic nature of waste, as well as damage to front-load container pockets from frequent servicing. Container floors are removed and replaced and pockets are reinforced to maintain longevity.

In terms of preventive maintenance, the company greases and replaces casters and wheel bearings and performs lid repairs, as lids can take a lot of abuse during front-load operations.

“They’re just plastic,” Vaccarezza says, “You get [people] breaking into them, ripping them off. It’s just a piece of plastic on a steel container, so that’s where you see a lot of the damage—lids and the lock bars from people trying to pry them open.”

Based in California, Cal-Waste benefits from quick parts service, with two of the largest container manufacturing companies, Rehrig Pacific Co. and Wastequip, located within 5-10 miles of its facilities. Cal-Waste works with McLaughlin Waste Equipment most frequently. The Lockeford, California, company provides roll-off boxes, front-load containers, rear-load containers, scrap bins and replacement parts.

There’s a big, I think, cost savings logistically. We’re not transporting this equipment to locations that are farther away. We do all the metal work in-house.” – Ken Kimmel, maintenance shop director, Cal-Waste

Well-kept and well-maintained

While Cal-Waste handles the majority of its container fleet maintenance needs within its fabrication shops, it outsources sandblasting and repainting through a local business located near its facilities.

Prior to being sent off for a fresh coat of paint and new decals, containers are steam-washed and examined for any necessary metal repairs.

“When you can spend the time and money to get stuff sandblasted and sprayed rather than wire-wheeled and brushed, it makes the equipment last longer,” Vaccarezza says of outsourcing the refinishing of its containers.

This aspect of the operation is one of the most important, according to Kimmel, because each container acts as a billboard for Cal-Waste.

“I would say that the best thing you could do is to spend the money on prep and paint, so sandblasting and spraying,” he says. “That goes a long way for how your equipment looks out in the field. … Every piece of equipment we have is a billboard; it’s a free advertisement. So, you can spend the money on making sure that paint job looks good and the decals look good.”

On average, Cal-Waste pays between $300 and $500 on sandblasting and repainting for container refurbishment.

This presents a high cost in the company’s container operations, Vaccarezza says, but is a service he thinks is worth it.

“We have a big focus on making sure our equipment is well-kept,” Vaccarezza says. However, if the economy and business were to slow, he adds, it’s an easy program to cut.

“When the roll-off market starts slowing down [or] the economy dies off—people aren’t building homes and doing construction projects—that’s when you pull back on it,” he adds. “So, it’s something you have to monitor with the economy and with the business.

“You can let a rusty box sit if business is slow, but when business is good, you want to make sure that rusty box has a new paint job and decal on it when it goes out.”

Repairs that last

On average, Cal-Waste expects to get eight years out of a container before it needs repairs or refurbishing, and the company typically only needs to invest in new containers when they’re severely damaged during out-of-the-ordinary circumstances, such as being hit with a snow plow.

“They hold up pretty good, other than the random things that can happen,” Kimmel says.

Vaccarezza adds that the company has roll-off boxes that are “probably older than both Ken and I” out in the field, and “that’s just from repairing them.”

Overall, Vaccarezza and Kimmel agree that the benefits of maintaining the company’s commercial container fleet in-house outweigh the initial costs of doing so and that the repair program offers needed flexibility in a demanding industry.

“I think it’s all positive—you can control quality, control the pace, the production—it’s all, I think, positive. Plus, you created quality jobs for people,” Kimmel says.

The author is associate editor of Waste Today and can be reached at hrischar@gie.net.