A Cautionary Fourth Of July Tale…

With over 6.3 billion gallons of beer consumed annually in the United States, there’s no doubt Americans love beer. Since holiday celebrations and drinking beer seem to be made for each other, beer consumption across the US normally rises during peak holiday periods. While many may think that St. Patrick’s Day is the biggest beer drinking holiday across the nation, it actually comes in at number eleven. Interestingly, the top five beer drinking holidays in America take place during the warm summer months. They are: Cinco de Mayo at Number 5, Father’s Day at Number 4, Labor Day at Number 3, Memorial Day at Number 2 and the 4th of July at Number 1. It’s estimated over 63.5 million cases of beer are consumed by Americans during the 4th of July holiday period.

Community gatherings and at-home family barbeques are among the most popular places where Americans normally celebrate the 4th of July. Restaurants and bars are also popular venues to celebrate the national holiday. In fact, a restaurant and sports bar in Greenville, South Carolina experienced an influx of beer drinking guests during a July 4th Weekend celebration one year, that their outside waste dumpster was bursting with empty beer kegs lined up against it. Although the empty beer kegs were supposed to be placed in another area, adjacent to the dumpster, their overwhelming presence in front of the dumpster resulted in waste not being picked up at the restaurant for many days. This also resulted in excess garbage piled in and around the dumpster and enclosure area.

“Blocked access to a dumpster is a serious problem in the waste industry. Haulers will not make a pickup if they do not have access to the dumpster. This results in the hauler having to make a second trip back to the establishment once the area is cleared and they will charge to return,” stated Adi Andrews, Escalations and Sales Specialist, Waste Cost Solutions.

In this restaurant’s case, the employees did not realize the empty beer kegs were not supposed to be placed in front of the dumpster. The empty kegs had to be moved by the restaurant and the hauler had to make a second trip to empty the dumpster, which was now overflowing with added debris. The restaurant was also charged for an additional pickup fee.

At Waste Cost Solutions, we’re here to assist you with any trash issue you may have, including pickup issues or other waste related facilities solutions. When your enclosure doors need fixing, the enclosure walls need painting, pressure cleaning or the dumpster needs sanitizing, Waste Cost Solutions is here to assist you every step of the way. Contact us today at 800-509-5399 or email us at help@WasteCostSolutions.com