If your business has regular dumpster service, the monthly invoice is probably paid out of habit. The contract sets the rates, the fees, and the dates, and the invoice shows what was billed. A commercial waste invoice review compares the two, line by line. It is also called a trash invoice review or a garbage invoice audit.
This guide covers what to gather and what to compare. It is written for ongoing commercial service, not one-time dumpster rentals for a project or cleanout.
What do you need before you start?
Gather these first:
- The full contract, including every page, any amendments, and any addendum or rate schedule.
- Any pages the contract refers to. Some contracts point to a fee schedule or policy on the hauler's website. Save a dated copy of each page.
- Your most recent invoice, and one or two earlier ones for comparison.
Does the base service match the contract?
Start with the main charge and check it against the contract:
- Container size and number of containers.
- Pickup frequency, such as once a week or twice a week.
- The monthly rate for that service. Look for a rate schedule or pricing section, and check whether an amendment changed it.
If any of these differ between the invoice and the contract, note the line and the contract section next to each other.
What are the other line items?
Many invoices include charges beyond the base rate. Common names are fuel or energy surcharge, environmental fee, regulatory fee, and administrative fee. For each one, check:
- Does the contract name this charge? If it does not, note that.
- Is it a flat amount or a percentage? If a percentage, what is it a percentage of?
- Does the contract state the amount or how it is calculated, or does it point to a policy or web page?
- Does the invoice amount match what the contract states?
- Can the charge change during the term, and what does the contract say about notice?
A charge that the contract does not describe is worth asking your hauler about.
Has anything changed since the last invoice?
Put the current invoice next to an earlier one and look at each line. If the total or any line is different, find the contract section on rate adjustments. Look for:
- Whether the contract allows increases during the term, and for what reasons.
- Whether it sets a cap on the size or frequency of increases, or ties them to a published index.
- How you are supposed to be told about a change.
A change by itself is not necessarily a mismatch, since the contract may allow it. The question is what the contract says about this particular change.
Are there charges for specific events?
Some invoices add charges for particular events. Check what the contract says about each:
- Extra pickups beyond the regular schedule.
- Overloaded containers, and whether the contract defines "overloaded" in measurable terms.
- Contamination or excluded material.
- Container delivery, relocation, or rental.
For each event charge, check whether the event happened and whether the contract describes the charge.
What do the dates and time limits say?
Dates matter in an invoice review:
- The billing period the invoice covers, compared with the dates the service was supposed to run.
- The invoice date, because some contracts set a deadline for disputing an invoice, counted from the invoice date or another date the contract defines.
- Term and notice dates, found in the contract's term and renewal sections.
Contracts word these differently, so read the text of your own agreement. Put any deadlines you find in a calendar.
A short checklist
- Gather the full contract, any amendments, any referenced pages, and recent invoices.
- Compare container size, number, pickup frequency, and monthly rate.
- List every other line item and check each against the contract.
- Compare the current invoice with an earlier one.
- Check event charges against what the contract says.
- Note the billing period, any dispute deadline, and any notice dates.
What if something does not match?
Write down the invoice line, the contract section, and the two amounts. Then ask your hauler to explain the charge in writing, and keep a copy of the question and the reply. Some contracts say how a billing question has to be submitted, so check that section first.
This guide does not say what a charge means legally. If you are unsure how a contract term applies, a licensed attorney can advise on your specific agreement.
Getting help with the comparison
Commercial Waste Review is an automated tool that reads the contract and invoices you upload and summarizes what they say, with questions you can take to your hauler. It describes your documents. It doesn't give legal advice. You can upload your documents here.