Pests are a serious concern for your business. People dislike them so much that their presence on your premises can hurt customers’ interest and employees’ morale. Removing pests is often expensive and time-consuming. It’s much easier to prevent them from establishing themselves on your premises in the first place than to deal with them after the fact. Reliable containers for commercial waste can help. However, you need to use them right for the best results.

Get Closed Containers

Sometimes, your waste attracts pests because it’s a food source. What’s edible for humans is often the same for other species. Unfortunately, you need to look beyond your food waste because animals can have extraordinarily diverse diets. Other times, your business’s waste can form nooks and crannies where small animals can hide themselves. This is particularly problematic if these spaces gather moisture, thus making them even more habitable.

Closed containers are one of the easiest ways to discourage pests. After all, they aren’t going to settle in if they can’t get their necessities. Still, it’s critical to ensure two things. First, your closed containers must be secure so that pests cannot gain access. While raccoons are notorious for bypassing waste security measures, other species have similar track records. Second, keep your containers closed when they’re not in use.

Cover Open Containers

You might have no choice but to use open containers. If so, cover them to discourage pests as much as possible. That means closing rear-access doors so animals can’t just move in to inspect their contents. Similarly, that means covering their tops with tarps or sheets. These precautions won’t guarantee success. However, pest prevention is a numbers game, meaning you’d be wise to stack the odds in your favor whenever it’s practical.

Put Containers on Solid Surfaces

On a related note, put containers on solid surfaces, such as on asphalt or concrete. Doing so separates them further from the places where most pests frequent. Keeping your containers on solid surfaces also eliminates the risk of them sinking into softer materials, which can sometimes create the moist spaces that pests love.

Ensure Clean Containers

Containers can have waste cling to them. As such, choose a waste disposal company that cleans them before handing them over to their clients. That should result in a more sanitary working environment with a reduced chance of attracting pests. Besides this, you can also bag your waste to prevent it from coming into direct contact with your containers.

Use Traps and Repellents

Persistence is a common characteristic of pests. Due to this, you might find it helpful to further secure your waste by setting traps and repellents around your containers.

Please note that you’ll get the best results when you know exactly what you’re dealing with because what works for one type of pest might not work for another. Trial and error can lead to success. However, you can also consult a pest control specialist for authoritative information.

Encourage Employee Compliance

You can do everything your way if you’re the only one working at your business. However, if you have a team of employees, you’ll need to consider employee compliance with your waste disposal policies because proper procedure means nothing when it isn’t practiced.

Generally, you want to create rules before communicating them to your employees. Never leave something out because you believe it’s common sense. People see the world from different perspectives, and what seems clear to you might not be so to someone else.

Instead, you want to teach employees your waste disposal policies before convincing them to follow along through habituation and motivation. Done right, you can even collect feedback from them on how to improve things.

A reliable and reputable waste disposal company can help with many of your waste disposal concerns. If you’re worried about securing your waste containers or other issues, contact Portland Disposal & Recycling at your earliest convenience. Our representatives are ready to answer your questions so you know what to expect before committing.