Six things to consider when designing a transfer station
Best practices for incorporating durability, cost savings, and safety into municipal solid waste transfer stations
At its core, a municipal solid waste (MSW) transfer station is about convenience. It is meant to be a better location to dispose of end-of-life material than the landfill. There are always commercial customers, haulers, residential customers, and others looking for a convenient and cost-effective place to empty trucks.
The key to having an optimal operation is based on many factors. The six top factors to consider when thinking about building and running a successful transfer station are location, efficiency, durability, flexibility, cost, and safety.
Choosing the location of a transfer station
The location of the facility needs to be right for you and for your customers. If you own your own hauling company, your transfer station needs to be located so that your vehicles can easily get to it in terms of access roads and expressways. It also needs to be located within an area of the market that is as centrally located as possible to maximize fuel efficiency, routes, and drive time. If your own fleet of trucks is the priority, access and markets should be the primary factors in making the location decision, and third-party customers would be a secondary consideration.
Another factor could be the towns or municipalities that you are dealing with. Each one has its own way of dealing with waste disposal and recycling and will have very different ideas on what a host agreement could look like. It is very important that you have these discussions with them individually, to see who wants you there and who doesn't, how that impacts your ability to get a permit, and how it impacts you financially.
When it comes to your customers, they want a facility that is easy to get in and out of, has a quick turnaround time on-site, is cost-effective to tip at, and is safe. You should work hard to identify who your potential third-party customers are before finalizing your location so you can work with them to establish agreements early in the process, and so that they can help increase your volumes and potential revenues. This applies to your larger customers. All the smaller "one-off" contractors and residential customers will be a bonus.
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