🚨 Margin Is Tight. Rents Are Flat. Why Are You Letting Trash Eat Your NOI?

By Les Leith, CEO & COO at National Doorstep Pickup

Multifamily operators nationwide are facing a new operating reality:

• Rent growth is compressing

• Concessions are back in many submarkets

• Insurance premiums are climbing

• Payroll remains elevated

• Hauling contracts are escalating

When top-line rent increases become harder to push, intelligent operators pivot to operational margin engineering.

One of the most overlooked levers?

Your valet trash structure.

Valet trash is sold wholesale to apartment communities. Property management marks it up and retains that markup as ancillary income.

But here’s the strategic question:

Are you maximizing both markup and diversion savings — or only one?

Traditional Legacy Valet Trash

“Wholesale Convenience. Full Compactor Exposure.”

What It Is

A 5-day doorstep collection service sold wholesale to your community, marked up by property management, and transported directly to your compactor.

What It Produces

• Resident convenience

• Ancillary income through markup

• Cleaner breezeways

What It Doesn’t Address

• Compactor tonnage

• Hauling frequency

• Landfill dependency

• Battery-related truck fire risk

• Insurance-driven hauling increases

Legacy valet systems move waste efficiently — but they maximize compactor utilization, not reduce it.

In today’s market, that matters.

Compactor hauling costs are rising approximately 10% year-over-year in many regions due to:

• Lithium battery truck fires

• Required thermal sensors and camera systems

• Increased landfill tipping fees

• Insurance exposure

Traditional structure:

Wholesale valet fee → Markup retained

• Full compactor hauling exposure

You’re capturing markup — but not controlling backend cost escalation.

National Doorstep GreenPlus™

“Markup + Diversion = Intelligent Margin Expansion”

National Doorstep GreenPlus™ was engineered for operators who understand that NOI growth now requires operational intelligence.

It combines:

• Education

• Structured recycling collection

• Enforcement protocols

• Service design built around diversion

The Financial Shift

Traditional Model
Valet Markup Only

GreenPlus™ Model
Valet Markup

• Reduced compactor tonnage

• Lower haul frequency over time

Savings generated from diversion flow directly to your bottom line.

When rent growth slows, margin must come from system efficiency.

Reducing landfill-bound waste:

• Lowers compactor pulls

• Reduces wear on equipment

• Mitigates fire exposure risk

• Strengthens ESG positioning

• Supports compliance in regulated municipalities

GreenPlus™ turns trash operations into a controlled cost center — not a passive expense line.

Why This Matters in Today’s Multifamily Climate

Raising rents aggressively is harder in many markets.

Residents are price-sensitive. Occupancy stability matters. Concessions are strategic again.

That means:

You must protect NOI without relying exclusively on rent growth.

Smart operators are:

• Re-engineering service contracts

• Scrutinizing utility structures

• Evaluating insurance exposure

• Reducing compactor dependency

Trash operations quietly impact all four.

Legacy Valet Trash vs. National Doorstep GreenPlus™

Traditional valet trash captures markup.

GreenPlus™ captures:

• Markup

• Diversion savings

• Reduced compactor reliance

• Lower hauling exposure

• Risk mitigation

• ESG credibility

When rent growth slows, the question shifts:

Are you operating trash as a convenience amenity — or as a strategic margin lever?

If you're ready, we’ll prepare both models and let the numbers decide.