Every year, as temperatures climb and daylight lingers a bit longer, something predictable happens across the country’s homes and multifamily communities—spring cleaning. This means that trash can begin to pile up, and understanding it is the first step to effectively managing it.
The Spring Cleaning Mindset
About 80% of Americans participate in spring cleaning, a 10% increase from three years ago, according to the American Cleaning Institute. Roughly half of the participants will purge 11 or more items from their homes and about 22% will toss more than 26 items. Data from the EPA shows municipal solid waste generation averages about 4.9 pounds per day, and that jumps significantly in the springtime.
Spring cleaning isn’t just about clearing out the old junk and doing the deep cleaning. There’s a genuine psychological driver behind the annual ritual. When people feel out of control, they often seek ways to take it back, and spring cleaning is a popular way to achieve that. Research has shown that even an hour of cleaning each week can boost happiness by 53%.
Younger renters find this “fresh start” mindset maximizes space and enhances wellness. A cluttered environment contributes to stress, anxiety and decreased focus. Since multifamily residents often have smaller square footage, the desire to reclaim space can be even more pronounced. Spring cleaning goes from a chore to a genuine wellness activity. Communities that recognize this can frame trash management as part of the resident experience as opposed to just an operational necessity.
However, while residents are relieving their stress by emptying their apartments, owners, operators and onsite teams can see their stress rising if they don’t have an efficient system to deal with the spike in trash.
Not Everything is Coming Up Roses
The spring cleaning spike creates a specific and predictable pain point. While communities are performing their own seasonal tasks, such as improving curb appeal and refreshing landscaping, the peak leasing season is beginning to kick off, which means more trash from arriving and departing residents and an increase in bulk throwaways. Add in the spring cleaning of residents, and it can create a trifecta of trash trouble.
While residents are leaving their usual bag of trash for doorstep pickup, they often are adding furniture and other bulky items they just don’t feel like moving. Some of this will be from departing residents, but some will also be from arrivals who may have decided to replace a piece of furniture they packed in the truck. Some apartments may not be properly equipped to handle the items abandoned in or around disposal areas. These items can also make access more challenging.
The increased disposal can also easily lead to overflow when dumpsters aren’t serviced frequently enough. This is an eyesore that gives the impression that the community is not well-managed, but it’s not just about aesthetics. Poorly managed trash areas are a health and safety risk. Overflowing bins and furniture erode confidence, impacting lease renewals, which are more critical amid the current increase in supply. All of these issues can create a mountain of garbage for onsite teams to climb.
Springtime Trash Tactics
It’s important for communities to have waste management strategies that go beyond the standard service and anticipate the periods when greater attention is required. Communities that have right-sized service right before and during peak periods ensure the property is prepared for high-volume periods and help prevent overage fees. This includes adjusting service days and partnering with a company that’s prepared to handle bulk needs without busting the budget.
There are other ways communities can address the surge in trash beyond pickups. Resident education is essential to help them understand community policies and reduce problems. Partnering with local charities can help reduce the number of items that head straight for the trash, and many of the items that are disposed of are exactly what these organizations seek.
The goal is to create a trash system that handles the spring spike efficiently so onsite teams remain focused on resident satisfaction and generating leads, secure in the fact that the community is putting its best foot forward and keeping focus on the property’s best features instead of overflowing bins. The communities that handle this time of year best are those that take proactive action and understand that cleanliness isn’t a maintenance issue; it’s a competitive one.