Case study · Retail property
Cedar Court Shopping Centre
Eighteen retail units. One shared waste account.
A clearer bill, without changing the collection schedule.
Waste contract audit
Same service.
A lower monthly bill.
- Before
- $2,468
- After
- $1,848
25.1% below the previous bill
If the monthly rates remain unchanged
Kept separate from ongoing savings
All figures CAD before HST and Bin Audit’s fee. See what the centre keeps.
01 / The starting point
The bill had grown.
The service hadn’t.
Centre management was paying $2,468 a month for shared waste and cardboard collection. The same charges appeared on each of the three invoices supplied for review.
The question was straightforward: could the centre bring the price down while keeping the bins, pickup frequency, and existing contract term?
- Property
- 18-unit shopping centre, Ontario
- General waste
- Two 6-yard bins · three collections weekly
- Cardboard
- One 8-yard bin · weekly collection
- Provider
- Maple Route Environmental
- Existing term end
- 31 May 2027
02 / The case file
Open the paperwork.
The starting invoices, the review itself, and the documents that close the loop. Every file below is a downloadable PDF.
Starting documents 4 files
- PDFJanuary 2026 invoice (opens in a new tab)
MR-2601-1048 · 337 KB
$2,468.00 before HST · recurring service charges - PDFFebruary 2026 invoice (opens in a new tab)
MR-2602-1048 · 336 KB
$2,468.00 before HST · recurring service charges - PDFMarch 2026 invoice (opens in a new tab)
MR-2603-1048 · 337 KB
$2,468.00 before HST · recurring service charges - PDFSigned service agreement (opens in a new tab)
Effective 1 June 2024 · 300 KB
Schedule, additional comments and the two pages of terms and conditions
Our work 2 files
- PDFOne-page audit (opens in a new tab)
Issued 2 April 2026 · 129 KB
Findings, requested changes, credit calculation and fee example - PDFManagement’s billing query (opens in a new tab)
Prepared 3 April 2026 · 104 KB
The letter centre management reviews, signs and sends
Outcome documents 2 files
- PDFProvider’s written response (opens in a new tab)
10 April 2026 · 113 KB
Revised prices, credit and unchanged service term - PDFFirst revised invoice (opens in a new tab)
MR-2605-1048 · 1 May 2026 · 342 KB
$1,848.00 recurring charges; $210.00 credit shown separately
03 / Our process
From three invoices
to a checked result.
Centre management kept the relationship with the provider. We did the review and prepared the correspondence.
Establish the starting bill.
Reconcile the three invoices to the same bins and pickup schedule. Separate recurring service charges from anything paid only once.
January–March invoicesCompare the bill with the paperwork.
Identify the separate administration charge, review the collection rates, and prepare a requested price revision with the same service.
Audit report (PDF, opens in a new tab)Put the request in the customer’s hands.
Prepare a letter asking for revised rates, a three-month administration credit, and written confirmation that the term and schedule stay the same.
Management’s letter (PDF, opens in a new tab)Check the provider’s response.
The written response confirms the revised monthly charges and credit. It retains the existing collection schedule and 31 May 2027 term end.
Written confirmation (PDF, opens in a new tab)Verify the first lower invoice.
Match the May service charges to the confirmed rates. Keep the $210 credit out of the recurring monthly saving.
First revised invoice (PDF, opens in a new tab)
04 / What changed
Four lines.
One clear comparison.
The bins and collection frequency are identical on both sides. The difference is in the pricing.
| Charge | Before | After | Monthly change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waste collectionRevised collection rate; equipment and pickup schedule unchanged. | $1,520 | $1,200 | −$320 |
| Cardboard collectionRevised collection rate; equipment and pickup schedule unchanged. | $520 | $400 | −$120 |
| Fuel & environmental chargesMonthly charge agreed in the written response. | $358 | $248 | −$110 |
| Account administrationRemoved; the supplied schedule includes administration in collection rates. | $70 | $0 | −$70 |
| Total monthly bill | $2,468 | $1,848 | −$620 |
The credit is a separate result.
The three supplied invoices each carried a $70 administration charge. The agreement excerpt includes routine administration in collection rates. The provider credits $210 before HST; no earlier months are counted.
05 / The outcome
What the centre
actually keeps.
The $620 reduction is the change in the provider’s bill. During the first 12 months, that saving is shared under our agreed fee.
$620 lower bill − $279 Bin Audit fee
- Bin Audit’s monthly fee
- $279 for 12 months
- Centre’s share of the one-off credit
- $115.50
- Bin Audit’s share of the credit
- $94.50
- After the 12-month fee period
- The centre keeps the full ongoing reduction
At unchanged rates for 12 months, the centre keeps $4,207.50, including its credit share. The ongoing fee cap is $3,720. Figures exclude tax. Full fee details.
Why the May invoice total is different.
Recurring services are $1,848. Subtract the $210 credit and add $212.94 HST: the amount due is $1,850.94. Next month’s recurring total, with the same rates and HST but no credit, would be $2,088.24.
Keep the whole story
The complete case file.
Eight PDFs, from the starting invoices to the checked outcome.