A waste and recycling technology platform is partnering with a construction company to streamline services at job sites in the U.S..

For JE Dunn Construction Co. project owners and superintendents, the partnership with WastePlace brings automation, transparency and cost savings to each job site, along with the backing of WastePlace’s account management team for onboarding and support. Utilizing the WastePlace software, JE Dunn can enter job information and container sizes one time and wait for bids to come in. 

Founded in 2016, WastePlace is a software company that connects businesses and consumers to waste and recycling service providers. There are three core components to the WastePlace platform — shopping, communication, and billing. 

“Customers can post their recurring or one-off waste removal service needs to the marketplace, and vetted haulers place competitive bids,” says Rachel LaBreck, CMO of WastePlace, who founded the company with her husband, Gary. “The service is then managed through our integrated chat feature, where customers can communicate with their hauler and submit service requests. Everything is now tracked in one place, along with read receipts, which prevents any awkward ‘he said, she said’ misunderstandings for both the customer and hauler.”

The final component is the automated or consolidated billing. Enterprise customers, like JE Dunn Construction, can have one vendor setup nationwide but can use any hauler they choose at each property or job site.

“Our role, of course, is to provide software to power waste operations — but on some level, it is also to listen,” says Rachel LaBreck. “We’re constantly getting feedback from superintendents and learning exactly what we need to tweak to make their lives easier.”

Before WastePlace, JE Dunn would send out an RFP when shopping for waste and recycling services for a new job site. They would have to collect bids and deal with multiple in-person meetings with sales reps. 

“WastePlace has quickly become an essential component of JE Dunn’s jobsite operations,” Chris Szeliga, senior vice president for JE Dunn, said in a statement. “Their implementation of cutting-edge technology provides efficiencies, reliability, and accountability for construction waste and recycling programs.”

After being introduced to Tim Dunn from JE Dunn in 2017, the LaBrecks did a demo showing their technology for streamlining waste at job sites. 

“After the demo, Tim was impressed with what he saw and requested to pilot our software at the new Skyloft project in Austin, Texas,” says Rachel LaBreck. “After using the software for six months, JE Dunn saw a reduction in hard and soft costs due to the streamlined shopping, communication and billing experience our platform provide.”

The feedback Dunn received from the superintendents was positive, so the partnership blossomed, Rachel LaBreck says.

“We now service JE Dunn in all of Texas and recently launched our first location in Kansas City,” she says. “We are looking forward to completing a national roll-out by the end of 2020.”

Over the next two years, WastePlace will continue to onboard JE Dunn job sites, while it works to produce more B2B enterprise tools, instant ratings across service types and geographies, and mechanisms to reward both customers and service providers who exercise more sustainable practices. 

“Obviously we’re thrilled to be working with such a terrific partner,” Gary LaBreck, WastePlace’s CEO, said in a statement. “We’ve proven the impact we can have on the business, and we’re working together to expand this partnership to its full scale.”

Rachel LaBreck says the company’s goal is to create a level playing field for waste haulers. 

“There is a need for companies and municipalities to consolidate their vendors, to have fewer touch points — but this often comes at the expense of small- or medium-sized local haulers that may not be able to service every single site in the portfolio,” she says. “Our platform gives the customer a singular touch point while allowing all haulers to participate. Those haulers that might have otherwise gotten boxed out can now grow their business, and the result is better overall pricing for the customer. We maintain an open market, so all can benefit.”