What does your waste contract actually say?
Paste the terms and conditions of your hauling agreement. The reader marks the sentences that renew it, set the notice window, allow price increases, add fees, charge for leaving early, or restrict who else you can use, pulls out the numbers, and links each to a plain explanation.
What the reader looks for
| Clause type | The question to ask |
|---|---|
| Automatic renewal | How long is each renewal term, and does it renew at the current rates or at new ones? |
| Notice window for ending the agreement | What are the earliest and latest dates notice counts, how must it be delivered, and to which address? |
| Price increases and rate adjustments | What can trigger an increase, is there a cap, and how much notice comes first? |
| Consent by conduct (paying the invoice counts as agreeing) | Can we agree that any increase needs written consent, not payment of an invoice? |
| Fuel, environmental and administrative fees | Which fees apply, what is each one a percentage of, and are they fixed or capped for the term? |
| Liquidated damages (early-termination charge) | What is the formula, and is it waived if the hauler raises prices or misses service? |
| Exclusive right to your waste | Does exclusivity cover every waste stream and every site, or only the services listed? |
| Right of first refusal or right to match | Can this be removed? Maine bars it for small-container contracts. |
| Service changes that may restart the term | Does adding a container or changing frequency start a new term? Ask for the term to stay unchanged. |
| Equipment, access and damage | Who pays for pavement damage and container repairs, and what is the charge if a container is moved? |
| Non-conforming waste and contamination | What counts as contamination, who decides, and what is the charge per occurrence? |
| Extra charges: overages, extra pickups, minimums, trips | Get a written schedule of every extra charge, with the amount, for the whole term. |
| Arbitration, class-action waiver and attorneys' fees | Are billing disputes carved out of arbitration for the hauler but not for you? |
| Brokers, consultants and third-party agents | Will the hauler accept notices and requests from someone acting for you? |
Is my contract text kept?
No. The text is sent to our server in the body of the request, matched against fixed patterns, and returned on this page. It isn't written to a database, a log or any other service, and it never goes in the address bar. See privacy.