Your vendor’s report says every route was completed last month. Your onsite team says they’re still picking up the same missed bags in Building C every week. Both can be true when a report counts finished routes instead of every eligible pickup.
The valet trash performance metrics owners should request are completion rates, confirmed missed pickups, exceptions by cause, response and resolution times, repeat issues, and resident complaints. Each metric needs a written definition, a reporting period, and records behind it, and every community should be measured the same way before you rely on a portfolio average.
Key Takeaways
- Know what’s in the denominator before you trust a completion percentage.
- Separate provider misses from resident and access issues.
- Report resolution time as a median and a 90th percentile, not only an average.
- Calculate portfolio results from total pickups, and keep each property’s results visible so a large community can’t hide problems at a smaller one.
How Should Valet Trash Service Completion Be Defined?
First, find out what’s being counted. A route, a building, a service night, and an individual pickup are all different. One completed route doesn’t prove every eligible unit on it was served.
We recommend defining completion as documented eligible pickups completed divided by eligible scheduled pickups, times 100. Agree in advance on how you’ll record units that didn’t set out, access problems, and rule exceptions. Ask for both the total scheduled count and the eligible count so exclusions stay visible.
Why Does the Denominator Change the Result?
Take a hypothetical month with 10,000 scheduled pickups. Under the agreed rules, 500 are ineligible, and 100 of the eligible pickups are missed. The completion rate is 9,400 divided by 9,500, or about 98.95%. The report should also break down those 500 exclusions by reason. These figures are illustrative, not Butler Plus performance data.
Without the counts, you can’t tell whether a percentage improved because service got better or because the report started excluding more.
Which Valet Trash Metrics Belong in an Owner Scorecard?
The table below lists the metrics we’d include. Confirm reporting capabilities and contract targets with your provider.
Confirmed Missed Pickups per 1,000 Eligible Pickups
Show the raw count and the rate. The rate lets you compare a large community with a small one on equal terms.
Exceptions by Cause
Separate provider misses from resident set-out issues, access failures, and equipment problems. A documented exception explains what happened, but it doesn’t mean service was acceptable. Review disputed classifications with the property team.
Response and Resolution Time
Start both clocks when the issue is reported, and state whether you’re using elapsed or business hours. Reporting the median and the 90th percentile shows whether a handful of slow fixes are being masked by an otherwise good average.
Repeat Issues and Open Backlog
Count repeat problems by unit, building, route, or waste area, and show open issues by age and owner. Issues that were closed and then reopened should stay on the report.
Resident Complaints and Related Cleanup
Track complaints using the same categories each month and report them per 100 occupied units. Also log cleanup work tied to documented collection problems. Complaints add context, but they don’t replace collection records.
What Records Should Back Up a Valet Trash Service Report?
Ask what records support each number and how your team can review them. Useful fields include location, service date, time, exception reason, corrective action, and closure confirmation.
At Butler Plus, every route, unit, and exception is captured in our platform, missed units are flagged automatically, and ownership groups can see real-time completion data, quality flags, and exception reports across their communities. Whichever providers you evaluate, ask for a sample report and compare its definitions with your scorecard.
To see what your community’s reports could look like, request a Butler Plus quote and ask our team to review a sample owner report with you.
How Do You Compare Valet Trash Performance Across an Apartment Portfolio?
Use the same reporting period and definitions everywhere, and account for real differences between properties. Service nights, layout, access, and occupancy all shape results, so note them next to the numbers instead of folding them into one average.
Calculate a portfolio completion rate by dividing total completed eligible pickups by total eligible scheduled pickups. Don’t average property percentages when volumes differ, and keep property-level results visible so a large community can’t mask trouble at a smaller one.
The EPA’s commercial building waste guide supports setting consistent metrics and tracking against a baseline. Review doorstep results alongside hauling and waste area conditions when those affect the overall program. If you’re planning a provider change, our guide to switching valet trash providers without service gaps shows how to set that baseline at launch.
How Do You Turn the Scorecard Into Decisions?
Set a baseline, agree on targets specific to your contract, and define what triggers escalation. Targets vary by agreement, so ask your provider what it commits to in writing and what happens when it falls short.
Review active problems weekly and portfolio trends monthly. Give every corrective action an owner, a deadline, and a follow-up measure, and confirm at the next review that the problem has stopped. To tie these numbers back to returns, read how to evaluate the NOI impact of valet trash.
Frequently Asked Questions About Valet Trash Performance Reporting
What are the benefits of documented doorstep waste service?
Service records help your team answer resident questions, spot recurring problems, and assign fixes. Butler Plus documents every route and exception so property teams and owners can see what happened without having to follow up with the vendor.
What is the most important valet trash performance metric?
Eligible completion rate is a good place to start, but read it alongside missed pickups, exceptions, and resolution data. A single percentage can hide problems the other metrics would show.
Should owners accept a completion percentage without supporting counts?
No. Ask for the numerator, denominator, exclusions, and reporting period so you can tell whether the number reflects better service or a change in what’s counted.
How should a portfolio completion rate be calculated?
Divide total completed eligible pickups across the portfolio by total eligible scheduled pickups for the same period. Avoid averaging property percentages from communities of different sizes.
Does closing a service ticket prove the issue was fixed?
Not always. Confirm what “closed” means and whether the fix is documented. Your review should treat a closed ticket and a verified fix as two different things, and track any issue that comes back.
Source
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Managing and Reducing Wastes, A Guide for Commercial Buildings
