Junk & Debris Business Guide
By Steven T.
About
The Author:
This is an extremely inexpensive business to start. If you have a pickup truck, trailer or both you are well on your way to being a junk hauler and owning your own junk and debris removal business. I started part time working just weekends when I started. You can make $400.00 a weekend with just a pickup truck and some hard work. Unless you have some money to back you while you are getting going hauling junk on the weekends is an easy way to get started.
I would set appointments up during the week by returning calls when I got off of work from my full time job as a welder. I would just leave a message on my voice mail explaining that I would call them back in the evening when I finished with today’s work. This way you appear to be busy and people like to hire people who are busy because they feel if everyone is using you must be fair and trustworthy.
Junk removal is a simple business and as you get better at it your income will just keep going up. Remember one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and this is so true in this business. You would be surprised at how much money you can make off of selling or scrapping some of the junk you get asked to dispose of. I have tried to explain in the following sections how I started my junk and debris business if it seems simple that is because it is. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just stop thinking about it and just do it.
Advertising Your Junk Removal Business:
This is extremely important in the junk and debris removal business. You need to get your name out to the public but you need to do it in an affordable way so not to go broke advertising.
First thing you need to do is get business cards printed with your junk removal business name and contact information. Vista Print will get you started with 250 business cards for free. Everyone you know, do work for or just talk to you need to give them a business card. This is the cheapest advertising you can do. Next take an AD out in the local small paper, not the local paper they sell for .50 cents but the free one that your area has. The coupon books work great, if you do not know who to call just pick up a coupon book from one of the local stores and they will have their contact info in it. Get a website going HODI Hosting offers a great price for hosting. Print up a whole lot of flyers just black and white keep it cheap staples offers specials on printing all the time so wait until you find a deal. Put flyers and your business cards everywhere you can. I like golf driving ranges, at local baseball fields, local small restaurants, flea market etc… Just make sure you put them where your clients that can afford you would go. In other words putting your flyers at a laundry mat will not get you much business if any.
Make sure you get magnetic signs for your truck. Build a sign on the net is a great place to design your own junk and debris removal business signs. When starting out I would only use magnetic signs. The reason for using magnetic signs is when starting out I would pull the signs off of my truck when I went to the dump. Most dumps are either free or cheaper for non business use. Once you start getting going you will eventually have to own up to being in the junk and debris hauling business and pay the fees. You are charging the customer anyway so paying the dump charges is not a problem but in the beginning you can make a few extra bucks.
Make sure you get some shirts printed up with your name on them. Always wear the same color blue jeans and a clean shirt. Basically you want to make yourself up a uniform. Keep a spare in the truck so you can always look clean when going to the next job.
What to Haul:
If you have a garage or a lot that you can work from will make life a little easier when sorting items out. You can do it on the job if you are organized when loading the junk and debris.
- Demolition Debris shed, kitchen, bathroom, garage, deck etc
- Construction Debris, lumber, wood ends, tiling, renovation debris
- Construction Miscellaneous, construction site clean up, papers, plastics
- Dirt, from yard, garden, renovation and construction
- Concrete, patio, gravel, stones, home improvements debris
- Wood, fencing, firewood, lumber etc
- Yard Refuse, hedge clippings, branches, compost, grass
- Roofing Items, Cedar and Asphalt Shingles
- Drywall, wallboard, Drywall, wall papers, Sheetrock
- Furniture, Beds, chairs, couches, mattresses, cabinets etc
- Office Equipment, chairs, table, computers, photocopiers, cabinet etc
- Basement/Garage junk removal, books, boxes etc
- Miscellaneous, toys, cloths, shoes etc
- Appliances, fridges, freezers, televisions etc
- Fire & Water damaged materials
What not to haul:
- Asbestos
- Chemicals, Solvents, Oils
- Paints
- Oil drums, oil tanks
- Car batteries
- Simply hazardous waste
Most areas offer a drop off station for these type items a couple times a year. But only the home owner can drop them off for free, anyone else will pay a steep price and you may have to have special licensing just to handle them. Stay away from these type items or you will be sorry. You can take those 50 gallon drums if they are empty as long as you cut the top and bottom off of the drum and flatten it. You can use a sawzall to cut the drum and sledge to flatten it. I have gotten creative and used my truck to flatten them but I would just avoid taking them.
What to Charge:
I charge by the cubic yard for my junk and debris removal business. A cubic yard is 3 feet square and 3 feet deep. You need to take into consideration air space and density when considering your load size. I would charge $17.00 per cubic yard. Just multiply the cubic yards below times $17.00 and you will get the price I charged.
I also charged for the dump fee. I would just get a printout from the dump on what they charged. Many dumps just have a set fee for a pickup truck and some dumps weigh you every time. If someone wants you to haul dirt, sand or crumbled concrete then you would have to charge more because of the weight for you to hall and if the dump weighs you in and out then your dump fees will be more. Basically you can haul a 1 cubic yard of sand or dirt if not wet in one load if you have a 1 ton truck. So you would need to charge the same price as if you were hauling a full load to the top of the cab. Plus check to see what it costs to dump.Average pickup truck capacities:
- Compact truck: 4’ x 6’ bed
- To the top of the cab = 2.66 cubic yards.
- To the top of the bed = 1.33 cubic yards.
- Compact pickup: 4’ x 7’ bed
- To the top of the cab = 3.11 cubic yards.
- To the top of the bed = 1.56 cubic yards.
- Full size pickup: 5’ x 7’ bed
- To the top of the cab = 3.89 cubic yards.
- To the top of the bed = 1.94 cubic yards.
- Full size pickup: 5’ x 8’ bed
- To the top of the cab = 4.44 cubic yards.
- To the top of the bed = 2.22 cubic yards.
What Not to Dump:
Some items you can make better money by taking them to the scrap metal yards or sell them in garage sales. I even sell some items on EBay. So you need to pay attention to what you are picking up. First thing to do is get a magnet. With a magnet you can tell if the piece of metal is steel or aluminum because the magnet won’t stick to aluminum. Aluminum, copper and brass will get you good money per pound when you take it to the scrap yards. Always clean the metal up by removing screws, hinges, glass, etc… anything that is steel or not the metal you are scrapping. Clean scrap will fetch almost double the money at the scrap yards. I also scrap my steel but you get a lot less for steel then the other metals.
You can also sell your concrete to places that specialize in recycling broken and crumbled concrete. Why pay to take it to the dump when you can get paid to recycle it. Dirt and sand is considered clean fill and there is always someone willing to take clean fill. Make friends with a driver of one of the dirt haulers in your area they will know who needs clean fill and can always let you know with a phone call.
When cleaning out garages and basements many times you will get toys. Toys cleaned up can be sold on EBay or in garage sales. Check EBay first because some are worth a descent buck. Once a month have a yard sale and sell off all the odd items that you set aside. I make $300.00 per month having a yard sale. If you pick up something that looks to be old, antique stores will buy it from you on the spot.
So on nights you go through the stuff you set aside in your junk hauling jobs and call back your messages to set up appointments for the weekends. It won’t take long before you are doing this full time. I just recommend staying small and keeping it simple.
It is a little easier if you have a little help sometimes so if you have a son who can help or a spouse things will be a little easier.
Licenses, Taxes & Insurance:
Licensing is usually just your local occupational license for junk and debris hauling business which runs under $100.00 in most states.
Insurance if I was you I would use NetQuote they will be able to give you what you need and it does not cost a penny to find out. For the most part you just need general liability and increase your auto coverage. If you hire help you would then need Workman’s compensation insurance.
Taxes, well you’re “supposed” to report all income to the IRS. But when having garage sales or other cash sales many people break the law by not claiming this income or not depositing it into their bank accounts so the IRS does not have any idea that you made it in your junk and debris removal business. Just keep this in mind so you don’t make the same mistakes other people did.
If you choose a catchy name to call your business you will need to fill out a form for using a fictitious name. This is just to make sure someone else is not already using this name. Think about your name you choose make sure it makes sense to your junk and debris hauling business. You want your customers to be able to relate your junk and debris business name to you as soon as they hear it. Name branding is just as important to the small business as the large businesses.
Tools You Need:
You do not need much but you will need to spend a small amount on tools. First make sure you have a couple of good pairs of gloves. Always wear gloves. Also get a Tetanus shot in case you step on a rusty nail or something cuts you. Keep a first aid kit with you at all times and make sure you keep it well stocked.
- You will need a hammer, small sledge and a large sledge hammer.
- Push brooms, regular broom and a whisk broom.
- Spade shovel, square shovel and a snow shovel.
- A lot of rope, bungee cord and other tie down straps.
- A cargo net for when hauling debris that could fly out.
- A gas blower You will need a leaf rake and a steel rake
- Extra large plastic leaf and trash bags
- Hose nozzle you can use the customers hose
- Battery operated screw gun and sawzall with assorted tips.
- Wire cutter and bolt cutters
- Work shoes not sneakers
- Eye protection
- Dust masks for when cleaning up dusty areas
- Pry bars in assorted sizes
- Circular saw with spare saw blades Extension cords Ladders
Now you may not need all of these on every job you take but you will need to have them available for when you do need them. When you are in the junk and debris hauling business you will get asked to dismantle all kinds of things and many items will need to be cut up just to fit in your truck.
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