Need Advice - Starting a residential waste collection business

You will be dealing with Towns, as in submitting a contract to bid a service for trash removal in individual towns you service. Then once approved you have to hold up your end by providing that service.

We just has our town council replace the old trash waste company with another one who bid lower and won the contract to service our area for a fixed term. There are already issues and complaints coming in from people who think the service is not what it was.

 

I should think the very best way to get in would be to buy somebody else out. As x1 mentioned, there are municipal contracts. There are also permits with the various state/county/municipal EPA/DEC division(s) you would be dealing with. It also might be easier to pursue commercial work before getting into residential work, either with a roll-off or front-end loader truck. You might even want to drive for a company or owner-op for somebody first to get a taste for what you're getting into!

Best,

Nathan

 

Plus see where you can legally dump at the landfill. Plus costs of the tipping fees at said location. Plus make sure you aren't stepping on someone's toes.
That could get very costly and people hurt... Refuge hauling is pretty cut throat and they guard their accounts worse than a hooker and her corner

 

I have no idea about the east coast... But here in the Midwest, like its been mentioned, more and more municipalities are going to a one hauler deal. Unfortunately, you won't be able to compete with your pickup with tall walls, and with a pickup truck like you speak of, I highly doubt you would ever be able to get one of those contracts. You are going against automated trucks, that only require one operator, not two... They can pick up cans or carts faster than you can, and they can fit much more trash on board before they have to break from their route to empty.

If your dead set on moving forward with this 'venture', I think you would do best finding a rural area, as far away from an established garbage company as you can. Customers close together is how the automated trucks will beat you. Finding an area that has significant distance between stops, and longer distances to landfills/dumps is where you may be able to look better. Most established garbage haulers are always looking for ways to "condense" their routes, to get rid of dead miles, or distances between stops. Often times, they will not compete too hard to keep something they are breaking even, or losing money on.

I'm not sure how you are planning on containing your customers trash until you get there to pick it up, as most people use 30/60/90 gallon plastic carts owned by the current garbage hauler, and many rural customers use the same plastic carts, or they use larger 1/1.5/2/3/4yd steel containers, that fit either a front load or a rear load garbage truck. These containers are (not always), but generally owned by the garbage hauler. Whether its the plastic cart, or the steel garbage dumpster, you will have a unique challenge in figuring out how to dump them without a regular garbage truck.

Last, but certainly not least, is that generally speaking, garbage haulers are licensed through their county. Many counties only issue a set number of licenses, and they can change the number as they go along, as they wish.

The garbage "industry", has gotten more and more intensely regulated, as the powers that be, know that garbage is here to stay, and there is revenue to be realized from it. Bearing that in mind, most counties have regulations on the vehicles that can transport garbage, where the garbage has to go, and what taxes will be assessed in its collection.

I have quite a few years in the garbage business, but as a container manufacture (rearload, frontload, roll off), not as a garbage hauler. I'll gladly answer any questions you have, that relate to my experience and viewpoint.

Good Luck!

 

And you have to keep in mind that garbage collection in most states is regulated by the public utilities commission. Oh and one of those bags leaking out of the truck will cause you issues.

 

If you're starting out. The best truck to get would be a rear load dumpster truck. You can do both dumpsters, up to 8 yards, and residential.
Some townhouse, or condo projects, don't want those 90 gallon toters. Either smaller 70 gallon toters, or nothing. They'll just put it out.
There are companies who sell rebuilt old trucks. You could even lease one for a while. It's a thought? Too many new trucks are unreliable. You'll want a backup, asap.
You'll need to be a mechanic. Be ready to do work on the truck, constantly.

 

I would agree with almost all of that... except for the part about a Rear Load dumpster truck. If I was to start out, I would start with a Front Load truck. There are a lot more used Rear Load trucks available, at lower prices, but the time you will save with a Front Load will be worth every penny more you spend for the truck.

For dumping the carts, around here, its commonly 30, 60, or 90 gallon... You can get an attachment for the front of the Front Load truck (Curotto Can), that works well. Downside is that the Front Load truck is generally longer, especially with the Curotto Can on the front, making tight ally's potentially problematic... and over-head obstacles are a lot more important...

The part about the backup truck asap? That one is so important, I'd say to make sure you have a back up truck... before you actually get your first customer!