Curbside trash can cleaning

[squirtgun 122]

This is a profitable business in the UK from what I have read on the net.I have also seen 1 rig set up to do this for sale on ebay,but never seen anyone doing it.

The rig consisted of a surface cleaner swivel and arms mounted over a wash pit with a mesh grate.Hotwater skid and 225 gallon tank.The pit fed the waste water to a series of filters then it was pumped back to a holding tank.

Basically,flip the can over on the wash pit turn a ball valve and let the hotwater clean and sanitize the can.

The homeowner is responsible for the cleaning of the cans in most municipalities.Most trash companies pick up 1 time weekly and the service could be offerd on weekly,bi-weekly or monthly.$5 per cleaning weekly on 100+ cans wouldn't be a bad for a couple hours work. Not to mention it would be a steady income during the slow months.

[One Tough Pressure 580]

I considered it after reading a story of some guy in Florida doing it. I called the trash company here and they will exchange the cans for free every six months. They said that very few people ever do so and since most everybody here stores them outside, I stuck with my commercial pursuits.

[Washaway 64]

Most people around here also keep their trash cans outside at all times. It gets just way too hot, especially in the summer, to let the trash ferment in the garage.

[PressurePros 249]

Very cool idea. Anything to stay busy in cold months is worth exploring. In my region you are responsible for your own trash cans and even if they are outside they can end up nasty smelling.

Now the downside from a business standpoint..It sounds like a pretty expensive rig setup and you have to figure at $20 per month most people could replace their cans every couple of months for less money. I would venture that the cleanings would be closer to $1 per can. Great I would pay a couple dolars per week to keep my cans sanitized. Here is where it gets tricky. How are you going to manage billing expenses? By the time you invoice a first, second and third time (people aren't going to make paying a ten dollar bill to some pressure washing company a high priority every month), amortize the cost of specialty equipment, pay fixed expenses and advertise the service I doubt there would be any profit left.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I'll bet this would fit right in with the doggie doo removal service. We'll pick up poop and clean your can!

Call it... Stink Be Gone!

Beth

[John Doherty 126]

Find a compelling reason for the trash co to pay you to do it. If they'll replace the cans as a value added service, maybe they'd be interested in cleaning also.

One invoice, and you follow the pick up route of the truck, that's 20-40 cans per street all in one place to keep the expenses down. Now that's economy of scale.

Just a thought,

John

[One Tough Pressure 580]

http://www.cleantrashcans.com/

[Aplus 525]

INteresting........

[PressurePros 249]

For someone that likes knocking on doors and cold calling this would be perfect. It also lends itself to pyramid style selling.

[CCPC 26]

The small profits per job would be the # 1 reason for not trying to market that service (which is the same reason I never persued my doggie butler idea) Who wants to go balls to wall all day to 100 homes to make the same money you can make at one or maybe two jobs pressure washing. Sure, the profit may end up being equal, but think of the hassle of trying to manage thousands of ongoing accounts. One benifit I can see is (no offense to any trash can cleaning companies) how much easier it would be to train and manage employees compared to pressure washing. Lets face it, how can you mess up cleaning a trash can.

[RRSNY 14]

these guys are trying: Residential & Commercial Trash Can Cleaning - Clean A Can trash can cleaning service

Seems like a hassle to start logistically but once it had momentum it could be really worth something.

2000 homes @ 2 cans per home 4000 cans x $2 $8000.

20 houses/hour = 40 cans an hour x$2 = $80 an hour.

100 hours to do 2000 homes.

If you had these accounts on 2 week cycles you could be grossing 16000 a month with some specialized equipment and two man crew.

These numbers are all just guesses, but the real question is how hard would it be to get 2000 homes within a short distance from each other to commit to a $8 per month invoice? If you could do this effectively through mailings, fliers and knocking on doors it would pay off.

[Tim McCulla 14]

Pie in the sky. No way with your numbers. 40 cans an hour??? I like the business model but mess with the numbers - more per can ( $5.?) less per hour. don't forget about Murphy.

[Christopher 102]

I was looking into this a year or so ago and there are many companies selling the equipment and full truck-rigs that you drive like a trash truck or build the system into a truck or on a trailer.

Being realistic, you would need helpers getting the cans to be highly productive and that is if and only if many signed up for this service.

The actual cleaning is quick but moving the truck/trailer as you go or having the helpers get the cans and trying to remember where they go (most do not have house numbers on them, just serial numbers) so you have some things that will slow your numbers down to a crawl.

Say you only have a few houses on the list from that street. Most people around here keep the cans out of sight (back yard, fenced in area, etc....) so if the gates are locked, now you have to knock on doors and get them to open the gate if they are even home at all so now some more houses drop off the list for cleaning, etc.....

The best way that I found is you would follow the trash trucks on their route on that day and clean them then so you have the best chance of getting a lot done quickly.

I have asked lots of friends, family, customers, etc.... and some thought it was a good idea but most said they would not pay for the service so I did not pursue it.

It seems like it does good in the larger cities that have multiple trash companies but smaller cities with one or two trash companies it would not work that good unless everyone signs up for the service.

Good luck if you try it out.

[WashRite 14]

One thought would be to bill them annually, bi-annually, or quarterly. One thing is for sure, I would pre-bill them before I started. If you have a good reputation in this business and you can sell there should be no problem doing it this way. If you were to bill customers bi-annually and you pre-sold HOA's, you could probably start the business with little or no cash out of your pocket. Even a 90 day note would be worth the expense if you pre-sold enough homes. I actually looked into this service a year or so ago as well. I personally think it would do well. My prices were more like $1.50/week for the first can and $0.75 for each additional can. Most homes here have two trash cans.

In fact, I plan to do it at some point. I've talked with several people and everyone said they would do it if the service was offered. I know I would. Of course, I would pick and choose my clientele. There certain neighborhoods to stay away from.

[BinTin 0]

Anyone know where or how I can have this built 

 

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

London based company. I am sure there are sprayer units one can have customized for this. The biggest and most expensive is the sheet metal wash container and reclamation.
Any Local metal welder can build it for you to the specs you have in your vehicle.
 

Rod & Beth

[tim josh 0]

On 1/2/2006 at 7:53 PM, One Tough Pressure said:

I considered it after reading a story of some guy in Florida doing it. I called the trash company here and they will exchange the cans for free every six months. They said that very few people ever do so and since most everybody here stores them outside, I stuck with my commercial pursuits.

Why you not try trash can cleaning by Bin Blasters? I got excellent experience with them.

[jackthomas1 0]

Trash can cleaning is a profitable business in the UK, as evidenced by online information and the availability of specialized rigs for sale. These rigs typically include a surface cleaner with swivel arms mounted over a wash pit with a mesh grate, a hot water skid, and a 225-gallon tank. The wash pit filters waste water, which is then pumped back to a holding tank. Homeowners are usually responsible for cleaning their trash cans, and many municipalities have trash collection services once a week. Offering trash can cleaning service on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis at $5 per cleaning for 100+ cans can provide steady income, even during slow months. For a similar concept, you can refer to services like Bin Blasters.