How to Start a Garbage Collection Business

Opening a garbage collection business can appear to be a simple matter of buying a pick up truck and getting started. But there are other steps that must be taken to ensure your ability to operate and succeed. Business licenses, geographic plotting and advertising are steps that can help strengthen the business and keep you organized so you can grow the business.

Things You Will Need

• Physical fitness

• One or more pickup trucks

• Large rectangle wood boards

• Signs

• Telephone

• Permits

• Business license

Choose a name for the business. Obtain proper business licenses and permits for owning and operating a garbage collection business. Check with the city and county zoning departments to be sure the you can operate a garbage collection business from the desired address. Purchase business liability insurance, commercial vehicle insurance and bonds for yourself and employees.

Equip pick up trucks with tall wood sides so that you will be able to collect more garbage each run. Locate area landfills and dumps and determine the cost and restrictions for bringing the loads you collect to those sites. Equip trucks with magnetic door signs advertising your business and phone number.

Call area private collection services and get a price list together. Use that price list to determine your pricing structure based on competition, fuel costs, dumping costs, truck maintenance, employee costs (if you have employees) and overhead costs for the office.

Design brochures, websites and other advertising methods to attract new customers. Place ads in local newspapers. Offer discounts for new customers.

Establish geographic regions and determine which days you will be in each region to prevent having to cross travel everyday to pick up customer garbage. Inform new customers, based on their geographic area, what day you will pick up their garbage.

Tip

Offer a recycling program to your customers and you can pick up their already recycled items and make addition revenue turning them over to recycling collectors.

Warning

Do not attempt to operate a garbage collection business without business licenses, insurance and bonding. One accident, or one employee injury can be extremely costly to your personally if you are not covered legally.