Written by Chris Smith · Illustrative case study
The situation
Two flatmates at a property in Clear Island Waters had both landed jobs interstate and were leaving the same fortnight. Neither wanted to deal with storage cage contents, bagged rubbish and lounges and bedroom furniture, and the council kerbside collection wasn't due for another four months.
Why the customer needed help
Their main worry wasn't the cost. It was not knowing what could legally go where, and not wanting to damage the house getting it all out. Both of those are part of the job for us.
What was at the property
By my count there were storage cage contents, bagged rubbish and lounges and bedroom furniture, along with the usual loose odds and ends that build up around a job like this. It's typical of what we see from building managers.
Working in Clear Island Waters
Clear Island Waters is a lakeside suburb of family homes and waterfront blocks. Clear Island Waters homes often back onto water, so we carry loads carefully past pools, pontoons and landscaped gardens. We protect paving and lawns on the way to the truck and work within bridge and street access limits.
The initial assessment
I arrived at the property and the first thing I noticed was the access. Before I look at the pile, I walk the route it has to travel: doorways, steps, the driveway slope, overhead wires, where the truck can park. For this job I paced it out and worked out we'd need about two-thirds of the tipper.
How the job was planned
I gave them a fixed price there and then, based on volume, and explained what was included: service lift and dock booking, lift and corridor protection and balcony and storage cage clearance. They said yes on the spot, so we planned to load in one visit rather than two.
Preparation
We checked the weather, laid out the straps and blankets for anything worth saving, and agreed a hand signal for "stop" because the truck was right on the road.
Step 1
Step one was triage. We pulled everything into three groups: donate, recycle and dispose. It takes longer at the start, but it means the truck gets loaded in the right order and nothing good goes to landfill.
Step 2
Step two was the loose material. Bags, boxes and odds and ends went into the truck in layers, packed tight into the gaps around the furniture so we weren't carting air to the tip.
Step 3
Step three was loading the donation pile carefully, strapping it separately at the front of the tray so it would arrive at the charity in one piece.
Removal, sorting and loading
On the truck, heavy and flat things go on the bottom, long things go along the sides, and anything fragile for donation rides at the front where there's less bounce. Recycling stays in its own section so it can come straight off at the transfer station.
From the truck it went to a licensed transfer station, where recyclables were dropped off separately, and anything usable went to a local op shop before the tip run.
Challenges we ran into
The hallway had a tight dog-leg that the larger furniture simply wasn't going to get around in one piece.
How we handled them
We took the legs off the bed base and split the modular lounge into pieces. Ten minutes with a drill saved a doorframe.
Completion and final result
When the last load was strapped down, the space was empty and swept. The customer walked through with me, signed off, and paid the price we'd agreed at the start, not a dollar more.
What I learned
What stuck with me was how much of it could be reused. People expect apartment & Unit Cleanout to mean everything goes to landfill. On this job, close to a third of it went somewhere useful.