Written by Chris Smith · Illustrative case study
The situation
A small builder I'd worked with before rang from a job at a property in Currumbin Waters. His skip had been picked up a day late, the next one wasn't coming for three days, and his trades were tripping over insulation and general site waste, timber offcuts and formwork and plasterboard and cornice.
Why the customer needed help
A skip bin was the first thing they looked at, but there was nowhere to put one without a permit, and nobody to fill it. What they needed was construction Waste Removal where someone else does the lifting.
What was at the property
By my count there were insulation and general site waste, timber offcuts and formwork and plasterboard and cornice, along with the usual loose odds and ends that build up around a job like this. It's typical of what we see from trades finishing a fitout.
Working in Currumbin Waters
Currumbin Waters is a residential suburb along Currumbin Creek with homes and light industry. Currumbin Waters has a mix of older family homes, units and holiday rentals, which means plenty of furniture swaps, end of lease loads and yard rubbish. Some streets are narrow and busy in holiday periods, so we bring the right size truck and time the job well.
The initial assessment
When I got there I didn't start with the rubbish, I started with the customer. I asked them to walk me through what was staying and what was going. Twice they pointed at things I'd assumed were rubbish and said "not that". It's why I never quote from photos alone on a job like this.
How the job was planned
We agreed on an order of work. Heavy items first, while we were fresh and the truck was empty, then the loose material packed around them. Anything worth donating would go in last so it wouldn't get crushed.
Preparation
I parked the truck so the tailgate lined up with the shortest path, laid ply over the garden edge so the trolley wouldn't chew it up, and set out a tarp for the donation pile.
Step 1
Step one was the bulky stuff. My offsider and I took the largest items out first, tilting them through the door frames rather than forcing them. With insulation and general site waste, timber offcuts and formwork and plasterboard and cornice in the mix, there was no point clearing small things while the big ones were still blocking the way.
Step 2
Step two was the heavy lifting. Anything over about forty kilos went on the trolley or got a two-person lift with straps. No hero stuff. A strained back on the first job of the day ruins the week.
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 waste was heavy: plaster, tiles and a bit of brick, which meant weight, not volume, would decide how much the truck could take.
How we handled them
I loaded the heavy material across the front axle and kept the lighter timber for the top. It took two trips rather than overloading one.
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
The lesson I keep re-learning: always walk the access before you look at the load. The rubbish rarely causes the trouble. The doorway, the step or the gate does.