Written by Chris Smith · Illustrative case study
The situation
A retired fella rang me after his son had visited and told him, kindly, that the side of the house had become a hazard. He wanted rubbish Collection sorted before his grandkids came up for the school holidays, and there was a mix of green waste, general mixed waste and bagged rubbish at a property in Springbrook.
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 green waste, general mixed waste and bagged rubbish, along with the usual loose odds and ends that build up around a job like this. It's typical of what we see from body corporates.
Working in Springbrook
Springbrook is a mountain plateau of rainforest homes and holiday cabins. Springbrook properties are often larger blocks with sheds, paddocks and lots of trees, so green waste, shed clear-outs and scrap metal are common jobs. Long driveways and gravel tracks are fine; we check gates, slopes and wet ground before backing in.
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: agreed recurring schedule, fixed per-collection pricing and bin room and collection point tidy. 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 the bulky stuff. My offsider and I took the largest items out first, tilting them through the door frames rather than forcing them. With green waste, general mixed waste and bagged rubbish 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 the final check. I went back through every room and corner with the customer, picked up the small stuff the big items had hidden, and swept up.
Removal, sorting and loading
I'm fussy about the load. A well-packed truck means one trip instead of two, and that's the difference between a fair price and an inflated one. We netted the top before we drove off.
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
There was a nest of ants under an old tarp, and a lot of the material was mixed in a way that made sorting slow.
How we handled them
We treated the ants, worked from the outside in, and sorted on the tray as we went rather than on the ground.
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 rubbish Collection to mean everything goes to landfill. On this job, close to a third of it went somewhere useful.