Written by Chris Smith · Illustrative case study
The situation
A woman at a property in Isle of Capri had hired a gardener for a two-day overhaul of an overgrown block. The gardener was brilliant at cutting, but he didn't haul, and by Friday afternoon the driveway was hidden under bagged yard waste, overgrown clippings and weeds and old timber and fencing.
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 yard Clean-Up where someone else does the lifting.
What was at the property
By my count there were bagged yard waste, overgrown clippings and weeds and old timber and fencing, along with the usual loose odds and ends that build up around a job like this. It's typical of what we see from rental properties before inspection.
Working in Isle of Capri
Isle of Capri is a canal island suburb of waterfront homes and units. Isle of Capri 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
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 clearing a working space. We shifted the easy, loose items straight onto the truck so we had room to manoeuvre around the awkward ones.
Step 2
Step two was the stuff in the hard-to-reach spots: the top of the garage racking, under the house, behind the water tank. That's usually where the surprises live, and this job was no different.
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
The palm fronds were wet and full of spikes, and a lot of the cuttings were tangled with old wire and garden edging.
How we handled them
Heavy gloves, long sleeves and a lot of patience. We stripped the wire out first so the green waste could be recycled properly as mulch.
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.