Eco Blog: dedication to Green Hauling

Most people think our job as junk haulers is pretty simple and straightforward: they call us, we bring a truck, load it up with their junk and trash and then we’re on our way. While this is certainly not rocket science, there are actually a few more things we have to pay attention to each time, as each job may present its own set of challenges.

For example a few years ago, when Fast Haul was still a young business, we experienced a problem with a “sensitive hauling job”. We were called out for a job at a residence where a parent had passed away. The children called us out to haul away all the junk and useless trash this person had accumulated over the years as well as what they presented as “usable furniture”. When they initially contacted us they told us it was only a small amount of stuff and that one truck would be more than enough; one of the things we’ve learned since then is that customers usually tend to underestimate the amount of space junk and trash takes. This was the case as well, and even though we brought our biggest truck, we were going to have a hard time completing the job in one truck load as initially planned. Because we didn’t want to intrude longer than necessary we tried to be efficient, and in order to be able to fit it all in one truck load, we broke down some of the furniture.

Unfortunately, this caused some serious emotional distress to the customers. What I did not realize at the time is how sensitive an emotionally charged situation is. To them, watching my guys break down the furniture was very painful, as most of these items were attached to some fond memories they had of their recently deceased parent; they felt it was very disrespectful, while all we tried to do was to be efficient and be on our way as quickly as possible so we would not be intruding more than necessary. Also, the furniture was very old and in poor condition, so much in fact that it could have never been re-used. This is something else we realized with experience: customers often think the old furniture they don’t want anymore is still good to be re-used, but places like Goodwill will actually refuse to take it if they don’t meet a certain quality standard. So most of the time, it’s better for us to just break it down and bring it to the dump site instead of trying to salvage it, and we’ve gotten good to appraise this sort of things. But it is always hard for customers to watch us break things they might be emotionally attached to, even if they don’t want to keep it anymore, which is why we are trying to be more discreet about it these days.

Since that day, I have initiated sensitivity training for all Fast Haul workers. Basically it is some sort of role play, which involves having two employees putting themselves in the place of the customers to see how they would feel in a situation like this. Of course in this kind of situation it is very important to handle all the materials with care and to let the customer know that we will do our very best to recycle and donate as much of their materials as possible.

When looking to hire a junk hauling company, why does it matter how they will take care of my trash and junk? Well, allow us to explain!
Like with any other company you chose to do work at your home or business, there are several important factors to consider when hiring a junk removal company. You want to select a company that is licensed, pays taxes, offers workers benefits, and gives back to the community. The junk removal business is one of the easiest businesses to get a start in, all you need is a few hundred dollars to purchase a used pickup truck and $20 for a can of paint to put your name and contact information on the side of the truck. For this reason, there are many different kinds of irresponsible individuals who get in this very rigorous business, and you want to make sure you are able to recognize the true professionals.

Illegal, non-licensed drive by and “Home Depot” type haulers are very likely to dump your trash on the street! That’s why they can work at such a cheap rate. Also, these people have no traceable address and it’s extremely difficult to hold them responsible for illegal dumping, which is a serious problem in our cities. It costs taxpayers millions of dollars to deal with the ongoing problem. Often times the police will sift the illegally dumped trash for an address and come back to present the proprietor with a large bill for the cleanup. These illegal haulers will not refuse to haul hazardous paints and chemicals, which may be dumped on the street or in a landfill; such a problem is commons in area like Richmond, CA which is close to the Bay of San Francisco. The paints and chemicals find their way into the Bay waters, becoming a dangerous threat to marine life and the entire Bay Area environment.
Demand to see companies’ license and insurance; also ask for references whenever possible. Pick a company with prominent advertising and a traceable address. Also it is always preferable to pick a locally owned and operated company. For example, it would be much easier for the inhabitants of Richmond or the San Francisco Bay Area to check the credentials and deal with a San Francisco junk removal company.

It's usually easy to tell the good ones by the look of the trucks too!

Also, there are many new junk franchise type operations that pay $30,000-$50,000 for a new franchise and have to get this initial franchise costs paid for ASAP. Locally owned & operated companies can always give you a better price.
Ask for an up front quote for the work. Don’t do business with a company that adds on weight or labor charges after the job is completed. Lastly, don’t do business with a company who places illegal ad signs on chain link fences and telephone poles. These are usually franchise operations that do not care about the blight they cause in our neighborhoods. The removal costs of these illegal signs are put on us, the taxpayers.