Do you take the post gutter cleaning debris with you or do you leave it on the customer prem for them to dispose of? What if they asked you to take it? Reason I ask is because we told a customer we would take the debris with us but it was all pretty much mud and got all over our van. Also, I really don’t have a place to put it now besides hiding it in my regular trash can for the trash man to pick up.
We take it 90 % of the time… Just as a courtesy, even though we live in the woods. its just easier this way with staff, not having to make them make the judgment call of what to do with it.
I take it with me unless the customer insists I put it their container(s).
For dry material, I use 45-gallon Rubbermaid Brute containers or a utility trailer with sideboards (when completing more extensive yard debris pickup at the same time.)
For wet material, I place a heavy-duty 45-gallon yard debris bag (you know, the rolls in boxes from Costco or hardware stores) as a liner in the Brute, tie it off, and place in the trash.
Two months ago, a new gutter customer’s debris made for some great compost for my garden!
We take it with us unless they have a great spot to dump on their own property. I’d say we come home with 80% of the debris. We have a decent spot to dump on our property. Every 5 years (this being year 5!) I rent some equipment and spread it around then cover it with wood chips.
I tell the customer if they dont have woods behind thier house we will take it…80% of the time we have a place behind thier property to dump it
I work out of my house right now and don’t really have a good place to dump it really. I guess I could find a place if it’s needed. Do you think customers expect you to take the debris with you? Do you think they will think it is unprofessional if you tell them that you leave the debris with them to dispose of? I guess so.
I wouldnt leave it for them to dispose of…or leave in thier garbage cans…i only leave in woods or wooded area, I ask them if its ok first…never had a problem…its bio-degradeable…Thats GREEN
We will usually ask them if we can dispose of it in their woods if we have that option. We use the heavy drum liners from Sams Club like Larry mentioned. I have had those bags rip inside our vans and that gutter juice is horrid! I like larrys idea with the brute containers.
I work out of my house also and bring the bagged debris home and put it out with my household trash. No letters from the garbage company so far.
I have 2.5 acres of ground, so if I have to, I can always find a place to dump it and as Larry said, use it as compost. But really, it’s up to the customer, we normally take it, but if we see their trash cans out by the driveway, we’ll ask them if we can bag it up and leave it with their trash. We’ve never been turned down for that.
Yes the customer expects you to take and clean the debris. It is your responsibility to charge for this.
I hire a large company that has been around for quite some time to do our gutters. They leave everything in a plastic garbage bag by the front door.
[B]I like it![/B] Shows me they were here and how much crap was in our gutters.
For some customers I have taken before and after pictures of their gutters to show we were there and how full their gutters were. On occasion I have even taken video to show their downspouts flowing free.
I give the customers the option of disposing of it or having us take it. Most of my customers have a yard debris container at their home and a recycling service comes to pick it up like the garbage so most of them are cool with us dumping it in there. If we take it, we will take it to a recycling yard close to my office. Since the recycling yard charges us to dump all the junk, I pass that along to the customer and I outline the additional cost to the customer in the work order if they want to go that route.
Look for a recycling yard closer to your office and get your self a trailer for all the junk and try to schedule specific days to clean gutters so you are not always carrying the trailer with you.
