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DOG OWNERS: Love your dog -- hate poop?
Help is here at last!
THE INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF DOG WASTE REMOVAL SERVICES
Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board Archives
Messages archived from the Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board,
going back to May of 1998. The discussion board board is an online forum about the business of pet-waste removal.
Browse the messages, CLICK HERE TO SEARCH
by keyword, or click here to participate in current discussions.
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Page Fifty-Four
Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 01-Jun-00 12:40:34
Business Licenses
Hi everyone, I've been toying with getting into the scooping business and have finally made the decision to go for it. Ive ordered Matthew's book and hope to get it next week. However im doing some research, i called my township regarding a license. They told me it was a zoning use permit i would need to apply for ($100) and if the zoning board did not approve it i would have to spend an addl $375 to have my case heard. The clerk then went on to tell me (off record of course) just get a po box and dont apply, the township wont be the wiser! Does this sound right or did i get sent to the wrong department. Any input would be greatly appreciated. By the way, i've been reading the archives and have found alot of useful info, thanks everyone.
Jacki
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 02-Jun-00 13:46:16
Re: Business Licenses
Jackie,
I don't know where you live however where we are doing our business here in FL we just went to get an occupational license from the drivers license place (where we get the car plates)and it didn't cost that much. We did however have to buy a zoneing permit which was $32.00 on top of the licenses for the two counties that we will be servicing. It doesn't sound right to me but I am not an expert in that area. I do recommend a p.o. box reguardless how you go about getting a license. Best wishes on your business!
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 02-Jun-00 18:17:44
Re: Business Licenses
Forget going to the city until you get to the point where you have a number of vehicles with your company name on them. Do go to the County and register your business name, and register with the State to pay taxes. The City only cares if you are going to have customers come to your house, or if you will be manufacturing, or anything else that will bother your neighbors. A post office box will help keep most everyone off your back.
Good Luck
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Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 09:26:50
Re: Business Licenses
Our license laws may differ in VA, but since I put the poop in the clients trash, there was no zoning problem, so I was able to get my licnse.
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Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 19:23:57
Local legal requirements
I just jumped through a bunch of hoops in order to increase my service area to 3 nearby counties. What I found was that each county and each city in each county had markedly different requirements for doing business there.
Best bet is to consult an attorney. I pay $25/mo and can call when I need advice.
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 02-Jun-00 07:03:27
Business Cycle
We've been at it since 12/99 and this has been my experience. We steadily added customers throughout the months of Dec,Jan, and Feb. Then, in March, things exploded. We got tons of customers in March. In April we started slowing down. By Mid May, we were slower than we were in the middle of the winter. I actually find my self looking forward to late fall to start really increasing customer count.
Here's what has surprised me so far.
*1 That winter would be a more productive season that late spring.
*2 That March was as gangbuster as it was.
I'd like for some others to share their experiences and tell me if mine is unusual. Thanks!
-----------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 18:29:30
Re: Business Cycle
I have been thinking about this a lot. I am just starting out (March 2000) and only have 5 clients, but the point you made was echoed by Matthew in his book. I think that the reason behind this is that in the fall and winter it gets dark earlier. This means that by the time folks get home from work the sun is already down. You can't scoop poop in the dark. These folks would only be able to do it themselves on the weekends when they want to be doing something else. In the spring and summer working folks are coming home when the sun is still out for a couple hours. They are cutting grass and planting flowers and maybe scooping their own since they are already out there in their grubby clothes.
Thats just my guess about the peculiar business cycle of this business.
Kelly
---------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 07-Jun-00 07:05:47
Re: Business Cycle
Gene, your experience is similar to my own and to that of those I've talked to about the annual poop-scooping business cycle. For me the big rush would start in late February and go strong through March and maybe the first part of April. A few of the new customers from the Spring rush would drop off, then things would stay pretty level through the summer. When school starts up again in the fall we'd get another little rush, but not like the Spring. For winter some customers would drop the service or put it on hold, but others would start up, so it would sort of even out. And after that, it's time for the big Spring rush again. :)
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Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 04-Jun-00 21:44:19
landfills
Matthew, the checks in the mail, as they say...can't wait for the book. I have a question for some of you out there. Since you use a new plastic bag for each house, and you use large bags but only fill them part way, does it bother you that all of that plastic is going into the landfill? I am really interested in scooping, but if I ever got to 500 clients, that's so much plastic that I'd be dumping...I have a conflict of values I guess.
Katie
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Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 02:43:44
Re: landfills
No, I'm not bothered by taking plastic trash bags to the landfill. For one thing, that's the place where trash is supposed to go.
It also seems a very tiny amount of plastic.
And consider the beneficial effect of keeping all those yards, i.e. watershed, cleaned up. 500 clients could mean a ton of dog waste every week, not being washed into the ground water supply.
And of course you can always use a different kind of bag. You may feel that a biodegradable bag would be better, or recycled bags.
That's part of the freedom and responsibility of owning your own business. It's up to you to decide how to provide the most value to your clients without conflicting with any of your own values.
---------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 09:21:39
Re: landfills
I reuse plastic shopping bags from Farm fresh. These are small enough I have found, and they get a second use. Cuts done on exspences too. My clients don't judge me by the bag I use.
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 09-Jun-00 01:53:09
Re: Re: landfills
The bags I scoop directly into are taken out of the recycled bag collection bin at Fred Meyer. I fill one, two or three of these "shopping bags" up with poop per yard. Then maybe five or six of these go into a white "kitchen-sized" garbage bag that I buy at the store, made from recycled plastic. These go into a hard plastic 50-gallon storage container (with lid) that is lined with a black "33-gallon" plastic bag, also bought from the store, made of recycled plastic.
These recycling uses provide me with some comfort; however the most comforting fact comes from knowing that even this way, we are using LESS plastic to clean a yard than the customer would be using if they used a plastic bag to scoop up each and every poop when it happens. Also, like Matthew said, we're doing a favor by not having the poop go into the watershed.
By the way....did you know that the SINGLE MOST destructive thing you can do to the planet is to bear a child in America?
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Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 10-Jun-00 20:08:02
Re: landfills
what about scooping into a tub, or bucket and thn dumping into an open bag in a sealed container in the trunk, or truck or trailer, then tie up and double bag the bag when full. I too am just starting out and what to be the most environmentally conservative that I can and I hate to dump all that plastic. beth
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jun-00 00:58:17
Re: Re: landfills
I stopped using bags completely. Sure there's a little more odor and my lobby dustpan isn;t as attractive but besides the small cost savings - I save considerable time and hassle.
Red
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 14-Jul-00 13:01:23
Re: landfills
Hi Katie,
I am very new to this (I only have one customer)
so I am no expert but I use a 8 gal. scentted
trash bags. Not that the scent helps but they were very cheep at k-mart or wal-mart.
------------------------------Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 17:04:21
liability
What is the liklyhood of a customer's dog dying and the customer accusing your scoop company of negligence in the area of sanitizing the tools?Has anyone experienced this? How could they prove something like this? I haven't experienced this but was just thinking about the possibility of being blamed for something I had nothing to do with.
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Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 07-Jun-00 06:58:30
Re: liability
The chances of dog dying and the customer accusing your scoop company of negligence in the area of sanitizing the tools is very small. In my years in the field and in my communication with many other scoopers I have not heard of it happening. But it could happen. That's one of the risks, small as it may be, for which I recommend having liability insurance.
Of course it's far better to prevent such a thing from happening. Even the accusation, true or not, could be devastating.
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jun-00 14:36:42
Re: liability
Gene---
The owner of the dog would have to PROVE your disinfectant or disease you might be carrying killed the dog. This requires an autopsy (which is expensive) with a Veterinarian.
As a former Animal Control Officer, I have sat in on court cases...and believe me, there is nothing to worry about. Judges do not have the time or patience for animal cases (sadly). The standard practice is to award the dog owner the price of the dog (if a purchased pedigree type)plus annual costs, such as food & Veterinary care, times the age of the dog. We're talking $500-$1500 tops. How much would you pay for liability insurance? Can you come up with $500-$1500 in the very RARE chance it should ever happen?
I think it makes more sense to use a product from a reputable company that backs its ingredients, follow the instructions---to the letter---and be consistent in its use. Then confidently walk where no dog owner cares to walk...
Tricia
--------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 17:25:21
when you began
Hi everyone. I've been reading through all of the archives during the last month or so and a ton of you have written in saying that you were just beginning or had just begun your business. Some also wrote in talking about not having many customers, wanting more customers, etc. I thought it might be fun (and encouraging) if you all posted the month and year you began scooping, and how your customer base worked out. Did you have only a few customers the first couple months? Did you think about quitting...How is business now? Any other words of wisdom about advertising that helped or anything else. Come on experienced Scoopers...I'm considering the business and need to hear some success stories (Matthew's is great though). I'm sure I'm not the only one curious about this.
Katie
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Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 19:49:20
Licenseing
I am starting up the business of scooping and live in NJ. Can anybody that lives in NJ help to answer a question? I called the state and found that I would require a special license to dispose of the waste (A-901) that would allow me to take the waste to the landfill..The only problem is it is about 1700.00 to get it. Did I call the wrong bureau? Can anybody help? I hope so...Any info at all would help...
-----------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 11-Jun-00 16:41:57
Re: Licenseing
No you got the right office! I had the same problem, (I live in Ocean County). I decided that having a commerical waste company come pick up the waste was more cost effective. Especially since they will take my household trash as well. (We don't have township pick up here).
It was funny when I called them to ask about the service. I explained that I was operating a home based business that would generate dog waste and I wondered if there would be extra fees (because I was a business) and whether or not I needed to separate my household stuff from the dog stuff.
They said not to separate it and I questioned them again about this explaining that I knew that to dump the dog waste a special license was required. They said no problem they pick up from vet's office and kennels all the time. Until I could do this I dumped the waste myself at the landfill, with the rest of my trash. Since I have dogs myself I was already dumping their weekly accumulations without question.
Good Luck!
Kelly
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Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 21:44:59
Profits after taxes
Hi all,
I got Matthew's book this week (thank's Matthew) and have read it and I believe that in about a month I will be scooping with the rest of you fine folks! I'm working on my price list and was wondering what's the approximate percentage that Uncle Sam gets to keep. I thought this info would be helpful in coming up with a fair price.
Secondly for the prices you quote to your customers, do you state a maximum yard size.
Would appreciate any input.
Jacki
soon to be "Tidy Pet"
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Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 07-Jun-00 18:39:40
Re: Profits after taxes
Here in Mich, by the time I figure state tax and social security etc, uncle sam is getting about 50% of my after expense dollars.
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Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 22:55:38
Web Page
Hi everyone. Just wondering how useful your websites have been in attracting customers? This is a great site.
------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 07-Jun-00 12:00:07
Not very.
I have a site that I have spent hours working on (and have enjoyed the learning). Only problem is just a few people have signed up because of it.
I did just have someone from the East coast call me because of it (he is moving out here), so the cost ($6.95/mo) is justifiable, but don't knock yourself out trying to build a site.
A few people in the media used it to create their story on me, but I could have given them the info in other ways.
The appearance of the site is immaterial if it can't be found. 70% of my hits are linked from Yahoo!, 20% from people typing in the address (they saw my truck or card and wrote down the address). I did spend the $70 to register my own URL as NOBODY will remember http://home.myisp.com/zpoopking.htm or worse.
I would NEVER pay citysearch.yourcity.com $90/mo to create a site once and host it. The return isn't there. I pay $3/mo for the url and $7 for the hosting. I played around building it for a long long time (but my time was cheap then).
If you don't have one, you will most likely miss a certain segment of the population.
I owe you a coffee to warm up after this wet blanket.
Mark
-----------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 08-Jun-00 14:59:20
Re: Not very.
One advantage I have with registering my page is that my brother sells web space advertising so there is no cost for me. I completely agree with the domain name. That's essential. I'm also finding the skills I pick up in creating the page very useful and transferable to my "day" job. Thanks for the info and I may take you up on the coffee! :-)
Sue
--------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 08-Jun-00 18:38:37
Re: Web Page
While beneficial to day jobs and perhaps fun, my guess is that anyone that would sign up via a web site is likely to sign up through my email. Fact is that web sites are not likely to generate many customers in this business.
------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jun-00 23:15:22
SOLIDIFIED DOG POOP
I HAVE HEARD THAT THERE IS A PRODUCT IN AN AEROSOL SPRAY CAN THAT TEMPORARILY SOLIDIFIES THE DOG POOP FOR EASY PICK-UP.
DOES ANYONE KNOW THE NAME OF THIS PRODUCT AND WHERE IT CAN BE OBTAINED?
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jun-00 01:08:08
Re: SOLIDIFIED DOG POOP
i saw that on this site once im sure. What it really is i believe is the stuff to clean a computer...thats cold.
---------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jun-00 14:23:10
Re: SOLIDIFIED DOG POOP
Fred...
Yes, there is a product(?) The posted message is in the archives (last Fall?). I responded & ordered a spray container and received a phone call that it was still in process of being approved to sell commercially. The guy promised to send me a sample, however. Never heard from him again! I called the contact phone number several times---still no sample. Sigh...
Tricia
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Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 07-Jun-00 01:05:28
Cat boxes
CATS, CATS!
There are a lot of them and we all drive by their houses on our way to dog yards. We advertise to the whole world but only half of pet owners are our audience.
So, CATS.
Would someone (Tricia included) be so kind as to explain how this service is performed? Do you go in the house or do they put the box on the back porch? What about giving them a shrink wrapped box all ready to go and they put out the old and you leave another new one for the next week? If they want a clean box in the middle of the week, give them 2 clean boxes each week and take two away.
Of course, this would require sterilizing and reusing boxes (rotating stock).
But really, how is this job done w/o taking the box away?
Thanks for your insight.
----------------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 15-Jun-00 15:09:37
Re: Cat boxes
Hi Stewart...
It is much simpler to just clean/disinfect their box. 15 minutes at each stop, tops. Use THEIR litter, double bag the used...same as dog clients. Part of the service is sweeping up AROUND the box---and cleaning up any messes that may show up there. Also, since smell is the issue, I use some air freshner as part of the service. There are other tricks too, but it takes way to much to write it all up.
You MUST sign these clients up in person, because you will be entering their home. They need to know who you are. Arrange for a key to be hidden in a "keysafe" (like the realtors use) only put it on a hose bib or porch railing, rather than the front door. I put the cat clients right on the route with the dog clients...makes for variety.
A gal in Canada had the same idea about the litter box "pick-up" on the porch. Won't work---because the owners DO NOT want to haul a dirty, heavy, litter box around. The reason they hire us Scoopers in the first place is because they just don't want to (or physically can't) DEAL with it!
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Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 07-Jun-00 17:04:44
How's business
Hi everyone i'm posting this again because I'm really curious as to how your businesses are going. Especially if you have started up in the last 2 years (but even if you haven't), how is business...Hi everyone. I've been reading through all of the archives during the last month or so and a ton of you have written in saying that you were just beginning or had just begun your business. Some also wrote in talking about not having many customers, wanting more customers, etc. I thought it might be fun (and encouraging) if you all posted the month and year you began scooping, and how your customer base worked out. Did you have only a few customers the first couple months? Did you think about quitting...How is business now? Any other words of wisdom about advertising that helped or anything else. Come on experienced Scoopers...I'm considering the business and need to hear some success stories (Matthew's is great though). I'm sure I'm not the only one curious about this.
Katie
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 09-Jun-00 02:14:08
Re: How's business
I've been in business 4 months now. I still work full-time for the State, so my scooper business is just a part-time business right now. My job with the state ends in exactly one year. By that time (June 2001) I want to have all my debts paid and $5000 in the bank. Scooping is going to help me get there. I think I'd like to have enough customers at THAT point to sustain myself on scooping alone, so that I can pursue un-paid interests.
Right now I have 11 paying customers, 2 unpaying customers (they're blind, so they get free service from me). I spent most of my initial profits on advertising and found it to be a waste of money. I finally decided to let the customers come to me, slowly, since I have a steady paycheck coming from somewhere else. Advertising was just eating into my profits too much. Most of my customers came from seeing my brochures in vet offices, which is one of the cheapest ways to advertise.
I have decided all along that I did NOT want to leave fliers on people's doors, becuase I feel it is a bit of an invasion of privacy, and when they come home from being gone for several days, it's irksome to know that everyone can see that you've been gone...because Wednesday's flier is still on your door and it's Saturday! This is also true for people who enter their house through the electric garage door opener, and rarely use the front door, so it looks like they've been gone for days when in fact they haven't!
Anyway, I've got a small Volkswagon Rabbit convertible (basically, an early version of the Cabriolet). I painted waves and clouds and sunsets on it last year. It was a real eye-catcher as it was, but now it has a plywood sign bungee-corded to the top (either with or without the top down!) that is shaped like my dog, naming my business and phone number.
By the way.....the best investment you can make at first is to get a cell phone! People can get you at any time (you don't lose customers to answering machines) and you get a whole lot of phone-errands done during the day when you're doing other stuff, like driving (although unpopular) or walking the dog at the beach.
My cell phone actually SAVES me money...my phone bill has gone down $10 a month as compared to before I got the cell-phone. I get free long distance with the cell phone, so I never incur long-distance charges anymore on my hard-wired phone at home...I just always use the cell phone.
Anyway, I'm going to take out another ad in the newspaper, THIS time with a black and white picture of me with two dogs. I think it will catch more eyes than my first one, which only had a silhouette drawing I made and was too small to be seen.....I didn't get a single customer from it! I did get a 4 customers from an Article someone wrote in the paper in response to my having left a brochure in the "News Room In-Box". I probably would have gotten more if the reporter had included my PHONE NUMBER in the ad! Each of the customers had to either call information or call the newspaper!
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Message Date/Time:
Monday, 12-Jun-00 11:56:29
Re: How's business
In the archives on page 49, Archive 49, there are messages from several people with customer lists ranging from 80 to close to 1,000. Check them out. :)
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 09-Jun-00 17:38:27
stepping on toes
Fellow scoopers, what do you think when somone tells you that their grass cutting service is going to remove their waste for them? I've lost two customers in this way.
--------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Monday, 12-Jun-00 11:52:03
Re: stepping on toes
The first thing I'd say is that most grass-cutters in fact don't clean up the poop. Some people are surprised to learn that.
Of course, if their grass-cutters really are going to clean up the dog poop, I would thank them for their past business and remind them that we'll still be here for them if they find that they are unsatisfied with the job the others are doing.
-----------------------
Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 14-Jun-00 01:08:58
Re: stepping on toes
It's happened before and will probably happen again. Here's what I do... I have phoned every gardening service in the phone book(s) and I find out which ones will not pick up poop and which ones will. The ones that do not, I do business with. I recommend them to any of my customers who need gardening services. Also, I give them a pack of poopons (coupons) and give them $$ for every referal they give me. Some people call that a win win situation! Hope that's usefull.
Tim
--------------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 14-Jun-00 08:37:06
Re: Re: stepping on toes
Tim,
Curiously, what was your personal experience with the (approximate) percentage that would pick up waste versus the percentage that would not?
Thank you.
----------------------------
Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 15-Jun-00 14:52:06
Re: stepping on toes
Hi Gene,
Matthew is right! They mow right over the stuff, by simply raising the height of the mower a little. We have one lawn service here that really does scoop for a lot less then I charge, BUT...they ONLY SCOOP the grass...not the rest of the yard. AND, they only do it during lawn season, whereas, we are YEAR ROUND! I have had several sign-ups tell me that they would only need my service until the "lawn guy" starts up again. But, when it came time, they asked me to continue BECAUSE I DO A BETTER JOB!
I tried calling the lawn services (we have no less than 88 and even more gardeners & landscapers) but out of the 88 I could only reach 5. They don't return their calls! (I tried as a professional to a professional and I tried pretending that I am an interested customer).
Tricia
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Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 10-Jun-00 15:43:19
Disposal - my method
Hi guys and gals. Just thought I'd tell you about the method I use for waste disposal. I do not use bags at all. I bought a 210 gallon tank and fitted a sani-dump hose to one end of it. I drive around with it half full of water and pick up waste with a dustpan and 5 gallon bucket before dumping the waste into the tank in the back of my truck. It gets swished around while I drive and turned into a liquid that I sani-dump (for free) once or twice a week at a local RV stop. It was pretty expensive to buy the tank, but it is a darn efficient way of disposing waste without having to pay to dump the bags in a land fill or whatever.
Jo Johnson
Scoop Doggy Dog
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Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 15-Jun-00 12:15:54
Re: Disposal - my method
How expensive was the tank?
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Message Date/Time:
Friday, 16-Jun-00 00:42:05
Re: Disposal - my method
That sounds really grooooooose!
And I pick up crap for a living!
It "swishes" around in the back of your truck for a week?
I'll take the reliable old "use someone else's dumpster for free" daily method thank you.
Red
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Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 17-Jun-00 10:30:14
Re: Disposal - my method
I have to agree with red! What would you do if you got into an accdent before the week was up and you dump it all over the road, your truck, and anyone else involved in the accdent? WHAT A MESS!!! Not only that what an expense for you to have to pay for if the accdent was your fault! I think I'll just stick with the local landfill.