How to Start a Litter Pick-Up Business: $30-50/hr Picking Up Trash?

Brian Winch calls picking up litter from parking lots “America’s Simplest Business.”
His own trash pickup business started as a side hustle way back in 1981, and has since grown into a $650k a year operation.
Sadly, it’s still an essential service (boo litterbugs!), but has very low startup costs and Brian says you can earn $30-$50 an hour doing this on the side.
What prompted Brian to pick up the phone and ask property management companies if he could handle their litter picking contracts?
“I decided I liked my job but I couldn’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life and I wanted more,” Brian said. In just a few months he was earning more part-time in this side hustle than he was at his full-time job.
It’s freelancing - brick-and-mortar style.
Tune in to hear how Brian landed his first clients, how he priced his service, and how he scaled the business to remove himself from the day-to-day trash pickup.
With the decent pay, hours that fit around most day jobs, minimal start-up costs, and no prior experience necessary, it’s a side hustle success story that’s worth checking out.
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Thanks so much for tuning in!

[@thelitterpicker2575]

If you pick up litter in a residential area, it is best to do it during the day when the people are at work. If you are picking up litter in a business area, you are better off doing it at night when the cars are parked at the people's home.

[@NickLoper]

👍

[@tonabolding7174]

I just ordered the book. I have a really good feeling about this endeavor and the fact that you can speak one on one with the man who wrote it, is very cool.

[@NickLoper]

Keep us posted, Tona! Thanks for tuning in :)

[@Zorn_Arc_Vortigern]

Finally, I can help my family get money

[@NickLoper]

💯💯💯

[@innergoof19]

I drive by this vacant office property across the street from a shopping center daily. The receipts and bags and other trash blow across the road and make the office building (3 stories) look terrible. I'm going to call the realtor and ask if they need help cleaning exterior. I was going to just volunteer, but hey, what a great interview and idea.

[@matt33876]

What ever happened with this?

[@TK_Tazzkooler]

update???

[@SILKTENTACLES]

Update?

[@nert7951]

Update

[@sriavula]

how'd it go?

[@markgrove2561]

Thank you for thaqt interview with brian winch, simple biz that seems fun to do providing a needed service.

[@NickLoper]

Thanks for listening, Mark!

[@koblerville923]

He is right, you find lost things. I found a $100 bill while picking up litter on high school grounds.

[@NickLoper]

Wow!

[@koblerville923]

@@NickLoper Yes sir. I was eager to clean up the back end of the school grounds because it's my favorite place to let my dogs roam and run after hours and the litter was an eyesore. The 100 dollar bill in tall grass was luck. I wonder what other surprises are waiting to be found in cleanup sites.

[@captainbritain1]

Still checking this out. I want to put this into action in my community. This is amazing.

[@NickLoper]

Keep us posted if you do!

[@tpc9002]

How is it

[@innergoof19]

Any progress?

[@bobduffy7744]

@@innergoof19 probly not

[@jebidiahkerman4600]

i was thinking of doing a volunteer project for my community. Useful information!

[@NickLoper]

Cheers!

[@nob9133]

I will try to make a trash-picking business, thank you.

[@innergoof19]

If you work a location the day before trash pickup, they'll have a clean lot and empty dumpster the same day.

[@IYKE.PROD.]

True!!

[@UlyseesTheGreat]

He was asked twice what price he charged and he smoothly evaded the question

[@BJ-xm6bi]

Ok then.... how much do *_you_* charge for your services?

[@UlyseesTheGreat]

@@BJ-xm6bi depends on several factors like which one are looking for ?

[@IYKE.PROD.]

@@UlyseesTheGreat any

[@_crablegs]

How would I start this up tho? What steps would I need to be considered a legitimate business or do I not need to set up legally until I get to a certain amount of business???

[@n0cl0ut]

We just launched our company Pristine Litter Removal, in Columbus, OH. I was wondering other than property managers in the yellow pages, are there other critical leads we could reach out to?

[@nert7951]

I e been thinking about this idea and seeing that others do it is cool. I work at this community that really is trashy and honestly a littered up neighborhood drives property value down and the residents moods too. I wonder who to call for I guess city clean up like this? Wish me luck!

[@NickLoper]

Keep us posted! If it’s commercial property, typically the landlord or property management company. For city property, maybe the parks or maintenance department?

[@sriavula]

u figure out who to call?

[@idontfrigginknowdealwithit]

Hi Nick! I've been looking around and thought perhaps your guest speaker would know. How much money per square foot/yard/acre does he charge?

[@innergoof19]

It sounds like the guest was literally walking the property, back and forth as if he were picking up trash, and timing himself. Then charging an hourly rate on a monthly basis.

[@TheRugghead]

Thank you for this video. I have been picking up litter for free! Silly me!

[@NickLoper]

Appreciate you helping keep our planet clean, but yeah, apparently there’s a business angle too!

[@TheRugghead]

@@NickLoper purely selfish. I pick up trash cause I'm sick of looking at it. (Hate face) but because now there's millions crossing the border and millions more living in there cars .. I'm picking up household trash and feces every day.

[@hurricane4500]

I will add this segmentation to my cleaning portfolio.

[@hey-its-me2848]

How do you actually get started though do you have to register as a small business owner or do you just get payed under the table??

[@NickLoper]

*not legal advice* By default, you can start out as a sole proprietor to test the waters and see how it works to get customers. You can run this under your own name or a fictitious business name (dba-“doing business as”). Income will pass through to your personal tax return on schedule C. To be official, you can register with your Secretary of State, or create an LLC, but I’d only go through that paperwork filing process after having validated the idea.

[@jwhess83]

Where is the video?

[@chipmohan1534]

It’s a podcast, strictly audio posted to KZbin. You have to show some king of image to publish it.

[@creativeclerk6087]

All litter is trash, but the trash that is lying where it is not suppose to be (i.e., the ground), then it is litter.

[@NickLoper]

Makes sense to me 👍

[@vickysmith3179]

How do i propose my liter company to a city?

[@NickLoper]

I'd probably start with the maintenance department and see where you get.

[@glenm5034]

Picking up Litter by the piece at$1.00 each could be profitable?

[@NickLoper]

Possibly, but it may be a more complicated way to invoice. The litter pickup owners I’ve talked to all charge weekly/monthly. But I did pay my kids a penny a leaf to help me clean up the yard :)

[@matrixscape6430]

Where can I buy a special litter scoop?

[@NickLoper]

I think Brian recommends Litter Licker Supplies.

[@TheRm65]

Far, far too many ads. Too many interruptions, not worth sitting through them.

[@coolloser85]

Never start with advertising

[@IYKE.PROD.]

Why

[@vigouroso]

$50/hr is exorbitant.