2024 Changes to drywall disposal rules

As of January 1st 2024 there has been a small change to the rules around drywall disposal in B.C. as set out by WorkSafe BC.
For contractors or homeowners doing renovations on residential or commercial properties that have drywall that is either undated or has date stamps with a manufacture date pre-1990 it is now required that an independent Hazardous Material Survey or Hazardous Material Building Inspection is completed. Self submitted samples which were once valid are no longer acceptable at New West Gypsum Recycling and the drywall load will be rejected without a hard copy of the report accompanying each load.
Drywall that contains asbestos must be handled by a licensed disposal contractor. Alternatively small loads of drywall containing asbestos can be disposed of using the special disposal bags that can be purchased at Rona and other home hardware supply stores.

Sexy junk

Months and months ago, when the idea of a junk removal company hatched in my brain and I began to share it with friends and family, I was quick to say: "I know there's nothing sexy about junk removal."

Moment of honesty here, that's still true. I started this company because I needed an out from what I was doing at the time. I needed to take my energy, passion, and work ethic, and apply it to something that was all mine. The career I had before was okay. It paid the bills, had good benefits, had a decent pension, and some level of job security. I can honestly say I was good at it too. 

But, and there is always a but- I wasn't happy. I was spinning my wheels, and at the end of each day was left completely unsatisfied.

Junk removal still isn't sexy; however, that's okay because I'm happy. I'm learning new things constantly, I'm pushing myself, and this company to get it off the ground - and I'm satisfied at the end of the day. Junk, by definition, is unwanted, but I want it. I want more of it. I want to take it off your hands so that you have a clean slate to work with - just like me when I started this company. I want to clean up your job site so that you can move on to the next phase of your project as quickly as possible.

So, while junk removal might not be sexy, what comes next after the back gates of our truck have shut: that's sexy. Very, very, sexy indeed.

Speaking of sexy, I can't leave you without a video of us dumping a bunch of concrete!






Starting to remove junk

Flooring, jack hammers, and business cards

The only thing harder than starting your own business, successful or otherwise, is trying to start a successful blog. That's just a fact.
An added bonus but an even tougher ask, would be for that blog to have meaning. Actually, it would be nice for the business to bring some meaning too.

But, this is small junk removal company. Not exactly a world changer at this scale. So let's start small. A picture here, a video there, and maybe a funny post or two about the world of junk removal and recycling.

One of the projects we've been working on lately has been a lot of fun. Filled with those satisfying days that finish with sore muscles but a strong sense of having done some good work. Without further ado, here are some photos from that project for one of our favourite clients.

Watch out for the nails!

Stage one, get all the stuff out of the house. Most of this was already done by the time Orion showed up on the scene. Typically, we'd try to throw things off the deck into tidy piles.

Is all that flooring and cabinetry gone? Good, let's start jack hammering.

Everyone thinks jack hammering is fun until hour five of jack hammering. Jack hammering will also vibrate your brain so much you forget to take photos of all the concrete walkways that had to come up too.

Almost there!

Unfortunately, that's all the photos that were taken. Hopefully we'll sneak back over there and take a couple more as the new patio is built. It was definitely some tough work that lead to some very sore muscles, but hearing how satisfied the client was at the end made it all worth it.
 

Oh, one last thing!

The other week we got our business cards, designed by the awesomely talented Kaycee Vandenberg.