Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: big J on June 08, 2009, 10:21:53 pm

Title: gutter vac waste
Post by: big J on June 08, 2009, 10:21:53 pm
what do you do with the crud that you clean out of the gutters? leave for tthe custy to dispose or do you remove it?

also if you do takeit away do you need a waste carriers licence?
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: Lee Pryor on June 08, 2009, 11:22:58 pm
if they have a compost heap we put it on there. If not country lanes with woodland always works well
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: ftp on June 08, 2009, 11:27:27 pm
You might need one technically for commercial jobs but who's bothered about residential? When you use a bucket what do you do with it when it's full?
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: perfectpanesplymouth on June 09, 2009, 12:03:25 am
You might need one technically for commercial jobs but who's bothered about residential? When you use a bucket what do you do with it when it's full?

get another bucket ;D
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: GWCS on June 09, 2009, 08:14:31 am
what do you do with the crud that you clean out of the gutters? leave for tthe custy to dispose or do you remove it?

also if you do takeit away do you need a waste carriers licence?

technically yes.

Its a £5000 fine for the residential home owner and im not sure about you. Most cowboys operators on here would just say NO and bin it regardless.

Because its commercial waste (Its seen as commercial since you are a business removing the waste) it also needs to be disposed of in the correct means, and you also need to have signatory evidence from the home owner they consent to you disposing it on their behalf.

Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: CLEANGLASSUK on June 09, 2009, 09:49:04 am
I have applied for tokens for my local tip for commercial, its free and they last all year then you re-apply again.
Best way to get rid of it without any worries of fly tipping.
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: Window Washers on June 09, 2009, 09:50:29 am
I have applied for tokens for my local tip for commercial, its free and they last all year then you re-apply again.
Best way to get rid of it without any worries of fly tipping.
Any more details on this ???
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: Craig Trevain on June 09, 2009, 02:32:42 pm
You need a waste carriers licence, we have to have one because our grounds maintenance side of the business bring grass cuttings away with them.

Not worth the fine.
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: matt on June 09, 2009, 04:19:31 pm
couldnt you fit a tap and hose to the vac, then run the hose out of your van and just drive off and have a trial of sludge behind you  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: ftp on June 09, 2009, 06:56:13 pm
I normally chuck it in the customers shrubs, compost heap or anywhere handy, that's after i've tipped the excess water down the drain. Occasionally i'll bag it up and take it home to dispose of. If anyone starts questioning me over a licence with residential jobs then i'll probably jack the whole guttervac thing in. Total rollocks if you ask me.  ::)
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: big J on June 09, 2009, 07:15:01 pm
so if I want to play safe i had better get one then so how much is the council likely to sting me for them
secondly
are gutter suckers good earners?
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: GWCS on June 09, 2009, 07:17:55 pm
http://www2.environment-agency.gov.uk/epr/search.asp

its about £150 for the first year.

Gutter cleaning is ok, if you like doing the work, but its not regular.
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: ftp on June 09, 2009, 07:33:50 pm
Are guttervacs good earners? Yes and no. They are only good earners if your pricing stragedy is correct. They can be good earners on commercial work provided you have done your research and know how to target and get the kind of customers who would normally pay for cherrypickers etc. Put it this way - work won't come to you just because you have bought one.
 My vac gets used fairly often on my residential work but it's still only being used for the kind of work a competent guy can do on ladders for 90% of the time.
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: JandS on June 09, 2009, 07:37:55 pm
Why do you need a waste carriers licence, it's just dirt throw it around their gardens.

John
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: big J on June 09, 2009, 08:27:58 pm
ftp
i have to ask how do you stratgically price a gutter clean and what research do you do ?
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: ftp on June 09, 2009, 09:48:37 pm
Well, if you intend investing thousands of pounds in one, how much of a commercial market do you think you have in your area?
How high do you think you can push your domestic prices before the custy's tell you to go forth and multiply?
What kind of a marketting push have you got in mind to pick up all those lucrative commercial jobs?
Have you got all the health and safety paperwork in place along with method statements, risk assessments and all the other ballpoope needed these days? (oh and a waste carriers licence).

I wouldn't say mine is a particularly good earner as such because I have none of the above. It enables me to offer a service that otherwise wouldn't be done by me to more customers.
Title: Re: gutter vac waste
Post by: big J on June 09, 2009, 10:01:58 pm
initally i am looking at residential work so I will possibly just get the vac and rely on my WFP to do the outside. As for commerical work I was wondering how atually to  target specific sites 
As for the safety side of things I have serval safety and risk assessing qualifications to my name through my current and past roles. I work though not for much longer in one of the most regulated industries in the world .......the Railway and i agree that whislt we should all work in a safe manner the nanny state has a lot to answer for  :)