CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While many businesses are off for the holidays, one industry is working around the clock to keep things clean.
The increase in trash around the holidays makes it one of the busiest weeks of the year for waste removal companies such as Veterans Easy Trash Service (VETS), a statewide business focused on empowering veterans.
According to Stanford University’s Waste Reduction, Recycling, Composting, and Solid Waste Program, household waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day increases by more than 25%, and holiday waste including wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons contributes to an additional 1 million tons of trash entering landfills each week.
“It’s hard to put words of what the experience was like, but it’s been a blessing for 15 years serving, serving the country,” said Zachary Wiley, owner of VETS Junk Removal.
Serving in the military has taught Wiley many skills, but he never imagined waste removal to be one of them.
“I actually took my own bulk trash to the landfill and I had — this might sound strange — but I had a really good time,” said Wiley.
From there, Wiley started Veterans Easy Trash Service.
“Being a veteran myself and having made the transition from active duty to the civilian world, it’s not the easiest to find meaningful employment,” said Wiley.
Since starting the business, Wiley has employed over 20 veterans, using the extra hands to get them through the busy holiday season.
“Usually right around the holidays, it’s probably the biggest season of the year for just stuff, you know, getting new stuff, old stuff going away, people cooking a lot of food. So right around this time, there’s a big spike and so it keeps us pretty busy,” said Zane Wiley, Army veteran and operations manager for VETS Junk Removal.
In turn, the workload for the company doubles, as the Environmental Capital Group reports that over 5 billion pounds of returned items are in landfills every year. Job crews prepare for months in advance.
“We set up holiday schedules as far in advance as we can. You know, before the holiday it’s usually a little bit slower so we get some time to get all of our trailers, maintenance done on them, and make sure the trucks are good to go,” said Zane.
VETS Junk Removal recommends clients break down their boxes, secure loose trash, and be aware of recyclable items.
As the business expects an influx of Christmas trees to hit the bins within the next week, Zachary says he’s grateful for a busy holiday season.
“I feel very proud and blessed to have my own business and to see it grow. But I think I’m most proud about helping veterans that were in the same branches as me, or even other branches, just find more purpose,” said Zachary.
To learn more about waste and junk pickup, you can visit their website here.