Garbage collection can be good income source

Still thinking of what business to start? The list is endless and the decision is for you to pick what is the best for you.
Like always, today we shall take you through what you need to venture into something that can be life changing.
There are many business line but have you ever thought how much you can make from garbage collection.

Yes! Garbage collection, or to spice it up a little, waste management.
This might sound an odd job yet profitable if you sat down and did the mathematics.
Ideally waste management involves a number of activities including collection and final disposal.
This includes how you collect, transport, process, recycle or even disposes what you have collected as waste.

Start
According to Charles Ocici, the Enterprise Uganda executive director and a business coach, garbage collection can be profitable because of the huge demand for the service”.
Kampala Capital City Authority, he says, is doing what is within its limit, which means there is so much waste that is not collected.
“Many Ugandans are willing to pay some money to get their garbage out of their homes,” he says, emphasizing that it is increasing becoming difficult to personally manage waste with someone’s home.

However, to be successful, one needs to have a cost effective approach, which means that, you need required equipment to do anything meaningful.
“You could use a trailer of a tractor instead of an expensive brand new garbage vehicle plus a team that will do the collection from door-to-door,” Ocici says.
As a service provider, he adds, you need to be available and reliable to people who have signed up with your company.
However, you must also ensure that you have already secured a damping site.

Money
By all means you will need to have some disposable cash so you must not be scratching your head wondering why you would need cash yet you have not started earning.
Therefore, after you ensured that you have enough money to do operations now you need to set the charges considering the locality you intend to work in.
The charges range from Shs20,000 to Shs30,000 per household per month.
So this where you need to sign up more households as you have to manage operations well.

To breakdown this further, in case you have signed up 150 households, each will be paying a monthly fee of Shs30,000.
This means your monthly turnover will be Shs4.5m translating into Shs54m annually.
“If you become efficient the issue of price should not be a problem, the benefits will be in the volumes,” Ocici says.

Know how
You must always ensure that you have some little knowledge of garbage collection and according to Patience Basemela, a director at Aprina Investment, one of the companies involved in garbage collection, it will help you navigate different challenges.
For 14 years, Basemela has been operating a garbage collection business in Kira, Wakiso District.
“I wanted to be my own boss. It is this business that has sustained me for the last 14 years. With courage, determination and passion that has helped succeed,” she says.

Through garbage collection, Basemela has been able to build a house and operates a fleet of trucks, which she uses to operate her business.
Her company employs about 20 people including drivers.
However, Basemela says, building Aprina Investment has been through patience and hard work.
She has had to go through a lot of challenges including occasional breakdown of her trucks, which dictates that she has to hire other trucks to complete the job.