Junk is this man's treasure

When rubbish remover Gary Kemper got rid of two cases of "off" 1991 French Bordeaux Chateau Lafite, he tasted the finest wine he'd ever had.

Part-owner of 1800-GOT-JUNK? , the Canadian-based rubbish removal franchise business making its mark in Australia, Mr Kemper said the French wine was quite a bonus.

"It was a very, very fine drop," he said. "I've had Grange (Penfolds Grange Hermitage) and it just knocks Grange into oblivion ... it was just unbelievable."

He had shared the wine with his staff earlier that day and, given the discovery that each bottle was valued at more than $500, was quick to tell them to appreciate it.

Most of the junk thrown out by Sydneysiders is not nearly so exciting but Mr Kemper said he was excited about building the 1800-GOT-JUNK? brand in Sydney and, in time, throughout Australia.

Founded in 1989, 1800-GOT-JUNK? has more than 300 mobile franchise locations in North America, Australia and the UK.

There are two franchisees with five trucks covering about 40 per cent of Sydney's suburbs.

Mr Kemper, formerly a sales and marketing manager, stumbled upon the company and "just got" what it was about.

Before deciding to get involved he researched the industry and discovered no fewer than 887 rubbish and junk removal companies listed in the Yellow Pages.

But he said 1800-GOT-JUNK? home based business stands apart from all the others in four ways: the technology it uses, the "outrageously good" service it provides, its simple pricing policy, and the fact it tries to be eco-friendly.

Drivers of the bright blue 1800-GOT-JUNK? trucks carry WAP-enabled phones which allow them to pick up internet bookings and get to pick-up points fast. Pick-ups can be booked ahead of time or for as soon as a truck can get there.

For bookings made in advance, Mr Kemper said drivers always call a half-hour ahead of time just to tell customers they are going to be on time.

"That totally blows the customers away," he said, pointing out the apalling standards of service Australians have come to expect from some companies.

A full clean-up is done on the site after the junk has been removed.

Removal staff are dressed in uniforms, the trucks are clean and customers are charged simply based on how much space their junk takes up in the truck.

At least 50 per cent of what the company collects gets recycled.

"A lot of the companies will just dump it and it ends up in landfill," Mr Kemper said.

"Inevitably some things have reached the end of the road and they can't be recycled, but we do the best we can."

Blankets, books and clothes are donated to charity, sometimes at the request of customers, as is furniture in good condition.

"The charities are pretty picky these days - we know what they will and won't accept."

Although people occasionally throw out valuable goods, mostly it's old mattresses, white goods, and office furniture that fill their trucks.

1800-GOT-JUNK? is the only global brand of junk removal. Founded in 1989 in Vancouver, founder Brian Scudmore started the company with a $700 pick-up truck.

The company adopted franchising as a way to achieve rapid market penetration and revenue growth in 1999.