Sometimes passion sparks a business. Other times business ideas are born out of frustration. The latter is how Max Scheuerer got into the dumpster business. While working on a home renovation at his parent’s house, a bad experience with a trash container company got him thinking.

“He felt like he could provide better customer service in the waste disposal industry,” says Nicole Scheuerer, Max’s wife and vice president of operations of Fairfield, New Jersey-based Cheap Disposal. “He did not know the industry, but he said, ‘You know what, I’m going to start a waste disposal business.” 

Max started Cheap Disposal in 2006. He may not have been knowledgeable about the trash industry, but Max was familiar with running small businesses. He grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. His parents owned several bakeries in New Jersey. 

He started Cheap Disposal with a single roll-off truck and six containers. Nearly 20 years later, the company operates five roll-off trucks including 2016 and 2018 Kenworths; 2019 and 2020 Volvos and a 2020 Hino. The company carries dumpsters from Rudco, Copper Tank, Stone Valley Welding and East Coast Containers. 

Cheap Disposal caters to homeowners and contractors. So when customers started asking about portable restrooms, the couple listened. “Anytime our customers are using dumpsters, they’re also using portable toilets. They go hand-in-hand. It was a natural progression of the business,” Nicole says.

In 2017, the Scheuerers purchased a portable sanitation service truck and 28 restrooms. Today, they have 800 restrooms, a combination of units from PolyJohn and Satellite Industries. The company has five vacuum trucks including a 2017 Ford F-550 carrying a 900-gallon waste/300-gallon freshwater aluminum Robinson Tank and National Vacuum Equipment pump; a 2020 Hino 268A with a 695-gallon waste/300-gallon freshwater aluminum tank and a National Vacuum Equipment pump from ITI Trailers & Truck Bodies; 2021 Ford F-550 with a 400-gallon waste/300-gallon freshwater aluminum tank and Masport pump built by Imperial Industries; 2023 Ram with a 1,000-gallon waste/300-gallon freshwater Progress aluminum tank and an NVE pump; and a 2024 Isuzu NRR with a 1,000-gallon waste/300-gallon freshwater Progress aluminum tank and an NVE pump.  

EXPLORE FIVE CHALLENGES THAT AFFECT CHEAP DISPOSAL

1. COVID-19 CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE

The company initially marketed portable restrooms to homeowners and contractors doing renovations, but when the pandemic hit an entirely new market emerged. “A lot of townships, businesses, municipalities and universities started to do a lot more outdoor events,” Nicole says. They expected portable restrooms to supplement the dumpster business. But since the pandemic, the portable sanitation side has grown to about 50% of overall business. The company’s first restrooms were their signature blaze orange color. However, as they began receiving more requests for events including weddings, graduations and birthday parties, the company ordered units in a more neutral gray. They also purchased 10 PolyJohn hand-wash stations. 

“COVID-19 was a catalyst for us to get into the other part of the business. There has been a shift, people are just more aware of hygiene and I don’t think that is going to go away anytime soon,” Nicole says.

2. COMBATING CITY CONGESTION

Cheap Disposal’s office is located less than 30 miles from New York City. The company operates about a 30-mile radius in northern New Jersey. While they don’t operate within New York City, being that close provides a unique set of challenges. Traffic is the biggest obstacle. “It’s congested,” says Max. “We have to strategically think and plan the routes every day.”

“Going to urban areas where the streets are smaller, we have to be aware of what truck we are sending,” says Nicole. “Certain trucks may not fit on certain streets because they are too narrow.” Employee and service schedules are adjusted to accommodate congestion. Often the company will adjust the schedule to accommodate areas closer to Manhattan that have a high volume of traffic to avoid the morning rush. The Scheuerers quickly discovered restroom service trucks are much easier to navigate urban streets than the roll-off trucks. “That’s one beauty of the toilets; you can get a lot more done than you can with dumpers,” says Max.

3. LAST-MINUTE CUSTOMER CALLS

While city congestion is tough, it provides a lot of business opportunities. “We have a super-tight radius of 30 miles and it’s a high-volume business,” says Max. A small service area provides for a quick response to customer requests. “Every morning it’s like a fire sale; people are calling saying they need dumpsters, they need toilets right now. Nobody ever plans. By keeping a small radius, we can service people on demand within a few hours,” Max adds. Portable restrooms are also a much higher volume business than dumpsters. Container trucks can service about 10 to 12 locations per shift, while portable restroom trucks can service up to 30 stops per day.

4. FINDING AND RETAINING QUALIFIED DRIVERS

Cheap Disposal operates within a large population center, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find employees, especially for the bigger roll-off trucks. These rigs require CDL drivers. Cheap Disposal also requires applicants to have at least one year of experience. These throw up big hurdles to finding workers. With the portable sanitation trucks running below CDL limits, there is a larger pool of applicants and more opportunities for upward mobility. Cheap Disposal hires portable sanitation drivers with the incentive of helping them obtain their CDL. The opportunity to be promoted to roll-off driver helps with employee training and retention in a competitive market.

5. PROMOTING A BOLD, BRIGHT BRAND

While the word cheap may carry a negative connotation in some contexts, it’s only helped Cheap Disposal. “I, being somewhat cheap, am always looking for the cheapest prices, but the best quality. So, I said, ‘Let me take a dumpster and put Cheap Disposal on the side of it and hopefully it works,’” Max explains. Not only did Max market dumpsters with his company name along the side, but he also made sure they stood out from the crowd, way out.

“I always liked the color orange because you can see it from far away,” he says. “I picked a bright orange, almost like a pumpkin orange.” The blaze orange dumpsters grab attention on the street, while the company name nets views online. The couple reports Cheap Disposal churns out high rankings in search engines as people frequently search for “cheap dumpsters” or “cheap portable toilets.” They’ve noticed in recent years several of their competitors are starting to use similar taglines.

What started as a way to stand out and attract customers is now the company’s signature style. While they’re still known for their catchy name and bold color choice, Cheap Disposal also carries a reputation for quick response and customer service.