Meet the Bin Brothers – Northumberland’s newest disposal bin rental business that is literally run by brothers.
That would be Luke and Jack DiMarco, two local businessmen who decided to collaborate on a venture they could run together.
Their first day of operations was May 6 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they chose their business wisely.
The big lockdown was a time when people started to look around, undertake home improvements, throw out old stuff, and think about renting a disposal bin to help with it all.
Jack DiMarco runs a property maintenance and landscaping company, while Luke’s main business is an internet company that builds newsletters read by over a million people per day.
“We always talked about running a business together … we just didn’t know what or when.” Luke recalled.
“Then the pandemic hit, and I had a feeling people would be at home producing more waste and getting rid of old waste. People are always going to have garbage and be producing more of it.”
“As they get more calls and they can understand what the customers needs are, they can begin to adapt.” Jack said.
For instance they are now recycling many materials as opposed to disposing of them in landfills.
The DiMarcos took their time in advance of May 6 to research this new business, see what was already available locally and check to see what works best in other communities around Ontario.
One way they stand out from other businesses in Northumberland, Luke said proudly, is that they are currently the only one that allows customers to reserve their bins on-line at the click of a button.
“Whether you’re a contractor who needs a lot of bins on a regular basis, a business that needs regular garbage pickup or you just want a bin for the weekend, we wanted to make it as easy and seamless as possible.” Jack DiMarco said.
The Bin Brothers are licensed by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ontario Government and most recently have become an approved contractor by HGTV star Bryan Baeumler and his Baeumler Approved program.
They began with a truck and a few bins, and are now up to over a dozen bins (with a second truck and more bins on the way for 2021). And after serving almost 500 customers locally, they’re getting a pretty good handle on things like the most popular bin sizes and what local customers are throwing away.
Soil, for example, is something a lot of people are getting rid of – a very heavy substance that doesn’t need to be disposed of at the landfill, so they have just ordered five brand-new soil bins. Come spring, Luke predicted they’ll be a very welcome on-the-job addition for contractors.
Another adjustment they have made is to their rental periods, after calculating how much time the average customer needed to fill a bin during their first few months of operation.
The DiMarcos expect to expand in whatever directions are required to ensure customers come out of a Bin Brothers transaction both worry- and mess-free.
And even though it’s quite a new business, Bin Brothers is making a name for itself in the larger community, supporting such causes as the Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation’s annual gala on Nov. 28. The fundraiser included a Love Your Home raffle, Luke said, so they donated a bin.
And once they heard that the Fare Share Food Bank had a campaign that allows donors to sponsor a Christmas dinner for someone in need, they declared their support of that project through Dec. 24.
“For every bin we drop off, we will donate a meal to Fare Share,” Luke said.
The new year ahead looks promising for Bin Brothers in their work yard on County Rd. 2, just east of Cobourg.
Looking out and seeing those signature yellow bins in a variety of sizes makes them feel very proud, Luke said, but there is one thing better.
“The best time is when there are no bins out there, because that means they are all out on jobs,” he said.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
