Bert’s Trash Service

Bert and Anna Garcia have created a residential and commercial garbage disposal business, offering a weekly residential roadside bag pick-up and hauling of debris for commercial customers in the Pojoaque Valley. Bert’s Trash Services also rents 16- and 20-yard dumpsters, clears debris, and hauls large and small items to the county dump. Their haul can also include appliances, furniture, brush and other junk.

Anna Garcia, a former bookkeeper for an electrical supply store, said they started the business two years ago in January to fulfill a need in the rural community about 15 miles north of Santa Fe.

“A lot of people have trailers or build up a truck bed and let the trash pile up. They buy a dump pass because there is a residential transfer station. But they pile it up for a month or sometimes months. Now we’re able to provide a weekly service for them,” she said.

So far the company has 85 weekly customers extending out east to El Rancho and as far west as Chimayo, covering eight communities in the area. They came to The Loan Fund for help buying the dumpsters after they received several calls about local dumpster rentals. Construction companies or larger companies, including Home Depot, Office Depot and Walmart, have rented the dumpsters. The companies stated they like the smaller dumpster sizes because they are easier to maneuver in smaller areas and along dirt roads. 

Although the couple says marketing has been challenging, most of the advertising for their services has been word-of-mouth, including flyers, a banner on a fence by the Cities of Gold Casino, the local movie theater, and social media, Facebook and Instagram. They are hoping to grow enough to hire another employee. 

“The Loan Fund helped expand our service, and our commercial service has been great since we bought the dumpsters. We’d like to continue growing the commercial service and continue filling in the gaps” for the community, Bert Garcia said.

Find the business on Facebook @bertstrashservicesllc.