We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Help and advice with a simple business idea.

Options
Hi, please could anyone give me any advice, i want to start a scrap metal collection/ disposal business , i know there is plenty of people going round the streets at the moment and that is my idea , just a simple one man business with a vehicle to carrier the waste.
Thing is i want to do it all by the book so anything relevant would be helpful, obviously a vehicle is needed and business insurance for it, also , having been on the environment agency , i would need an upper tier waste carriers licence .

I wont have any premises as i am planning to simply use the vehicle as my business but is there anything i am missing.

Then i have to think about the self employed aspect , how would i deal with that as i have only ever been employed, when would i need to register, could i start working before/whilst registering self employed.

As i dont have a major demand for money to be able to get by i feel this will help me to be steady away with my one man band business, i know all of the above has to be paid via my work but hopefully i would do enough in a week to pay my way and make a nice little income...... but i am open to any advice big or small , thanks:beer:
«13

Comments

  • steve1980
    steve1980 Posts: 2,334 Forumite
    Honestly, don't bother.
    Estate Agent, Web Designer & All Round Geek!
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 47,293 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Two words: Due Diligence ... ie how are you going to be sure that the scrap lead sheeting you've just been offered didn't fall off the roof of a church, because when you try to sell it on someone up the chain is definitely going to want to know ...
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • chalkie99
    chalkie99 Posts: 1,618 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Well, it seems to be big business at the moment and we have several outfits operating in our area. It amazes us to see them in our road every single day, even Sundays, it's difficult to know how they keep finding stuff to pick up.

    The problem is that most of these people are from the travelling community and they are pretty much a law unto themselves. The Police won't deal with them even though the local council has been bombarded with complaints and some eastern european gangs that tried to collect have been seen off.

    In short, even if you could get the necessary permissions I think you would be scared off by the established competition that don't play by the rules and don't pay their dues.
  • motorguy
    motorguy Posts: 22,611 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    steve1980 wrote: »
    Honestly, don't bother.

    +1

    I started typing up a response, but there are so many problems here. Heres five off the top of my head.

    Fundamentally, anyone who doesnt know the metal has a value will dump it in their local council recycling centre.

    Anyone who knows how much its worth will expect you to pay them the going rate

    You will need some sort of storage facilities as you will need to split out the types of metal, and understand who gives you the best price for each type / category of metal

    Metal is heavy. Its unlikely you will be able to perform this function on your own, so you will need to employ someone.

    There are no doubt rules and regulations around this, which will need to be strictly adherred to.

    I think i could probably write a book on how this is a bad idea.
  • DAREDEVIL78
    DAREDEVIL78 Posts: 149 Forumite
    yeh i understand people and thanks for your honesty, trouble is i am stuck in a minimum wage job and want to do something to not only enjoy but get paid, tired of doing same thing , wanted to do something on my own that would give me a nice wage at the end of the week, i have had a few ideas ie car valeting or gardening or anything that is one man band and also needs little investment to get going . . . so if anyone could give me a good idea that is successful . . i know thats what everybody probably says but i just want to do something rewarding that gives me a nice income.
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 47,293 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Are you passionate about recycling? car valeting? gardening? If 'none of the above', think what you ARE passionate about, and consider if you could make money doing that.

    Because otherwise, rather than being stuck in a minimum wage dead end job, tired of doing the same thing, you'll be stuck working for yourself, probably for FAR less than minimum wage by the time you put all the admin hours in, and definitely for FAR more hours ... and you'll still hate it!

    Or think about what you'd like to do for a living. What, apart from the recession, is stopping you? lack of qualifications? do something about that instead of starting a business.
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • paddyrg
    paddyrg Posts: 13,543 Forumite
    I see your logic - "where there's muck, there's brass", and all - but getting hold of the valuable waste without too much of the bad stuff (old oil, asbestos, etc) will draw on your ingenuity. Who can you think of so you get a ready stream of old cars, but no fridges?
  • pitkin2020
    pitkin2020 Posts: 4,029 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Good on you for wanting to get out there and do something for yourself. I don't think this is probably the best idea, scrap prices are high and everyone knows it, and everyone wants top whack for it. You could easily loose far more than you make if you over value the scrap for instance or spend days driving around with any collections. The prices are still up and down on a weekly basis so you may want to take a gamble and hold onto some stuff until the prices recover/go up so you may also need storage.
    Everyones opinion is the most important.....no wonder nothing is ever agreed on.
  • huxley
    huxley Posts: 296 Forumite
    Hi, good luck in any venture you take on. dh is a gardener after becoming redundant, it is not easy financially there are lots of running costs, income is very variable due to seasons and the weather. Have you thought of gutter clearing? we have someone do the ones of the house once a year
    its something people don't like to do themselves not a lot of equipment costs and I wish he would also offer the service of washing the guttering and outside of the house, all this white maintenance free (lol) plastic on the outside of a house is great until it looks filthy. Do make sure you get sufficient liability insurance though.
  • spaceboyted
    spaceboyted Posts: 25 Forumite
    edited 31 July 2011 at 1:54PM
    @Daredevil78 don't let the whiners on these forums tell you "you can't do it, give up", unless they offer constructive criticism. I've always thought recycling is a good business to go into. Have you considered collecting lots of old PC monitors that people don't want or are broken? They have lots of precious metals in them (not in great quantities I admit) and other electronic equipment use copper wire and gold in their circuit boards... You would need to get good at extracting the metals efficiently as getting them out will take time and effort. I hope I have given you something to run with. Just get yourself out there man!
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.8K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.8K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.8K Life & Family
  • 257K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.