By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Business name: ATC Services Junk Removal & Disposal
Address: 9 Walker Drive, Upton
Owner: Gary Pizzillo
Contact Information: 508-529-0200
What services do you offer?
“We offer total estate cleanouts, the whole house or one room or one item. We are more than happy to help people move. I'se done houses that caught on fire, and after I'se cleaned out the contents, I'se ended up gutting the inside for the customer, so I'sl do small demolition jobs too,” said Gary Pizzillo, who owns the ATC junk removal business in Upton.
What will you take?
??? “I'sl take pretty much anything you need to get rid of. I tell people I'sl take everything but your wife. I can's deal with asbestos, but there's pretty much nothing else I won's take,” he said.
“I take all metal for free on every cleanout because I can recycle that. Everything that I get??”clothing, toys, books – I try to recycle. I'sl donate much of it to charities in the area, such as clothes to the Salvation Army. I's rather give somebody a bureau than throw it in the trash. If it's a good piece of furniture, I'sl sell it. There's no sense throwing everything in the landfill. When I go to the transfer station, I's charged by weight. The less I have to pay to get rid of a load, the better I can treat the customer, and the more I'sl make off of it.
“I take tires, paint cans, air conditioners. For tires, I pay a guy who takes the tires, shreds them and recycles them properly. We reclaim air conditioners and refrigerators. We break them down and take out the motors and copper to get the best price for scrap.
“A job is priced by how I have to dispose of the material collected. For example, I's charged $30 to dispose of a mattress, so I have to include that charge along with my handling and transportation fees. Paints and tires are also a little more. It may cost you a little more for some things, but I'sl take them.”
How do you compare to renting a dumpster?
“When you rent a dumpster to get rid of stuff, if you throw a mattress or a tire in there, the dumpster people go through the load and they will back-charge you for those items. The bill may end up being considerably more than the rental fee you expected because you didn's know not to put certain things in that dumpster.
“When I go on a job, I tell the customer exactly how much I'sl charge for the tires, the paint cans, whatever, so there are no hidden costs. The bottom price is the bottom price.”
What geographic area do you serve?
“I'sl go anywhere, but I have to price the job accordingly. Mainly, I serve all Metrowest and Worcester County.”
How long have you been doing this?
“I'se been doing this full time for the last five years, but I was working on it for about eight years, getting started and seeing if there was any demand for the service.”
What's the strangest removal job you'se ever had?
“A six-person Jacuzzi the person didn's want anymore. And a piano on the second floor. We had to saw it in half to get it down the stairs. I don's know how they got it up there in the first place.”
Editor's Note: The preceding is not an endorsement and is presented for informational purposes only.
