July 2021 - 123JUNK

several men moving furniture outside an office

Preparing for the Hybrid Work Model & Decluttering Your Office

Posted on July 23, 2021 | by collin

If you’re returning to the office and transitioning to a hybrid work model, decluttering your workspace is one of the most effective ways to prepare your team for success. COVID-19 sparked the potential for a hybrid work environment, causing employers to scramble to adopt new in-office and remote work routines. 123JUNK proudly works with Northern VA businesses by providing professional junk removal so their teams can work in an optimal environment.

If you need assistance decluttering your workspace, allow 123JUNK to help! Using our 1-2-3 Process, we will be able to determine which items can be donated, recycled, or properly disposed of. We partner with local charities throughout the DC Metro area to donate gently used unwanted items to families in need.

Below, we discuss hybrid work and how your business can easily adapt to the new changes.

What is Hybrid Work?

Hybrid work is often described as a more flexible work schedule and environment with varying levels of remote work and in-office work. There are a number of hybrid work models that businesses are tailoring to ensure the highest level of productivity and work-life balance for their employees. Whichever type your team has agreed on, make sure that everyone is aware and prepared for the changes.

4 Steps to Adopting a Hybrid Work Model

Declutter
As employers are still navigating the best way to implement hybrid work, many may find that their current office space needs to be decluttered and re-envisioned to create a workspace that’s focused on safety.

Our local junk removal team can help haul away any unwanted desks or items your company no longer needs. You can trust us to thoughtfully donate, recycle, or dispose of them so you can focus on preparing your team for their new work routine.

Figuring out where and how to get rid of your junk can be a time-consuming challenge, especially during an office transition. However, we make the entire process easy with fast pickup and thoughtful disposal services.

Reorganize
After decluttering your space, the next step is to decide how your hybrid workspace will operate, especially when your employees do come into the office. Consider collaborating with your team on determining what the best office layout will look like.

Some companies may choose to start “hot-desking” or having shared workstations on a “first come, first served” basis. Others might opt for having a few teams to rotate their designated workstations in a more structured way to maintain productivity.
Set Expectations
It’s crucial to stay connected with your team. With a more flexible hybrid schedule, it might become a little challenging. Be sure to set expectations regarding new policies and procedures for in-office and remote work, team member schedules, meetings and more with your team upfront.
Communicate
It’s important to stay on the same page with your team on a daily basis so nothing falls through the cracks. Ensure your employees have everything they need to get their tasks done—whether they’re in the office or at home.

Also, have one primary mode of communication where employees can check updates frequently. Some companies have daily meetings as well as shared access to necessary files to prevent lack of communication or miscommunication.

Returning to a Hybrid Work Model? Let 123JUNK in Northern VA Haul Away Your Junk

When it comes to organizing a hybrid workspace, you may feel overwhelmed not knowing where to start. With the world constantly changing, 123JUNK is here to help you feel more grounded with our professional junk removal services. We are passionate about helping residents and businesses throughout Northern Virginia thrive in healthy, clutter-free spaces by providing thoughtful junk removal services. No matter what you need to haul away, we can take care of it for you.

Clear out your junk today! Call our junk removal team at (800) 364-5778 to schedule a junk removal pickup or receive a quote.

two men moving a couch with three men seated on it

A First-Hand Look into 123JUNK Experiences

Posted on July 23, 2021 | by collin

Working in the waste management industry is full of surprises—some more memorable than others. And while at first glance, a junk removal company may seem similar to the usual garbage collection and disposal workers that visit your neighborhood once a week, we have a much more thoughtful process.

123JUNK is Washington DC’s leading junk removal company that is on a mission to donate, recycle, and properly dispose of unwanted, gently used items. While implementing this 1-2-3 process, our team of experts have encountered a variety of unique experiences while out in the field. Take a look at their personal experiences below!

The House with 10,000 Records

On my first day, I was on the trucks with Timmy, and we had finished up all of our appointments, but another team’s job took longer than expected and they were going to miss the window for their last appointment. So we get assigned to the house with 10,000 records. The job was far away, but we still went to make sure the customer’s expectations were met.

It was an exhausting, awesome, and eye-opening experience. The client was even fine with us taking some records, but most of them were donated to a local record store. I also got a better grasp of the team mentality at 123JUNK. It really showed that no matter how your day has gone this company and its team has a mentality of always helping and going the extra mile.

– JJ Pedder, Customer Success Representative

Clearing Out A Legendary Boxer’s Home

My most memorable moment so far is probably when I got to go to the legendary boxer Sugar Ray Leonard’s old house. We were just clearing out some old furniture and kids’ toys when I got to see his boxing room. It had a giant, full wall mirror, a punching bag, a speed bag, and an autographed poster. I was definitely starstruck.

– TJ Spencer, Customer Success Representative

A Successful Hot Tub Takedown

One of our client representative managers was asked by a client if we could take apart a hot tub attached to an above-ground pool. Take a standard hot tub, and then put another one next to it, and another one next to that. It was essentially all one big piece. When we got there around 11 o’clock in the morning, we were working there for most of the day, having multiple people working saws to cut it up. It’s one of the more memorable success projects that we have had.

– Paul Atherton, Fleet Dispatch Manager

Join Our Junk Removal Team in Washington DC!

As a locally-owned and operated junk removal company in the Northern VA, MD, and DC area, we are proud to help our community grow through proper waste management support and partnerships with local businesses and charities. Our passionate junk removal team continues to work hard for our customers, keeping them satisfied with the highest quality of service possible. If the above stories piqued your interest, consider learning more about joining our team! Contact our junk removal team today at (800) 362-5778 or fill out our form to schedule a service.

local junk removal in Washington DC Metro area

Moving Soon? What To Do With Your Old Junk

Posted on July 12, 2021 | by collin

With moving season already underway, you may be overwhelmed with the amount of stuff you have accumulated over the years. But don’t worry, 123JUNK in the Washington DC Metro area is available to help you streamline your move to ensure it’s more enjoyable and less stressful! For years, we have remained committed to thoughtful junk removal and proudly continue our 1-2-3 Process of donating, recycling, and disposing of unwanted items.

Below we discuss a few tips to help make your decluttering process during your move simple.

5 Tips for Getting Rid of Junk During Your Move

Pack personal items and important documents. Oftentimes when you are planning to sell your home, your realtor will tell you to declutter. Pack your valuable items first and be mindful of what items are truly valuable—legal documents and items that carry sentimental value.
Separate your items into three categories: Keep, Toss, and Donate. While you could take items in the Donate category to your local donation center, keep in mind that they may not take everything you’re offering. Allow our team to help you save time and effort, and we’ll ensure your items are donated properly.?
For sofas and mattresses, have our team haul it away for you. We protect your home and prevent you from throwing out your back! If your furniture or mattress is still in good condition, we will ensure that we utilize every avenue to donate it to one of our local charity partners.
Ask your friends and family if they would like your items. As this may take some effort on your end, giving away your items to those you trust will help give you peace of mind knowing that they will be put to good use.
If you’re trying to get rid of your moving boxes, try recycling them! However, remember that not all cardboard boxes are recyclable. We understand discarding all your moving boxes takes a lot of effort, but you can trust us to haul it away and deliver it to its respective waste management site. Learn more about recycling cardboard boxes.
Hire our professional junk removal experts. We’ve been in the industry for years and have built an extensive charity partner network that will help us rehome your unwanted items that are still in good condition. We also keep up-to-date with the waste management protocols for Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC to ensure all items are discarded appropriately. We’ll be happy to help you save time, which will allow you to focus on other aspects of your move that are just as important.

If you are looking for additional information on moving, check our moving tips!

Choose Thoughtful Junk Removal Services in Washington DC Metro Area

Supporting your efforts to get rid of your junk in a responsible manner is our job! Being a local junk removal business in the Washington DC Metro area has allowed us to continue working with other local businesses and growing our community for the better. Our team is ready to help you with unique junk removal solutions that suit your business needs. If you need assistance with your move, we would be happy to refer you to one of our professional organizer partners as well.

Looking for expert junk removal services? Call our junk hauling team at 1-800-364-5778 today!

What Goodwill Won’t Take

Posted on July 12, 2021 | by Linda Barrett

When many people think of getting rid of junk or excess items, they think of donating it to Goodwill. But did you know that there are many items that can’t be accepted there? So what is it Goodwill won’t take? (But we will!)

Broken or Stained Items

Goodwill and other thrift stores count on selling your donated items to raise money for their causes. They cannot sell items that are broken, damaged, soiled or missing parts.

Mattresses and Bedding

Goodwill cannot accept bedding items such as mattresses, box springs, pillows, hospital beds and waterbeds due to sanitation and safety concerns.

Large Appliances

Small appliances like a working toaster or coffeemaker are accepted, but large appliances like a refrigerator, stove, freezer, trash compactor, washer, dryer, dishwasher or hot water heater cannot be taken to Goodwill.

CRT TVs

Want to get rid of your old CRT television? Goodwill won’t take that either. Only flat screen televisions (digital) are accepted for resale.

Items Covered With Animal Hair

When you own a dog or cat, you’re bound to have animal hair on your furniture. But according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Goodwill and other thrift stores can’t accept upholstered chairs, sofas or other items where animal hair is present.

Moldy or Mildewed Items

Moldy, mildewed, wet or damp items are a health hazard and cannot be accepted due to the fact that these mold spores may spread to other items.

Recalled Items

It is illegal for stores to sell any item that has been recalled, states the CPSC under Section 19 of the Consumer Product Safety Act. “If a product is hazardous, does not comply with standards, or has been recalled, the product should be destroyed and not sold or given away to others.” Some items used in nurseries, including cribs and bassinets, for example, have caused deaths and have numerous recalls. When it doubt, toss it out.

Related: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Resellers Guide to Selling Safer Products

Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials that cannot be accepted include chemicals, solvents, fuels, oil or acids.

Overly Large Items

Do you want to get rid of a swingset, exercise equipment, large furniture, swimming pool or hot tub. Guess what…Goodwill won’t take those either. Their stores are limited in size and extra-large items just won’t fit!

Building Materials

We know you hate to throw out perfectly good building materials like windows, doors, sinks, tubs and window blinds. But there are charities like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores that would love those items.

Miscellaneous Items Goodwill Won’t Take

Bean bag chairs
Sleeper sofas
Firearms and fireworks
Food and beverages
Cosmetics
Hair products
Auto parts including tires, wheels, batteries, and chemicals
Cribs with dropdown sides

What Do You Do With Items Goodwill Won’t Take? Call 123JUNK.

The best course of action for items that Goodwill and other thrift stores cannot or will not take is to call 123JUNK. With plenty of trucks covering our local communities in Northern Virginia, Maryland and DC, we can take all of these items off your hands (except for hazardous materials…we’re not allowed either).

We’ll Donate

When you dispose of items that are accepted and perfectly usable, we’ll take them to donation sites we’ve arranged with our charitable partners. They, in turn, can supply them to needy families or sell them in their resale stores to raise money. We’ll provide you with a receipt for your tax deduction purposes!

We’ll Recycle

All items we pick up are sorted into Donate-Recycle-Dispose piles and disposed of accordingly. For electronics, metals and other recycle items, we’ll take them to the area recycling centers for proper processing.

We’ll Dispose

Any items that are not donate-able or recyclable are then disposed of at the area landfills.

Contact 123JUNK Today

When you need to get rid of items that Goodwill won’t take, contact 123JUNK.

Why It’s Important to Support a Local Junk Removal Business

Posted on July 7, 2021 | by Linda Barrett

The year 2020 taught us many lessons. One of the most important lessons was that without your local support, your local businesses won’t survive. Here’s why supporting your local junk removal business is so important.

Local Businesses Create Jobs

Small businesses create approximately 1.9 million jobs annually, according to the Small Business Administration, and they account for almost all the net new job creation. In addition, small businesses—those with fewer than 500 employees—comprise 99.9% of all the companies in the United States, and employ about half of all U.S. employees.

Local Businesses Support Your Neighborhoods

On average, 67 cents of every dollar you spend at a local small business stays in the local community. In addition, the small business reinvests 23 cents of each dollar into other local businesses, reports SCORE.

Local Business Owners Support Your Community

Local businesses are run by people who live in your community, and help to make impactful decisions concerning your community. Their influence has a direct effect on your quality of life.

You Receive Personal Service

Local business owners are dedicated to providing exceptional customer service. We have to in order to compete with the national brands. Because we know and understand our local customers, we can tailor our services to what they want and need. For example, at 123JUNK, we actually pick up the phone and talk to customers rather than have them go through an automated process. It’s those little touches that make us different and provide you with a better overall experience.

You Support Entrepreneurship

It’s the entrepreneurs who fuel innovation and the economy. Our owner started in 2008 at age 23 by buying a small landscaping truck to help people move items they no longer wanted to keep. Today, 123JUNK employs dozens of people and maintains a sizeable fleet of trucks—some of the largest in the industry!

123JUNK Supports Your Local Charities

We have developed charity partners including Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society, Passion for Community and A Wider Circle who rely on our donations to fund their programs. When you schedule a pickup from 123JUNK, we’ll sort through your items for things to donate, like household goods and furniture. People enjoy helping others, and you’ll get a real feeling of connection by helping to make the world a better place with your donations.

123JUNK is a Local Junk Removal Business

We sometimes hear that our clients are surprised when they find out 123JUNK is locally owned and operated. They think we’re much larger than we are. No, in fact, we’re a small business covering just Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. We worked hard during the pandemic to make sure that we kept our employees working and our customers satisfied, and your support helped us to survive.

For Local Junk Removal in VA, MD and DC, Contact 123JUNK

We make it a point to serve and support our clients and communities where we live. When you need local junk removal, appliance or furniture removal, or cleanout s ervices, contact 123JUNK.

123JUNK's professional development group for junk removal Virginia team

Getting Schooled at 123JUNK’s “JUNK-U”

Posted on July 6, 2021 | by collin

At 123JUNK, our leadership team is committed to helping our employees grow to their full potential. We started our own “university,” JUNK-U, first as a book club for all staff. We then expanded it to include a new professional development program focused on the growth of our fleet team. We’re very excited to continue to explore how to best serve our junk removal team members by adding courses and creating advancement opportunities for our employees. Below, we discuss JUNK-U with our very own Chief Operating Officer, Mallard “Mal” Owen, Ph.D.

How did the Professional Development Program at 123JUNK start?
I have a real passion for staff development and building the right kind of culture. We took five of our truck leads and asked if they were interested in spending 90 minutes on a Sunday night for 12 weeks to work on becoming a better employee and leader. We called it Professional Growth 101. We’re hoping that the time they’re investing is going to be helpful for their careers, whether they stay with 123JUNK or not.
What’s your role in the program?
I’m functioning as our first trainer, facilitator, coach, and mentor for JUNK-U. From my sports coaching, university teaching, and certified executive coaching experiences, I believe I’ve developed strong skills in the realm of performance management and leadership development. Helping others become great coaches of their direct reports is one of the most impactful ways I can help our company build a great culture with great managers. I am so excited to work together with these guys – and see them get excited as they make changes in their behaviors and see their performance improve. You can feel their excitement as they focus on things beyond ‘how well can I carry a couch down from the second floor and get it into the truck.’

There’s only so much technical skill they can develop. Collin and I are committed to creating a positive, proactive learning environment where team members understand what success looks like as a top performer within our company.
Can you give an example of how employees grow throughout the program?
After a session where we discussed the importance of “building connections” to being a trusted employee/leader, one of our “students” took the initiative to discover YouTube videos dealing with the topic. He was amazed at one person he found who was very skilled in connecting with the people he interviewed. He was so taken by this person’s ability to connect with others that he viewed many of his videos and then tried to engage his colleague in the same way.

As he was working on the trucks, instead of listening to music and bopping along to it, he chose to engage with his coworker through conversation—trying to build a better connection. In our next session, he was literally glowing with excitement as he shared his success in how much better he felt working with his coworker. It was a wonderful experience to introduce him to something that would create his own path for self-growth.
What do you see as the long-term goals for the program?
With all that we are working on at 123JUNK, I think my first focus has been to just get this program started. Seeing the reaction to the program so far, I know we are on the right path with JUNK-U. I’m already envisioning an advanced course for some and also imagining how we might include onboarding courses for new 123JUNK employees. The number and variety of courses will be driven by how quickly we grow and how we can best attract and retain the best talent. I certainly can’t be the only facilitator for what I envision, so it will be interesting to see how we leverage other resources to meet the development needs of our staff.

People need to have a deeper and richer understanding of the role they play in the workplace and the role they play in their own development. While our JUNK-U is just getting started, its launch speaks to our culture and vision for our company.
What have been your takeaways from this program so far?
I hold on to the belief that employees really do want to do their best at work. We would all rather be praised for a job well done than be admonished for underperforming. Compensation is very important, but it isn’t the primary motivator for people staying with an organization. Are you growing? Are you being developed? Do you feel like your capabilities are expanding? Are you being acknowledged for your successes while being given the chance to grow from your mistakes?

That’s what people are really hungry for in the workplace. It’s like people want to be loved. What can we do to have an impact on these young people’s lives? You want to walk into your company and genuinely feel appreciated and know that your company, your supervisor, wants to help you grow and succeed. And what can we do together to support our customers and have a positive impact on their lives?

Grow with us at 123JUNK in Northern VA, MD, and Washington DC!

No matter what you are looking for, you can be sure to learn a lot at our local junk removal company. Our unique team is composed of exceptionally hardworking and enthusiastic individuals that truly enjoy growing together. Whether they are helping residents haul away their junk or participating in our professional development group, they strive to become better each and every day.

Interested in joining our team? Check out our current openings or contact us at 800-364-5778 to learn more!