The Bertsch family is expecting a new child in May.
But with new regulations for cribs and car seats, the old baby equipment from two other children was out of date and just taking up space in their East Lansing home.
To dispose of the useless pieces, Brian and Ann Bertsch called 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Two workers dressed in blue uniforms arrived in a truck Thursday afternoon to haul away the items.
"The look is so important, especially to a homeowner," Brian Bertsch said. "They don't want anyone coming to the house that looks like trash, even though they are hauling trash."
Employees of the company are required to wear blue uniforms and clean their trucks daily.
That image is the driving concept behind the trash-hauling company that started with a college student in 1989. An East Lansing affiliate opened in February at 2970 E. Lake Lansing Road.
Brian Scudamore, the corporation's founder and CEO, was in Vancouver, British Columbia, when he spotted an old, beat-up truck at a McDonald's and thought about starting a trash-removal service.
Scudamore entered college with his sights set on a business degree. But four years after creating the trash company for $1,000, he dropped out and invested his life into the junk-hauling business.
"I figured who needs a business degree if I've already got a successful business?" Scudamore said. "I knew that it would become something bigger."
Since then, 1-800-GOT-JUNK has grown into a $72 million business with 146 franchise locations in North America.
"The service has existed forever, but people didn't know of a brand," Scudamore said. "They didn't know who to call."
The company has removed everything from a truckful of escargot and 18,000 pounds of sardines to a deactivated bomb. Some workers even stumble upon valuable collector's items, including a set of comic books that sold for $5,000 on eBay.
The entrepreneur said he still goes out once a year with the trucks to pick up people's possessions.
"Everybody's got junk," he said. "There's just some crazy stuff out there."
A job costs between $96 for a minimum load and $478 for a full truck.
The company often donates clothes and furniture to local charities and recycles materials, such as steel and aluminum, said Mike Bone, sales and marketing director for the East Lansing franchise.
The local affiliate operates one truck at this time, but Bone said he hopes to have three by September.
Jason Blanken, operations manager and truck loader, said sitting behind a desk every day "got really old," and he enjoys the spontaneous nature of the trash-removal business.
"The fun part is breaking stuff," he said.
