Two former longtime employees of Bestway Disposal have joined with two trucking industry veterans to form Carefree Disposal, the latest entrant into the suddenly crowded Colorado Springs trash market.
Darrell Stutzman and Renae Rockwell both left Bestway last year, two years after the company was acquired by Canadian waste giant GFL Environmental, and joined with Scott and Ricky Saunders of local trucking company Carefree Heavy Haul to form Carefree Disposal last month. The new company plans to begin picking up trash March 1 from homes in western and central Colorado Springs and expand to the entire city within three years.
Carefree joins GFL, Waste Management, Waste Connections and Infinite Disposal, which expanded Feb. 1 from Teller and Chaffee counties to the Colorado Springs area. Both Carefree and Infinite say they decided to enter the Colorado Springs market after Waste Connections acquired Springs Waste Systems, the area’s last major locally owned trash company, in December to become the area’s largest trash hauler.
“We will offer the highest level of customer service available. We started the company because our friends, family and everyone else was complaining about their trash service,” said Scott Saunders, who is president of Carefree Disposal. “All of us were born and raised on the west side of Colorado Springs, and we feel that somebody local needs to pick up trash and do it right.”
The company will start out with a single truck serving the 80903, 80904, 80905, 80906, 80907, 80909 and 80919 Zip codes and will add a second truck April 1 to start offering recycling service. Carefree Disposal plans to begin offering commercial service May 1 and start adding adjacent ZIP codes to its territory this summer, Scott Saunders said. The four owners are Carefree Disposal’s only employees, but the company will hire up to 40 employees and expand its fleet to 30 trucks to serve the entire city.
Stutzman joined Bestway in 1982, left to become a mechanic, then returned to the company in 1990, serving in roles that included driver, working in commercial accounts, coordinating routes, heading the maintenance operation and serving as fleet manager. He left the company in August and is Carefree’s vice president. Rockwell spent 17 years working in Bestway’s office, left the company in June and will manage Carefree’s office.
Scott Saunders owns Carefree Heavy Haul with his father and brother and has worked for construction and trucking companies before starting Carefree Heavy Haul in 2003. Ricky Saunders has spent his entire career with Carefree Heavy Haul and will serve as general manager of Carefree Disposal. Carefree Heavy Haul and Carefree Disposal are separate companies, but share offices, a maintenance facility and other assets, Scott Saunders said.
Customers can reach the company for more information or to sign up for service at 635-9999 or www.carefreedisposal.com.
This content was originally published here.