In this episode of The Boost, host Leon Hitchens sits down with Melissa Martini, the CEO and co-founder of Waste Away, an on-demand trash service based in San Antonio. Melissa shares how her company is revolutionizing waste disposal by providing an Uber-like service for trash pickup while creating job opportunities for local residents. They also dive into Melissa’s entrepreneurial journey, how her background in education and ministry informs her leadership style, and how the Geekdom community helped her build a successful business from the ground up.
Hosts:
Pablo Calvo: Linkedin
Guest:
Melissa Martini: Linkedin
YouTube:
Podcast:
Hosts:
Pablo Calvo: Linkedin
Guest:
Melissa Martini: Linkedin
Find Us:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBoostChannel
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AHGT1Aoq9oAHZEHeORBpa?si=1cea25e611bb4ec6
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-boost/id1720047128
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBoostChannel
Website: https://theboost.fm
Key Discussion Points:
- Introduction to Waste Away:
- Melissa explains the concept behind her company, which provides an on-demand trash pickup service using contracted drivers—essentially a “DoorDash for trash.”
- How the Idea Came About:
- Melissa talks about the initial inspiration for Waste Away, co-founded with Cedric, and how they identified gaps in the trash and bulk pickup services offered by the city of San Antonio.
- Challenges in the Trash Industry:
- Discussion on the oversaturated junk removal market, the limitations of existing trash services, and how Waste Away is filling the void by providing an accessible, on-demand solution.
- Collaborations with the City:
- Melissa shares her experience working with the city of San Antonio, including meetings with the Solid Waste Management team and Reworks SA, who are exploring opportunities for bulk pickups and recycling services.
- The Transition from B2C to B2B:
- As Waste Away evolved, Melissa discovered new opportunities in the B2B space, particularly with small and medium-sized businesses struggling to manage recycling costs.
- The Entrepreneurial Journey:
- Melissa reflects on her transition from an elementary school PE teacher to entrepreneur, balancing business, education, and family, all while pursuing a doctoral degree.
- The Importance of Community:
- Melissa credits Geekdom’s incubator program and the support from fellow entrepreneurs for Waste Away’s early success, emphasizing how critical it is to have a strong network when starting a business.
Conclusion:
Melissa’s story of resilience, community support, and innovation is an inspiring reminder that entrepreneurship is more about the journey than the destination. Waste Away is not only solving an everyday problem but also creating positive change in the community. Melissa’s insights on balancing life’s many demands while growing a business are valuable lessons for all aspiring founders.
Leon (00:00):
My name’s Leon Hitchens. We’re here on another episode of The Boost with Melissa Martini, CEO of Waste Away, and we’re at Geekdom. We’re going to be talking about her company, her journey, and then just a little bit about Geekdom. Really appreciate you coming on and again, I know we were talking a little bit before, but I know it’s always a hassle. I’d love to learn a little bit about Waste Away for the viewers. I know we’ve talked a lot, I’ve helped mentor you through the Geekdom program, but let’s give the elevator pitch.
Melissa (00:38):
Sure. Well first thank you for having us on. Waste Away is on demand trash service provider where we can help anybody with their trash troubles needs using a quick and efficient method. We’re using contracted drivers who are able to transport trash from whoever makes the order to one of our dumpsters that are placed throughout the city.
Leon (00:59):
Okay. So DoorDash, Uber,
Melissa (01:01):
Like a DoorDash of trash. So we’re solving the problems with trash and then also creating income opportunities for the residents of San Antonio. Alright,
Leon (01:09):
I like that. I like the tried and true model and then especially contractors, you’ve got a little less hassle in terms of that.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yes.
Leon (01:17):
How did you get to this, and I don’t think I’ve ever actually asked, how did you get to the idea of trash?
Melissa (01:24):
A pretty
Leon (01:25):
Business, but a very,
Melissa (01:26):
It is not a pretty business. When we were doing the pre-accelerator, we’re doing our walkout music, we were looking at Sexy Beck because we were like, we’re changing up trash, we’re changing the whole dynamics of trash. Trash hasn’t been changed in a long time, but the way that it came about was Cedric and the other co-founder were having conversations about business ideas that we had had, and so we kind of were pitching our ideas to one another and he had the idea of an on-demand bulk pickup service using an app very similar to what our model is. And so once we started researching the market and really finding out that it’s very, very oversaturated market, there’s a lot of haulers, there’s a lot of junk removal type companies, but when we started researching trash, we found there weren’t a lot of options available. The city’s trash provider, they do offer two pickups annually, extra pickups if you were to miss trash, which is relatively common I feel like. Yeah, I know I miss trash quite more than twice,
Leon (02:31):
More than twice a year. Most of the time it’s like cans are out and then I forget to clean out the fridge and then you’ve got chicken or you do a party in there. So I see those cases in two for all the different holidays. It doesn’t feel,
Melissa (02:47):
Or if you accidentally sleep in and just forget to put it out twice, you’re going to do it more than twice a year.
(02:54):
And so when we found that they only offered it twice and started looking at the other trash providers and they don’t offer it at all, we recognize like, oh, this is pretty limiting. And then recognizing, I’ve done that, you’ve done that, we’ve done that. All of us have done this. And so starting to realize this is something that has impacted us all and how did we remedy it when we had that problem and no judgment, but I’ve taken trash to commercial dumpsters that I shouldn’t have gone to. I’ve even walked across the street to my neighbor’s yard in the wee hours of the night and saw their trash looked like space and opportunity. And so I took advantage and I stuck a bag in there. All things that I shouldn’t be doing, but I didn’t have another alternative. I think
Leon (03:40):
We’ve all done it. We’ve all thrown something in the dump. I’m in a new home build and they always put a bunch of trash. I take full advantage of that and it’s a conversation that I’m sure I never want to have with a police or anybody
Melissa (03:58):
Talk. I’ve seen that the city is putting up advertisements on billboards about cracking down on it. So yeah, it must be becoming far more problematic than we realize. I’m seeing it
Leon (04:11):
At the right time then
Melissa (04:13):
Yes, apartment communities are one area we’ve been exploring. Those are ones that are I guess easy targets where a lot of people are jumping trash in them. But yeah, it started from the idea of a bulk pickup and then recognizing that it was oversaturated, but trash had a lot of problems with what our offerings were and it impacted us. And so once we started doing the research, we found that we were really, really onto something. And so here we are.
Leon (04:43):
It’s a good story. I think a lot of founders, they struggle initially to an idea and then taking something that’s impactful and then evolving with it, I think that’s an important part where you actually evolved and you got to where you are. And it sounds like you’ve got a little bit of traction too, so it it’s a pain point. How are you on that journey? Where are you from the startup idea?
Melissa (05:14):
So we’ve had a couple meetings with the city, which I think is quite significant. So when we first met with Solid Waste Management, we were hoping to help them with the missed trash pickups because it’s significant. In 2023, they had 80,000 missed pickup requests. That’s quite a bit. And so we thought maybe we could help you guys out reduce the carbon footprint by using regular vehicles as opposed to these big giant trucks, but found that they really had a well-oiled machine. And so they told us in a very kind way, you can’t help us with that. However, and this might be Intel, the city is looking at changing their bulk pickup to an on-demand service rather than the door hangers that they typically put out. And so they want to have a conversation with us in 2025 to see about our systems and implementing something similar for bulk.
Leon (06:13):
That’s when I think trash. And when I heard your idea, I was thinking B2C, but it sounds like you’ve really transitioned to that B2B, you’ve got,
Melissa (06:23):
There is a lot of B2B. It’s like peeling an onion. The more layers we unfold, the more keep presenting itself. I didn’t understand the B2B side of it when we started Cedric. He was already in that mode. He always tends to have more vision than me. But anyhow, you’re right, the B2B opportunities, and that’s not the only meeting we had with the city Reworks SA does recycling.
(06:49):
And so they came to our 1 million cups pitch at the library for Launch SA and immediately stopped us as soon as we finished pitching and wanted to have a conversation with us, sit down with us. Because on the commercial side of things, you have about 95% of the businesses in San Antonio or small to medium sized businesses. And so they want the opportunity to recycle, but the cost of the receptacle is so expensive that they can’t afford to. And so what they’re hoping to do is bridge the gap by being able to provide them with those receptacles. They can contact us in an on demand situation to come and get those items for them so they won’t need the costly expense of the big receptacle.
Leon (07:35):
I’ve never thought about the cost of crush. We all pay our water bill or city bill and there, especially on the business side. That’s an interesting one because I know recycling’s hard and I know it’s expensive, but I’ve never thought about the small businesses, restaurants, what they do with the boxes, the boutiques and everything. So it’s definitely an untapped market there. These conversations, how did those get going? Those are really large conversations and I think a hard thing, just kind of cold email. Yes. Was there help or did you
Melissa (08:11):
Email somebody? So we did get help through the gingham community when we were in the incubator program, John and Charles, John, JRG and Charles Wooden and put in a connection email for us through the city. It was through the innovation department initially, and then they were able to point us into the direction of solid waste management. And so when we went, we were sitting in there with the directors of solid, it wasn’t just
(08:43):
Somebody like, oh, talk to these new kids on the block. No, we were in there with some pretty substantial people that it was a great experience. I’ll tell you Leon, it was really great because we’re here with these well seasoned veterans in the industry and we were keeping up with them. We only have just over a year under our belts in this industry. And so the dialogue was flowing. We understood their language and so it was just really affirming to us the work that we had been doing was coming through in such a great way. But that was the connection initially with the city. And then when we pitched for 1 million Cups Launch SA invited them knowing that we were the ones that were pitching. And so they put that in order for us. They really did a solid
Leon (09:33):
By
Melissa (09:33):
Putting the right people in the room.
Leon (09:35):
That’s the hardest part is especially if you don’t have a network,
(09:38):
And I think I talked to a lot of founders here at Geekdom, I think that’s the most important part of the program is it’s making those connections, putting the puzzle pieces and helping somebody that’s kind of navigating it because trash, it’s its own beast. And a lot of, to your point, a lot of services are coming away from trash. It used to be two pickups a week and then it’s one, and then now it’s times get shorter. What you can put in there gets less and less. So I think it’s in really hot market because trash is not sexy, but it’s an expensive business. The recycling part’s really interesting to me too because what I know of recycling, it’s kind of a business that doesn’t make money ever. The cities lose money, it’s a hard thing to do and a lot of things are just not recycled actually, like glass and all of that. Have you talked to any recycling centers or even any of that to get these things to the right areas?
Melissa (10:47):
Cedric is actually working on it right now and just finding different areas, different avenues for it. Like you’re saying when it comes to cardboard boxes, there’s different facilities that’ll take strictly that even compost goes into the recycling side of things. But your people who are willing to take compost, it is very limited on what they will take and what they won’t take. When it comes to e-waste, that’s another form of recycling. So you have companies who are taking those items for free. So it’s like you have to really do your due diligence to be able to know where to take these things. And so that knowledge just isn’t accessible to most people unless you’re willing to sit down your grocery bags, HEB, if you go to get those things, a lot of people thought you could recycle those. They are not recyclable. It’s a one-time use plastic. And
Leon (11:41):
I imagine plastics probably going to destroy those plastic bags, probably destroy machines.
Melissa (11:47):
There is a company out of Austin that does take those bags. I’m not sure what they’re doing with it. So we found that through reworks, going through their website and looking at all their resources and who their affiliates with. But if you go to HEB and Walmart, you see that they’ll have these containers outside where you can take them. But I don’t know how many people are following through on that. It’s a bit inconvenient, you have to remember, but it’s you really wanting to take the step towards making a difference. And so I think the more that people understand that a one time use plastic, a water bottle for example, we really need to veer away from that as best as we can. And so what happens with it being so expensive for cycling is the more you’re using a regular cup as opposed to a one-time plastic bottle, you’re producing less waste essentially. Yeah,
Leon (12:44):
I like that. And the benefit of TikTok and everything is you get a lot more of the Stanley’s and that. So while social media is a little iffy, I do like that I see more of the normal of, oh yeah, you got a water bottle 15 years ago it was kind of like, oh, you got a water bottle. Now it’s a norm. One thing that you’ve been talking about is the trash industry or whatever we want to call it. Trash is new to you. You’ve only been in it in a year. Yes. What were you doing before? What are you doing now?
Melissa (13:22):
Sure.
Leon (13:24):
I want to know your background
Melissa (13:25):
A little bit more. Okay. I’ve been in education for 18 years. I’m an elementary PE teacher.
Leon (13:31):
I love that.
Melissa (13:31):
Yes.
Leon (13:34):
Favorite teacher’s all through school,
Melissa (13:35):
Always
Leon (13:36):
Pe.
Melissa (13:36):
Yeah. It’s fun to be the favorite on, you’re like the fun break from academics, right? It’s
Leon (13:41):
Still a little hard.
Melissa (13:42):
It is hard, but there’s a lot of character development that happens in my class. And so while I’m teaching them about health and fitness and sports and things, I really care about helping them on their path to being good people in life, which is kind of going to lead me into the next section. But I’m in ministry as well. And so what found when God called me to ministry was like I’ve really been ministering to my students my whole educational career just by teaching them godly principles, not speaking on God directly, but teaching them about kindness and acceptance and all these things that matter
Leon (14:20):
Being a good human being, a good human respectful and all of that. I believe in that, yes, integrity,
Melissa (14:26):
All those things that are so important and they’re getting to learn through play, which sports.
Leon (14:33):
And I think that’s an important model. It’s impactful. Not something you quite think about, but it is like teamwork, not cheating, who wins, who loses, being graceful and all of that. I like the connection.
Melissa (14:45):
So they kind of work hand in hand. And then on top of that, I’m a doctoral candidate right now, so I’m in practicum and dissertation, so I’m coming close to the finish line. And so I’ve got a lot of things going on. And then business came about. So when we started in business, it’s just been very affirming. Even when I said yes to going back to school, when I said yes to ministry, when I said yes to business, it was me just being an obedient person and following God’s word and listening to him and letting him direct my path. And so it seems like a overwhelming plate and it is on a lot of days to be honest with you, but I know he’s never going to give me more than I can handle. But it’s been interesting to just kind of be in the passenger seat of life and see what all is in store.
(15:37):
Because with this business, by only being one year in, I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe things are determined, predetermined for us. And so just by seeing and being obedient and walking that path and seeing these windows of opportunity and doors of opportunity that keep presenting themselves to us, that is affirming to know, alright, whatever it is you have, I’m going to do it. And so I know that by living that way, that everything that I had in store for myself could never compare to what is in store for me. And so I want everything that God has for me and I’m grateful for the connections that he’s making on our behalf for the business. Personal connections as well, because it’s fruitful. Quality of life. It’s fruitful.
Leon (16:34):
I sense it’s a happiness, it’s a satisfaction. That’s a hard thing. You’ve got a lot. That is an impressive resume of just what has happened right now you’re an educator, you’re in ministry, you’ve got school, you’ve got a business that is,
Melissa (16:51):
And I’m momming. And I am momming. It’s a verb, right? I’ve got three kids too. I’ve got 13, 10, and nine. So I’ve got three kids.
Leon (16:59):
So you’ve got in all fronts, your hands full. Do the children ever?
Melissa (17:04):
Absolutely. Absolutely. They’re like, we have an order. Yeah, you got to put the gloves on, let’s go.
Leon (17:10):
I love that. It is teaching them the entrepreneurial way. It’s also showing them just like that you can do a lot in life. And that’s a hard thing to teach. Somebody is like, Hey, you can balance everything and you can do that.
Melissa (17:28):
That is probably my most favorite piece of what I’m doing right now is that they get to witness it, the
Leon (17:36):
Building part. And I think what most people don’t see is the building. They see the success, they see the, I walked upstairs and I saw your flyer. I’ve heard some folks talk about you all positive, but they see that and they don’t see the year to build. The year to think of this idea, the hardship of balancing work and balancing life and telling the kids, Hey, I need to do something that is the unseen and unsung part of being a founder entrepreneur in the journey. I really applaud you.
Melissa (18:15):
Thank you for it. Because
Leon (18:17):
I struggle. I struggle with a lot of those of like, oh, where should I be? Should I prioritize this or that? And I like the door opening and just kind of the passenger seat. a lot of luck in life. You have to manufacture it, but there is a lot of, is the opportunity there, do you take it where you set up?
Melissa (18:39):
Yeah. In ministry. I know I’ve had to have that talk with some people. It’s like God could bless you with a home, but that doesn’t mean just because he gave you that you should stop paying your mortgage. You still have to continue to do the work and recognize the blessings that are there. It is not just the home, it’s the love inside the home. And that’s what I did with my children. Just to give you a piece that might be beneficial with you, balancing all your things with family and work is I just made sure to have strong communication with my kids. And so I let them know out the gate, I’m going to be really busy and I love watching y’all play basketball and being here for this and for that, but I can’t be at everything and I need you to know that I love you no matter what. And so we, we had a conversation on the way to school today. They asked me, when does it stop being busy? And I’m like, soon, just hold on with me. We’re almost there. And so just continuing to have those open conversations with them and anybody, I believe in the power of community. This environment at Geekdom has been tremendous. I know you wanted to talk about Geekdom and I feel like I might be geeked them’s number one cheerleader.
Leon (20:00):
That’s good. And you did the full breadth of programs. So that was
Melissa (20:05):
Bootcamp incubator. And we did them all within the course of that first year of starting the business, we formed the business July 30th.
Leon (20:17):
Oh wow. Okay. Of 23.
Melissa (20:19):
23.
Leon (20:20):
So a year in
Melissa (20:23):
13. Just a little bit of change. Right. So, so we went through all the programming and testimony geeked them is just, I don’t know if we would’ve come this far without the community that Gee has provided the introductions. They’re literally holding your hand and helping you develop. I didn’t have business experience. Cedric didn’t have business experience. And here we are with a full functioning business that’s paying the bills.
Leon (20:54):
You’ve got a crash course in business. And I think that’s the school of hard knocks. I think a lot of folks underestimate what business is, and it’s a lot of people. It’s a lot of managing things and it’s also a lot of conscientiousness of remembering your meetings and all that. And it’s a hard thing to see on the outside. But experiencing and getting a run through with support, I think you’ve highlighted it, but I think that’s what a lot of folks really miss out on. And having a spot to go to. You mentioned Long Chae down at the San Antonio Library, that’s a great resource for people. You’ve got geek them. And I think there’s so many more that folks don’t know about or they don’t hear about or they don’t think it applies to them. And I’ll say it too, is just get out there, go to the events and show up and meet Melissa. And
Melissa (21:50):
Even just the people. Not like anybody that holds an official title, but other entrepreneurs that are pursuing their own business, you’re able to share your war stories or what has worked for you and bounce ideas off of one another. It’s just such a welcoming environment. Encouraging environment. And then in those areas where you may have lack, they’re here within this one stop shop where you can get the assistances. We don’t have a tech background either. Right.
Leon (22:22):
So did you, sorry to interrupt you, but did you pay somebody to build an app? How did you get to that?
Melissa (22:29):
No, we have been learning, our hands are in every piece of this business. So learning how to develop a website, how to develop an app. Cedric is building through Flutter Flow. And that was by way of John again. So John was like, have you ever heard of a drag and drop app builder? And we didn’t know what low-Code, no-code was the term he used.
Leon (22:49):
Yes.
Melissa (22:50):
And so we’re like, oh, Google. And so we found Flutter Flow is what we found. And then we found that there was a connection to Flutter Flow because the lead designer from Flutter Flow actually lived in San Antonio,
Leon (23:06):
Small world.
Melissa (23:08):
And so here we are sitting down with this guy from Flutter Flow, who is their lead designer helping us develop the app. And so it was a connection that we made.
Leon (23:18):
And that app, is that available now or not quite? Not yet. Okay.
Melissa (23:21):
Not yet. There’s some challenges with the back end, the front end. It’s fun making it look pretty. But where we went wrong was I designed the front end and Cedric designed the back end,
Leon (23:33):
Kind of separate. You got to put those two parts together.
Melissa (23:38):
We’re learning. So we know the next time that we have to do anything of that sort to work together throughout the process.
Leon (23:46):
So somebody could today fill out a form, get serviced, and that is at, what’s the web address? It’s
Melissa (23:53):
Waste away tx.com.
Leon (23:55):
Waste away tx.com. I’ll put those in the show notes. Thank you. I’ll put a QR code and stuff for you and we can put it on the screen.
Melissa (24:00):
Very good.
Leon (24:01):
Is there any last part you want to tell future founders or even founders that are going through building their business right now?
Melissa (24:09):
Yeah, the word entrepreneur is one that sounds really sexy and maybe at some point it becomes sexy, but it is challenging. But it’s where you recognize your reasoning and your purpose behind doing it is where it makes it worth it. And so when you’re going through those challenging moments, it’s okay for you to take a break. It’s okay for you to have failures, but you get back on the bike, get back on the bike, and think about riding that bike for the first time and trying to get it. You keep going until you get it. And having a community around you is so beneficial. But also prioritizing yourself in the midst of it because it’s very easy to become consumed by the work and wanting to reach the pentacle of success, whatever that might be, but just take it one day at a time.
Leon (25:10):
I appreciate that. And just on our conversation, you’ve got success. Out of all the founders I’ve talked to and everybody building businesses, I don’t think anybody’s ever really looked around and said, it’s impressive where I’m at. I’m happy where I’m at. And yes, there’s a lot of work to be done, but you’ve really given it’s an impressive message. And then also just how you keep it together is that right there. And you don’t see that a lot with people. There’s a lot of struggles all the time. So I really appreciate you coming on. I’ll put the information in the show notes, but thank you so much for joining the booth.
Melissa (25:53):
Thank you for everybody
Leon (25:55):
Listening. You can go to the Boost fm, subscribe, and then I’ll put all the information for Waste Away Below.