Corridor waste removal businesses try to keep up

As the water rises, so does the workload for area waste removal companies.

'We're swamped,” said Becky Quinby of DS Disposal in Cedar Rapids. 'The phone was ringing every three minutes and while I was on the phone, people were leaving messages.”

Quinby said she took more than 200 phone calls Tuesday, beginning at 5 a.m. following rising water levels in Cedar Rapids that flooded homes.

The business has a waiting list for customers who want to get access to waste containers, but they can't provide a time estimate because customers use the containers for varying amounts of time.

'After every flood, you hope it's the last one,” said owner Rod Grother.

Quinby said July is typically the busy season, with the weather allowing people to move or complete construction projects, but flooding adds an influx of business.

Grother said because the business is small - it has 70 waste containers - it stays busy throughout the year.

And there could be more business to come.

Greg Hintz of Waste Management in Cedar Rapids said it has had a few more trucks go out to work and is anticipating more need in the next few days from residents and commercial contractors.

He said most of what the company is hauling away is what is found in a basement - carpet, padding or things that sit in boxes for years.

And while Cedar Rapids is once again dealing with flooding, Grother said it doesn't necessarily boost business - just stress.

'It's not good for business,” he said. 'Our volume did jump up, but overall, I'd rather just have steady. Steady is better than bombarded.”