At times, household tasks require additional support, such as the arrival of junk removal crews that you are about to encounter.
The demand for spring cleaning projects has filled the schedule, but as explained by CBS 2’s Lauren Victory, another significant reason is keeping the company busy.
The Junk Removal Dudes, owned by Alex Broches, specialize in disposing of unwanted furniture, including decades-old recliners and various belongings.
On a busy day, they typically handle around 15 to 20 houses, which is remarkable considering that this started as a hobby.
What initially began as a side gig with an SUV and a trailer has now evolved into a full-fledged business.
They regularly tackle challenging situations involving hoarding.
Due to the nature of their work, they were coy as to what they could say in media interviews. They’ve come across a wide variety of items in their retrieval business.
While some of the discarded items find new homes through donations, most of the junk ends up being disposed of.
The Junk Removal Dudes have already cleaned out over 1,000 homes this year, loading job after job onto their sizable trucks.
At the end of the day, they take the remaining items to the landfill. This system makes them more efficient and quicker and allows them to offer slightly reduced prices.
The business is thriving, and it’s not solely due to Broches’ entrepreneurial skills. An increasing number of customers are contacting them for a specific reason: people are moving out of the state.
Customer Kelly Smaltz complained that the tax rates in Illinois are just too exorbitant.
Smaltz and her husband were relocating overseas for work, and financial considerations influenced their decision, as well as the choices of their friends.
Within the Smaltz friend circle, about ten have either left or are leaving Illinois because, tax-wise, it has become an extremely challenging place to reside.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population decline recently resulted in Illinois losing a congressional seat.
One of The Junk Removal Dudes’ customers, John Simon, is not moving away but teaches about the census at Northern Illinois University. He shed light on the matter.
Simon stated that each U.S. House of Representatives seat should represent approximately 761,000 people.
This number has decreased from the previous count of 18 seats to 17. It’s not just residents leaving Illinois; there is also a lack of incoming population.
Illinois lost a congressional seat due to stagnant population growth, Simon clarified.
The Junk Removal Dudes are keeping a close eye on these developments.
I’m trying to anticipate what the future holds, not only for my business but also for other business owners, Broches reflected.
Before the pandemic, around 30 percent of customers were leaving the state of Illinois, but now, that percentage has risen to over half.
This means that piles of junk, as well as people, are on the move.
