When one talks of the construction industry one generally visualises demolition works and the initial excavation and clearing of the site area to be used for constructing the proposed new project. These typically encompass the messiest elements of any project… and the most underestimated too.
Lino Micallef, who owns and runs JM Skip Hire, is directly involved in clearing and disposing of this waste material on a daily basis. J M Skip Hire also provides services to domestic households apart from construction companies and industrial markets by providing skips of varied sizes and specifications for hire, waste management and bulky refuse services, as well as excavation works.
Design & Build has interviewed Mr Micallef so as to garner details on what happens to all the waste materials that result from construction and development operations.
Lino had originally started his working life with his father in removals, furniture transport and similar services. This was a family tradition, going back to his grandfather and they were known as JM or Lino Transport. Came a time when his father decided to call it a day in removals and so JM Skips Hire came into being, in tandem with his father. Hence, he had bought his first truck at the tender age of eighteen in 2008, and had started out as a sole trader.
The experience he had got in removals included driving high-ups, giving a helping hand where generally needed, coordinating work requirements, handling heavy items and machinery delicately, and running the operations. Therefore, “moving from the family business to my personal enterprise was a smooth transition,” said Lino, adding that he had always had an innate desire to carve his own path in life. “As a teenager I had become my own boss! Buying my first truck was the easy part and after rendering it fit for heavy operations, the purchase of the actual skips followed. At first, I had only one skip to work with,” he reminisced.
“JM Skips can handle multiple sites simultaneously, at record turnaround rates”
In time he purchased further new – and second hand – skips to increase his fleet, as demand increased. This now has developed into a fleet of over 100 standard skips and a further 20 ‘container’ type skips. He told us that “five of this kind of container skips are of 40 cubic yards and fifteen further units are of 20 cubic yards. The standard skips are divided into two categories, six of the 6 cubic yards with the rest of the 2 cubic yards capacity. These easily cater for the local demands but, naturally, if there are further special demands for specific sites then we can accommodate accordingly through mixing different capacities as the client needs. Even if this means additional trips for us. As long as the client is satisfied, we’re happy! “Lino pointed out that from his experience of local development sites, there wouldn’t be much scope – or space on site – for larger skips as the sites themselves has little free space anyway. Indeed, “JM Skips can handle multiple sites simultaneously, at record turnaround rates,” Lino assures us.
Lino also explained that they do not charge for the use of the skip by the day/s on site but more by the volume and the type of content in the skips. Construction material in the skips is costed at specific rates. “For example,” he said, “mixed materials are costed differently as are recyclable materials. This latter type of waste material doesn’t have to sustain a tripping fee as it is not discarded and therefore it works out differently cost wise. There could also be cases where hazardous materials such as asbestos are involved and if we have the required specific certifications then we can collect them separately.
Disposing sites and quarries
One of the main problems that Lino comes across is actually finding the locations where to dump construction waste materials. “Mainly because there aren’t enough available. We can keep the material for some time but eventually we need to dispose of it somewhere.
“mixed materials are costed differently as are recyclable materials. This latter type of waste material doesn’t have to sustain a tipping fee”
The fact that we have our own site for keeping the waste collected also means that our employees can properly sift the materials collected and separate the metal from the stone and so on” he said. This makes life easier for them to keep an on-going schedule between finding the exact locations where to dispose of the waste materials collected and keeping their employees always busy on the job.
photo: a portion of the JM Skips site with loaded skips and containers, awaiting downtime while the site is constantly serviced
Lino underlined the fact that another of the factors which he feels gives JM Skips a strong edge over competitors in the local skips business is the availability of storage space on his own site which then puts him in a position to be able to focus directly on customer service and to always be in a position to give a high quality of service.
The sheer size of this operation, both in terms of the premises’ footprint as well as the number and range of skips and containers available at all times enables JM Skips to gather their undischarged loads in their premises whilst additional skips are sent to the site. In this manner, the development will not have to wait for discharge, which will then occur during downtime; on JM Skips’ clock, not of that of the client.
“the operation is more efficient, being more flexible with clients as they do not need to wait to be cleared before they can take on other work”
“It is surprising,” he added, “how much organisation of the debris is needed to do this job correctly.” This means that the operation is more efficient, being more flexible with clients as they do not need to wait to be cleared before they can take on other work. This obviously helps for a more streamlined and efficient service for their clients.
JM Skips – a variety of services
Additionally to this, JM Skips also offer high-up services up to a height of four storeys. They also have bulk tippers, and offer bulky refuse
services too; particularly useful for clients who are not necessarily in the construction industry but who might need to move bulky materials and boxes without the means to do so themselves. This is known as ‘Load and Wait’, which can even cope with transporting these storage boxes into narrow streets where possibly larger trucks cannot manoeuvre properly.
JM Skips also do tend to get involved with site clean-up jobs. Site cleaning can be either done manually or via machinery, and can also include mobile paper shredding and scrap metal collection too.
“Notably, our specialised machinery can rise to great heights and it can also move easily in basements as well as narrow alleys. We have invested in such high-quality machinery with the aim of catering for anyone who requests our services, no matter where they are based,” he added.
Lino makes it a point to also give competitive prices and a personalised service as well, for which his clients are very appreciable of. He also talked about the kind of client-appreciation that he has seen, such as some clients being very regular customers for at least ten years with daily requests for work. “Because of this close relationship, we sometimes have to also service them even on holidays or weekends,” he added. In fact, all of our clients keep returning to our efficient services while recommending us to other people!”
“If there’s rubble or waste of any form to be moved then we’re ready and on call”
When prodded, Lino readily admitted that a large portion of Malta’s strongest construction companies are their regular clients, “but there are also the other market players who work on smaller but equally important jobs, like interior house or office refurbishing, changing of bathrooms or of tiling etc, who are regular customers. Someone has to move the waste that these jobs create, and that too is where we come in. If there’s rubble or waste of any form to be moved then we’re ready and on call,” he proudly told us.
At the moment, Lino added, they have just been awarded two sizeable contracts, one by Water Services and another for part of the Marsascala drainage system. Here, specific skips will also be used for disposing of animal wastes.
The future?
It goes without saying that this ambitious and enthusiastic young man obviously has further growth plans in mind for the future but he is also cautious to expand, diversify and consolidate his growth through a studied strategy.
This is a service which necessitates a great amount of care. And JM Skip Hire are known for putting their heart and soul into what they do. A genuine passion for public cleanliness as well as love towards the environment are transmuted by Lino throughout our interview.
He also pointed to the fact that the construction industry is seeing a tightening up by the authorities and also through the existing situation of available sites. Lino also feels that the general population too needs to become more and more aware of its responsibilities towards creating and disposing of their own waste and debris properly. “We need to recycle more, both at work and at home,” he said. “We also need to think more of our limitations of size as an island. In fact, quarries are filling up fast and are soon running out of space for further future waste.
“We need to recycle more, both at work and at home … We also need to think more of our limitations of size as an island”
The entrepreneurial flair of this young man has developed over the first 14 years of his own organisations’ life into making JM Skips be rightfully considered by many in the industry to be one of the top skip hire companies around. At 32 years of age, Lino is obviously and justifiably proud of his achievements … and therefore looks forward to the future with more verve and drive.
Comment