Member Article

Industrious waste collection entrepreneur closes in on £1m after being denied startup funding

The founder of rubbish collection business, London Junk, is hoping to turnover £1m this year after the industrious entrepreneur worked 19 hour days to fund his startup.

Kingston University graduate, Harsha Rathnayake, launched London Junk in 2008, armed only with an MBA and a three and a half ton Ford Transit tipper truck he received in lieu of his final month’s pay after the waste management company he worked for shut down.

However, with the credit crunch at its height and Harsha’s lack of a credit history, his attempts to seal a startup loan for his new business were rebuffed by the banks.

Not to be deterred, the waste management entrepreneur began working 19 hour days, seven days a week to fund his business, including morning shifts delivering papers and working as a delivery driver for a local Indian restaurant in the evening.

Talking about the early days of his business, he said: “Getting any company off the ground isn’t easy and I certainly had to work very hard to make my vision a reality.

“The banks even refused to let me open a bank account as I didn’t have any credit history in the UK. I knew the only option I had was to find part-time work.

“So I put all my energy and effort into growing my business. I woke up at 4:30am every morning to do the paper round for a local newsagent. Every day was the same, I only ever knew it was the weekend because the papers would feel heavier due to the supplements.

“I’d come home and get back on my truck to get on with the rubbish collections from 8:00am. My duties included loading all the rubbish, driving it to recycling centres, answering calls, dealing with email enquiries and dropping leaflets on less busy days.”

After an exhausting first year in business where Harsha said his aim was to keep existing customers happy as much as find new ones, he was able to purchase another truck, hire two new employees and finally give up his part-time jobs to focus fully on London Junk.

Now the business has grown to encompass six brand new custom-made trucks and ten uniformed waste disposal operatives from its Willesden base, and looks set to turnover £1m for the first time this year.

Harsha also has ambitious to franchise London Junk across the capital, a far cry from the days when he barely had time to grab four hours sleep each night.

Commenting on the firm’s impressive growth, Harsha said: “I’ve bought new trucks each year since and employed more people. Today after seven years, I have developed the business to a point where we employ ten people and have a fleet of six trucks.

“All the hard work and sacrifice was worth it and I’m very pleased to have proved the banks wrong.”

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