Kyle Newby, from Derbyshire, says he earns more doing this than 10 hours of hard graft in construction
Kyle says he is amazed how many people are using his services(Image: )
A resourceful dad-of-four is aiming to make serious money – by scooping up dog mess. Kyle Newby, 39, reckons he’s pulling in the equivalent of £24,000 annually with his unconventional side gig.
The builder has secured 35 regular clients who pay him £15 weekly to clear their pets’ droppings from their gardens. He launched Pet Poo Pick last March after noticing a boom in dog waste collection services across the pond.
Kyle, from Littleover, Derbyshire, says the majority of his clients are elderly or disabled and struggle to clean up after their dogs. He currently grafts 12 hours weekly across two days but is keen to grow the venture this year.
He explained: “I was at work and me and my mate were looking on Instagram and we saw how popular dog poo picking was in America. It’s really big in America so we thought we’d give it a whirl and bring it to the East Midlands.
“We’ve only seen a few people doing it in the UK so we went on Facebook and posted an advert and left it for a while. We were stunned, the customers just started rolling in. Since March we have built up a regular client base of 35 customers and 20 of them are disabled. A lot are on crutches so it’s hard for them to pick this poo up, we do this to help them.”, reports Wales Online.
Kyle has even branched out to provide a grass-cutting service for some of his disabled clients. He continued: “Some people struggle with the longer grass so we now do a mowing service for people who can’t do it themselves. We use disinfectant to get rid of stains left by the dog poo.”
Kyle charges £30 for the first appointment, followed by £15 weekly, which can net him approximately £2,000 monthly – working out at nearly £44 an hour.
Using a scooper, he collects the waste before thoroughly disinfecting the area. He admits he can pocket more in a single day clearing up dog mess than during a 10-hour construction shift.
READ MORE: Binman’s ‘tear it in half’ advice ahead of new four-bin ban listREAD MORE: Doctor urges action if you see one of these four ‘problems’ with you log burner
Kyle explained: “I do 15 customers on a Wednesday, 20 on a Saturday. When you think about it, you’re roughly picking up 14 pieces of poo per garden. We use a scooper and bag. It takes 10-15 mins per garden. I can be driving for around four hours in a day and can spend nearly three hours picking. I’ll start in Long Eaton and work my way across. At the minute, it’s a side job but it’s getting it all out there.
“I earn more on this for one day than I do on a longer day of construction, so it pays well. 30 odd customers each paying £15-a-week adds up. I’ve had mixed comments from trolls who are saying people are lazy. But you walk down the street and you see poo all the time.
“Not every owner picks it up. For those moaning, say if their mum was disabled and they can’t pick up the poo, I’d be ideal as they’d need our services then. It’s about helping them keep their spaces clean. We have a waste carriers licence so we’re all official.”
Kyle reveals the longest journey he’s undertaken for a collection was 50 miles to Newark, whilst demand continues to flood in from residents in Liverpool and County Durham requesting his lawn-cleaning services. Customer Peter Fisk has been using Kyle since December after a broken leg left him unable to pick up his dog’s waste.
Peter, 48, explained: “I’ve got a broken leg at the minute, and with the weather, I can’t get out to do it in case I slip. So Kyle’s great for that.
“I found it on Facebook. Once it gets a bit weather wise I’ll get him to do some of the garden bits, too. With the way my leg is, I’ll be using him for the rest of the year at least. Seeing him get the hose out after and doing it properly just proves he does a great service.
“I’ve basically got half a knee so I can’t put too much weight on my leg. It’s going to leave me with minimal movement, so I need the help.”
0 Comments