Waste Management launches company's first-ever- retail product: Bagster® Dumpster in a Bag®
Convenient, Affordable Solution for Do-It-Yourselfers and Small Contractors To Remove Debris from Renovation and Clean-Up Projects
HOUSTON, May 5, 2010 – Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) today announced the national expansion of its first-ever retail product – Bagster®, Dumpster in a Bag®. An innovation in waste removal, this product is a cost-effective, on-demand solution for do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiasts or professional contractors when a dumpster is too big for the job. It is ideal for projects ranging from home renovations and neighborhood clean-up projects to garage organization and spring cleaning.
The Bagster® bag is a highly durable, woven bag that will not tear if punctured and can hold three cubic yards of debris and up to 3,300 pounds, including full sheets of plywood, doors and even a bathtub.
Bagster® bags can be purchased at participating home improvement and hardware stores, a list of which is available at www.thebagster.com. Homeowners and contractors can use the bag for as long as they need to complete their project. When the task is finished, collection can be paid for and scheduled online at www.thebagster.com or by calling 1-877-789-2247. A local operating subsidiary of Waste Management will collect the bag within three business days.
Up until this point, consumers either had to rent a dumpster or haul their debris to a disposal site. But for a number of projects, a dumpster is too large and increased regulations on curb-side removal by local municipalities present challenges for homeowners tackling DIY projects.
“With more homeowners tackling home improvement projects themselves and contractors taking on smaller jobs to make ends meet, we saw a real opportunity to give our customers a more convenient and affordable alternative when a dumpster doesn’t meet their need,” said David Aardsma, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Waste Management. “The Bagster® bag is our latest innovation in helping manage materials and waste more efficiently, enhancing our service offering and growing new markets.”
Suggested retail price for a Bagster® bag is $29.95. The collection fee varies by market ranging from $79 to $159; depending on the area – generally the cost is 50 to 70 percent less than a dumpster rental.
“We saw a major void in the marketplace for managing waste for smaller projects and with Waste Management’s national footprint, we can fill this void,” said Scott Rhodes, a founder of the Bagster® bag and now director at Waste Management. “We think contractors are going to love the flexibility of the Bagster® bag and homeowners will be inspired by the convenience and affordability it offers.”
Bagster® bags can be purchased in 38 U.S. states at local home improvement and hardware stores, including participating The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, True Value and Do-It-Best stores. The Bagster® bag will be available throughout most parts of Canada starting July 2010.
For more information and to see a demonstration of the Bagster® bag in action, visit www.thebagster.com.
About Waste Management
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America. The Bagster® bag is provided by WM Bagco, LLC, a Waste Management company. Collection services provided by a local operating subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc. Bagster®, Dumpster in a Bag®, BUY. FILL. GONE. ®, and Take It OnSM are marks of WM Bagco, LLC. To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thebagster.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are information of a non-historical nature or which relate to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. In many cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors. The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date of this release. We undertake no ongoing obligation to update these statements.
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