All Fired Up

It looks like Brisbane has skipped spring completely and gone straight into summer. (Don’t panic. I’m talking only about the weather. The footy finals are still on, okay?) That means the bushfire season has started early. And believe me, this is one game you don’t want anything to do with.

So it’s time to prepare for the months ahead by making sure your home is as safe from bushfires as you can make it. And before you say “But my house is in a safe area”, remember that some of the bushfires Victoria experienced in 2009 travelled at up to 100km/h. Still think you’re safe? Some people can’t even drive that fast—especially on the highway.

It’s time to get to work.

If you’ve got trees in your backyard you’ve been meaning to trim, now’s the time. Grab your chainsaw/bushman’s saw/Ginsu steak knife and go to work. But please, no re-enacting scenes from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, okay? The only limbs we want removed are those from the trees.

Next, grab a ladder and clear out the roof gutters. Yes, you may have to buy one if you can’t beg, borrow or steal one from the neighbours. But chances are you’ll recoup most of your money selling the tennis balls, toy planes and Frisbees you find up there back to the kids next door.

What about those “storage areas” such as the garage and under the house? Chances are they’ve become a dumping zone for cardboard boxes, old paint tins and anything else you don’t use but can’t throw away “just in case”. Sorry, but it’s time to use ‘em or lose ‘em. Get rid of the paint tins (it’s a lot easier than painting), and unpack the boxes you’ve had in there for the past five years. (You could even gather the family for a bit of reminiscing as you open each one. “And this was my very first... Gaaaaa! A spider!”)

Okay, you’ve trimmed the trees, cleaned out the gutters, unpacked the boxes and even become a volunteer for the Spider Relocation Program. Now what? You don’t own a trailer. And there’s no way you can borrow one from the neighbour since you stole his ladder.

That’s where we come in.

Brizzy Rubbish Removals can get rid of all those dead branches, piles of leaves, cardboard boxes and old paint tins. (We’ll leave the spiders for you to sort out.) You won’t have to lift a finger—except maybe to change channels with your remote.

Your yard will look great, the rain might actually go down the drainpipes for once, and you’ll have all that memorabilia to get embarrassed about. (Honestly, what were you thinking when you bought that suit?)

And now that your place is ready, how about helping some of your neighbours get their houses ready as well? After all, you’ve already got a saw and a ladder.

And I’m sure there are plenty more toys on their roof you can sell.

Time for a little Garden Spring Cleaning?

Just when you’ve shed those winter pounds and you’ve got your summer swimsuit body ready to put on a show (freak show in my case) it’s time to strip back the garden and get it looking its best for spring.

Prune back the winter flowerers

It’s the time of year to cut back the winter flowerers and deciduous trees. Prune away hibiscus, camellias and lasiandra and cut back frangipani’s. Check deciduous trees for dead wood and then give them a moderate pruning to give them strength and room to sprout in the coming weeks.

Gently trim back winter flowerers in the garden beds. Fuchsias, lavender, geraniums and even star jasmine can benefit from a trim now. Remove any dead annuals and test woody stemmed plants for signs of life.

Get rid of dead wood

It’s been a dry old winter, there may be a few casualties in the garden. Use a pen knife to score bark on sick trees, if there’s no sign of life, completely remove dead branches, prune the tree back and give it a good watering and some fertiliser. Ask your local nursery if it’s really struggling, they’ll have some advice, and no doubt products, to help it recover.

Mow, aerate, fertilise…..

It’s time to do that first mow after the winter respite and your lawn will love you for giving it a bit of aeration too. Hire an aerator from your local garden or hire shop or buy a mower attachment to do it automatically. It’s also time to fertilise and mulch and show the garden a bit of love. Replace your annuals with new colour and add a little spring to your garden!

Love is….a tidy garden shed.

After a few months cold weather, your shed might be bulging at its seams too. It’s time to get tidy and organised for the spring and summer ahead with a full shed clean out. Check expiry dates, chuck out the broken items and do a good sweep and muck out - you’ll feel like a new man (or woman). Don’t forget under the house too.

A family that cleans together….has to listen to the kids moan all day….

While you’re spring cleaning the garden and shed, why not get the whole family involved and get the house ready for a new season. Make two piles, charity and chuck out and call us in to take the lot away.

Deceased Estates – Brizzy Rubbish Removals is Helping out at the Hardest Time

At Brizzy Rubbish Removals, we pride ourselves on professionalism and service at the best of times, but even more so at the worst. There’s nothing harder than losing a loved one. Beside the grief, the pressure of dealing with your loved one’s estate can be hard on the whole family. It’s pretty overwhelming at an already difficult time.

Brizzy Rubbish Removals take special care to make your difficult task as easy as it can be.

Brizzy Rubbish Removals Take Care

Some jobs are just too tough to take care of yourself. If clearing your loved one’s home is just too much for you, Brizzy Rubbish Removals can help. Once you’ve collected those precious keepsakes and family heirlooms, call in Brizzy Rubbish Removals to sort and remove the rest.

The team will donate usable items to the Salvation Army on your behalf and take the rest away. In most circumstances, we can even organise a professional cleaning service to finish up so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

Brizzy Rubbish Removal’s Special Expat Service

There is nothing worse than being far away at a time like this. If your loved one lived in Brisbane, but you’re in another city or country, we can help take care of these arrangements on your behalf. We can liaise with you about your loved one’s property, remove any rubbish and ensure it’s fully prepared for new tenants, for sale, or to just hand the keys back to the owner.

Don’t Worry, You’re in Good Hands

Brizzy Rubbish Removals have worked on countless deceased estates. We understand that it’s a hard time; we understand that you don’t need any other worries. You can trust our removalists to act with the professionalism and respect you and your loved one deserve.

Rubbish Management Tips for Commercial Fit Outs and Renovations

Whether you’re a shopfitter, builder or if you’re a small business owner saving a few dollars by renovating or removing old fittings yourself, managing rubbish on site can be a nightmare. Don’t worry, Brizzy Rubbish Removals will be by your side to keep your site tidy and safe.

Designate your Brizzy Rubbish Removal Collection Point

Where possible, pick an easy-to-access spot that won’t be in the way of your builders or the public. If necessary, cordon off the area to ensure nobody gets hurt. It’s a good idea to find a spot that’s not easily visible from the road, that way, your neighbours won’t be tempted to add their old computer monitor or broken office chair to your pile!

Avoid Rubbish Overflow

The bin inside your fit out or renovation area ALWAYS seems full! It might not seem like a big deal, but allowing your site bin to overflow means double handling your rubbish and creating dangerous trip hazards. If that rubbish also contains nails, that trip hazard could turn into a hospital trip hazard. Emptying the inside bin regularly keeps your site safer and tidier and helps you to monitor how much rubbish you’ve accumulated. Brizzy Rubbish Removals can come daily but if you have a different arrangement, you’ll know when it’s getting time to call us in.

The only good kind of breakdown on the job…

Breaking down larger items will mean less strain on your back and a safer, neater rubbish pile so always break down the big stuff before carrying it out to your rubbish pile. You’ll only pay for what we remove but large, whole objects such as display cases or cabinets will make it tougher for us to fit all your rubbish in our trucks. Besides, who doesn’t like smashing stuff? It’s the best part of the job!

Keep the neighbours happy

Don’t get your new business started on the wrong foot. Neighbouring shops and offices are still open for business and don’t want their customers looking at your eyesore of a worksite. Keep them happy by minimising the mess and clutter visible from the outside. Brizzy Rubbish Removals’ daily service keeps neighbours happy and pedestrians safe by ensuring a clean, clear site every night.

Safety first, second and third…

When tearing out old fittings, be sure to check for any safety hazards. Old water heaters could still be connected to gas mains. Old walls could contain asbestos and if you’re not a pro, you might not know where to look for electrical wiring or pipes. Be sure to check over the plans before you touch anything structural and contact “Dial Before You Dig” on 1100 before working on floors, driveways or car park areas. Of course, take care lifting all that rubbish too.

We’re all about helping you have a safer and tidier site, that’s why Brizzy Rubbish Removals is Brisbane’s favourite rubbish service for commercial and building waste removal.

Keeping Beaches and Oceans Clean

What’s twice the size of America, made of plastic (mostly) and eats seafood alive?

Give up? It’s the revolting Pacific Ocean Trash Vortex or Patch. It’s so big, it’s got an Eastern and a Western hemisphere and it’s thought to be responsible for up to 1,100 000 bird and sea life deaths a year. Although it’s formed by sea currents, it could some day end up on a beach very near you! Brizzy Rubbish Removals are not here to lecture about the state of theenvironment, but we would like to offer a few tips on keeping our beaches and oceans clean – because we love adorable little birds and tasty seafood as much as you do!

Picture Courtesy of The Daily Mail, London.

Our Top 5 Tips for Protecting Our Oceans

Bin it, don’t flush it. Like Nemo says, all drains lead tothe ocean – so if it ain’t bio-degradable, don’t flush it.

Don’t be a butt flicker. Flicking one butt from a car window or dropping it on the footpath may seem harmless but Australia flicks an estimated million butts a year that end up in the ocean. You might only have a tiny butt but it’s amazingly toxic!

Bottles of Poison. Plastic bottles and other disposable packaging is the number one offender in the battle. Not only do they take forever to biodegrade (literally forever for many plastics) but they create a toxic chemical soup as they leach nasty toxins. You’ve heard it a million times; recycling reduces land fill and uses fewer natural resources but it also keeps plastic out of our waterways. Buy a recyclable, reusable water bottle and fill it from the tap like we did in the good old days (get one with a filter if you’re worried about our waterways!), recycle your plastic bags and most importantly, take extra care around waterways.

Photo courtesy of Greenpeace

Clean Green. You know those little scented toilet perfume cages that hang in there and serve some largely unknown purpose? How about the quadruple action skin peeling laundry liquid you use on your delicates (seemingly the ones you wear down the coal mine)? What about that all-powerful, lung-singeing bleach you’re using daily to remove fingerprints from your tap ware? All those things, no matter how you delight in the brightness of their results, flush a chemical cocktail into our waterways. This can create environments where sea life can’t live, but toxic algae flourishes, poisoning the water for months or years.

Don’t take any ship! Approximately 20% of the rubbish dumped in the ocean comes directly from ships. It’s not just about choosing a cruise ship that has a green waste disposal policy; it’s about buying local where you can. We love buying Aussie-made, and if it can avoid the need for yet another freighter taking a plastic dump in the ocean then it was worth it! While Australia’s environmental policies need some work, they’re downright hippy compared to some other countries, so it’s hard to know how much industrial waste was created and then dumped in producing your imported goods!

Photo courtesy of Planet Save.com

In addition to binning and recycling your garbage, the recent floods taught us that keeping a clean and clear yard and “under the house” area is a must. Anywhere your rubbish can be swept away by wind or water should be clutter free. We all saw the terrible footage of so much rubbish on our beaches after the floods, it’s time to learn from that and do our bit to keep the ocean and environment safe.

*Thanks to Jean Michel Cousteau and Greenpeace websites for further information.

There's nothing rubbish about Easter

There's nothing rubbish about Easter…..

Usually, we like to talk about what's rubbish and what's not and pass around a few tips on removing rubbish from your life, but it's Easter and it's hard to find something rubbish about chocolate. Instead, we thought we'd show you all the rubbish that companies bring out, just in time for holidays and special days.

Jesus Eggs….

Now, don't get us wrong, we're not bagging Jesus – we're just wondering how this particular product helps you to celebrate Christmas, Easter or any other of the religious holidays.

Santa on a Cross….

Someone in the cultural understanding and sensitivity department at this Japanese store might need to rethink their career. In December 2001, a well known Japanese department store, with good intentions, created a window dressing thatconfused western visitors. At the same time, Santa on a Cross Christmas gifts were available at various markets in Osaka and Tokyo.

Healthy Easter Treats

Ok, so not strictly rubbish but imagine being the kid who gets shafted by the Easter bunny with some delicious corn and carrot jelly eggs. Talk about a rubbish Easter Sunday that kid's having!

E-Cards

Remember when a card was the most important part of a gift? Remember when you agonized over selecting just the right card and thought about what heartfelt message to add? If it's the thought that counts, e-cards, (this particular cracker courtesy of www.someecards.com whose tagline is "when you care enough to click send" shows how little thinking and counting is really going on.

Holiday Sales – Anything Must Go!

OK so we get that jewellery shops sell up big before Valentine's Day and that costume shops have a great Halloween, but if you're pushing white vinegar as an Easter gift, you're just taking the mickey. There's nothing like a holiday season to bring out the worst in retailers and we think it's rubbish that they set out to "cash in".

Um……

We're not really sure what's wrong with this picture; we're just sure it is wrong. And therefore rubbish. So stop it.

We've all felt it, the idea that various Easter eggs seemed bigger last year. Is it the delightful memory of smooth flowing minty/creamy/caramelly goodness tricking our minds or is it the most rubbish thing you can do to a person – steal some of their chocolate?! Easter eggs are already outrageously priced and each year those prices seem to skyrocket and on top of that, they're getting smaller! It's not just one either. Those little caramel ones, the mint chip ones – all shrinking year by year while prices rise! It's not right to mess with a man's chocolate! So we at Brizzy feel that shrinking chocolate eggs are the most rubbish thing about Easter!

Whether Easter is about your faith or about your sweet tooth, we hope you enjoy your family, friends and time together. If you're using the long weekend to do a clean up or even to create a mess, Brizzy Rubbish Removals will be back in the office bright and early Tuesday. From all at Brizzy…

A Tribute to "All Things Irish"!

They say St Patrick himself was removing rubbish when he heard his calling…well, mucking out pig pens, but in the 4th century Ireland, that's about as close to rubbish removal as you got. Here at Brizzy Rubbish Removal we're fond of the grand ole' Irish and all that they've given the world, so this is our tribute to all things Irish, that aren't rubbish!

At Brizzy Rubbish Removals, we love Irish Beer

Let's raise a pint to the beer that takes 119.53 seconds to pour properly (in two stages) and should only be served at precisely 6°C. To the beer we've seen where the bubbles travel down, not up and where the head can just about be cut with a knife. There's nothing rubbish about a Guinness.

At Brizzy Rubbish Removals, we love Redheads

While real red hair is extremely rare (only 4% of Caucasians are naturally red), around 46% of the Irish population carry the red head gene. While we know not all redheads are Irish, we also know that there's no woman like a fiery Irish redhead and if there's one woman on Earth that won't take any rubbish, it's her!

At Brizzy Rubbish Removals, we love 90s Boy Band Westlife

Nah, just kidding, they really are rubbish.

At Brizzy Rubbish Removals, we love the Irish Brogue

Actually, at Brizzy Rubbish Removals, the women on our team love the Irish Brogue… in fact, they're crowded around a video of Colin Farrell now, not doing any work….I am told that Colin Farrell is definitely not rubbish! The Irish accent changes from one end of Dublin to the other and has impacted on accents all around the world – including adding a lyrical bounce to Jamaican intonation and is blamed for the extreme R's in American English.

Most of all, we LOVE St Patrick's Day

Yes, it's because love a bit of craic, a good Irish beer, the idea of a little green man who'll give us a pot of gold and of course, we love the one day of the year we get to sing Oh Danny Boy at an unmelodic threshold of pain…. Happy St Patrick's Day Brisbane from all of us at Brizzy Rubbish Removals!