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- An Arizona man was tired of carrying trash from his house to the curb.
- He launched Can Monkey to appeal to Airbnb hosts who want to free their guests from the chore of checkout.
Mark Zagauri was tired of forgetting to put his trash at the curb and arguing with his family over whose turn it was to take out the trash can.
Zagary, who lived in Scottsdale, Ariz., outside Phoenix, noticed that his neighbors were tired of the chore as well.
In 2018, he founded a startup called Can Monkey. The company allows homeowners and property managers to outsource simple tasks. That means bringing full cans out for pick-up on the correct day and bringing them back inside when empty.
Can Monkey initially served about 100 properties in the Scottsdale area. Then in 2019, Zagory co-founder Alex Shapiro overheard a friend who runs Airbnb complaining about trash removal procedures at three different properties.
“I’m going to pay someone $100 a month to take care of him,” Shapiro said.
Can Monkey currently collects trash from more than 7,000 facilities in 18 cities from Miami to San Diego. The company estimates that more than 80% of his housing is his Airbnb or other short-term rentals.
Some Airbnb guests have complained loudly that cleaning fees are too high and that hosts ask them to do chores at checkout. Some hosts have responded to criticism by eliminating cleaning fees and chores. Can Monkey’s offers trash removal so guests and hosts don’t have to specifically help those managing rental properties from afar or as a side job to their day job. For $49 a month, he’s one less stressor for short-term rental property owners and managers in an increasingly competitive business.
Shapiro said hosts call Can Monkey’s service a “godsend.”
“The two biggest questions for guests are: ‘What’s my Wi-Fi password?’ “When do you take out the trash?” Shapiro told Business Insider. “We were able to eliminate one of those major problems.”
Can a monkey act like a trash can door dash
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For $49 a month, Can Monkey customers are guaranteed to have their dumpsters picked up and returned on time according to local schedules.
Users can download the Can Monkey app and write custom instructions for trash-picking outerwear, called runners. The company currently has 500 active runners.
Shapiro said Runners will work similarly to DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub drivers.they log into the app Whenever they want to buy time, Can Monkey will offer them a route that will take them an hour to complete and pay them $40, for example. Runners can choose as many routes as they like within their area.
Shapiro said Many drivers pick up routes for Can Monkey outside of other gig workers’ work hours. Between noon and 4 p.m., there’s a lull for lunchtime food deliveries, but rush hour for rideshares. It hasn’t started.
Find customers of Airbnb hosts on Facebook
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Can Monkey found customers by starting a Facebook group for Airbnb hosts and owners. Members use the forums to seek advice, such as how to find the right cleaning service, and to share issues, such as how to deal with guests who damage property.
Shapiro said she started her own group after getting kicked out of other Facebook groups for Airbnb hosts for posting about Can Monkey. Currently, the group has grown to over 12,000 members.
Since its inception, Can Monkey has expanded to 18 different markets, including Miami, Austin, Denver, and San Diego. Shapiro said the busiest markets are its original home base of Scottsdale and Orlando, both of which attract tourists year-round.
It was difficult to learn how to pick up large trash. Shapiro added that it was generated by Nashville bachelor and bachelorette parties.
Can Monkey runners say they’ve seen guests throw away things like brand-new suitcases, expensive pool floats and elaborate party decorations that are rarely used.
“What guests leave on Airbnb could be bought and sold by completely different businesses,” Shapiro said.
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