Actually clean
A quick rinse leaves the grime in the corners and the smell under the lid. Ruby's bar is a bin that comes back looking and smelling the way it did the day it was delivered. That's the whole reason to pay someone to do it.
True
story
story
The origin story
MeetRuby
Bin Heroes is hers. The name, the logo, the prices, and the standard all came from a kid in Idlewood who decided her neighbourhood’s bins could do a lot better.
- Idlewood, Kitchener
- Kid-run since 2025
- Parent supervised
How it started
From a school project to a real business
It started at school
A marketing assignment
Ruby spent part of the school year on marketing and advertising projects — invent something, work out who wants it, figure out how to reach them. It turned out she liked that part a good deal more than most kids do.
Then came the news
Kids doing it for real
Around the same time she came across stories about kids in other parts of the country running bin cleaning businesses over the summer, earning their own money and learning how a business actually works while they did it.
So she started one
Idlewood, Kitchener
Ruby looked up what other bin cleaning companies charge, set her own prices, worked out the name and the logo, and had flyers, stickers, and magnets made. Then she started knocking on doors.
Ruby's rules
A quick rinse wasn’t going to cut it
She was clear from the start about what Bin Heroes would be, and what it wouldn't.
Safe for the yard
Ruby studied ecosystems and the environment in school this year and it shaped the business. Everything she cleans with is biodegradable and safe for lawns, gardens, driveways, and walkways. Nothing that stains a surface or kills the grass.
Proper gear
She sourced the tools herself, including a battery-powered pressure washer. Enough pressure to strip off what's stuck on, with no fumes and no gas engine idling in your driveway while she works.
Easy on the water
The same thinking that picked the biodegradable products applies to how much water a job uses. A whole bin takes 3 to 6 litres. Through the summer the crew fills buckets from your tap and runs the washer off those rather than staying hooked up, which keeps the wash clear of the Region's watering schedule. What water does get used soaks into the lawn or a garden bed instead of running down the driveway.
Ruby and the crew
Some days solo.Some days a crew.
Ruby handles plenty of jobs on her own, and friends join her on busy days. Parents may work alongside the kids, or complete a cleaning independently, when availability suddenly changes, demand is high, or a service area is impractical for Ruby and her crew to reach. That means the exact crew can vary from one booking to the next, but every cleaning supports the same kid-run business.
- Kid-run
- Parents may join the wash
- All proceeds support Bin Heroes
Where the grown-ups fit in
Kid-run. Grown-up supported.
We support every booking behind the scenes, helping with safety, equipment, transportation, and scheduling. From time to time we also clean: alongside Ruby and the kids when a job needs extra hands, or on our own when kid availability shifts, demand spikes, or the area is not practical for the kids to service.
Ruby still leads the business. She researched the competition, set the pricing, and drove the name, the logo, and the marketing herself. Parents stepping into a cleaning helps Bin Heroes keep its commitments; it does not change who the business belongs to. All proceeds go directly back to the kid-run business.
The part we didn’t see coming: Ruby is shy. Walking up a stranger’s driveway to explain her own business is the hardest thing this summer has asked of her, and she keeps going back out to do it.
Put the crew to work
Bins cleaned properly, on a day arranged with you, from $10. If you’re in Idlewood, Chicopee, or Grand River South, Ruby can probably fit you in this week.