In 1941, the company’s service area covered almost all of unincorporated Washington County. Garbage was collected from Cedar Hills at about 145th Avenue in the east to Banks and North Plains in the west and from Scholls Ferry in the South to the summit of Cornelius Pass in the north.
Clyde used a 1935 Chevy ice cream truck with the top removed to collect trash for 112 residential and commercial customers on Saturdays on an on-call basis.
By 1945 the route had grown too large to be serviced only one day a week. Reluctantly, Clyde quit his day job to devote more time to trash collection. Growth continued and, beginning in the mid-fifties, and Clyde’s sons Glen and Gary started helping out after school. Glen and Gary’s after-school job eventually turned into a full time career.
During the next 25 years, as Washington County changed from rural to suburban, the business outgrew the capacity of the three Miller men. Clyde sold the outlying parts of his route to SWATCO, Garbarino Garbage Service, Valley West Garbage Service, and Cornelius Garbage Service.
In 1969, for reason of public health, Washington County began using a franchise system to regulate the collection and disposal of solid waste. Service standards were established, prices specified, and franchise boundaries precisely defined.
In 1971, at the age of 60, Clyde sold two-thirds of his route to Gary and Glen, keeping the Cooper Mountain component for himself. Within another two years, Clyde sold his share of the business to Don’s Garbage Service. In 1981, Glen died and his widow sold Glen’s share to Gary.
Gradual changes occurred during Aloha Garbage Company’s first 40 years of operation. The converted ice cream truck was replaced by four packer trucks, each able to haul up to six tons of trash. The company’s work force expanded from one part-time driver to four full-time drivers.
The past 27 years have brought about exciting changes at Aloha Garbage Company as the community around us also experiences changes. High-tech industry have settled in throughout the county along with a healthier environmental consciousness in the community. Recyclable material and yard debris are now collected separately from other solid waste. The four rear-load packers have been replaced by 31 specialized vehicles, including ten fully automated collection trucks. The cost of disposing one ton of garbage has increased from about $2.00 a load to $82.25 a ton (about $600 a load), while the price for recyclable material changes almost daily. Without a doubt, it is a more complicated business.
Since being purchased by Clyde Miller, Aloha Garbage Company’s service territory remains essentially unchanged. Gary looks forward to selling the business to his two sons, Steve and Keith. Aloha Garbage Co., Inc. will remain a family affair, locally owned and attuned to the community. That has not changed.
