Published: Feb. 19, 2025 at 9:25 PM CST
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – For most, the garbage company doesn’t matter as long as the bin is emptied, after all, it’s just trash. But to longtime customer Marsau Scott, Beyond Trash is more than just a logo.
“Beyond trash is more than a vendor,” Scott said. “Beyond Trash is a partner. When we need them, we need them.”
The roots of Beyond Trash come just down the road from their headquarters in a home on Meridian Street in north Huntsville. Nelson McCloud met his co-owner 25 years ago in a dorm room on the campus of Alabama A&M.
“Luck would have it, I got laid off and I was open to opportunities,” McCloud said. “He was in the waste management industry. He got all of the industry knowledge and he saw the void in the market and an opportunity here in Huntsville and we came to attack it.”
That void came in November of 2023 when McCloud and his partner started Beyond Trash.
“We got a lot of: ‘Who wakes up and starts a trash company?’ There’s nothing pretty about it,” McCloud said.
Beyond Trash is one of only a few black-owned trash companies in the nation. McCloud focuses on prioritizing customer service, social media outreach, and supporting other small businesses.
“I want to do good business, and then we just happen to be black-owned,” McCloud said. “I don’t want to use being a black-owned business as my niche. You can call me today and 9 times out of 10 you can get a dumpster today.”
The company broke even within its first year since the first dumpster was dropped in May of 2024 and has grown to over 100 accounts. One of those accounts belongs to Scott—who McCloud and his partner met at A&M.
“I still need you to be excellent, I still need you to do what you say you’re going to do,” Scott said. “I have people that I need to respond to and I want to make sure that they are able to respond to me in that manner.”
“It means the world to have the opportunity to be a business owner, and to start here in Huntsville, to meet this guy here in Huntsville 3 miles up the road 25 years ago,” McCloud said.
From college roommates to homegrown roots, McCloud hopes his company will grow beyond trash.
The company even landed a job cleaning their alma mater after football games last season.
Copyright 2025 WAFF. All rights reserved. Original article https://www.waff.com/2025/02/20/huntsville-trash-company-goes-beyond-local-roots/ By Nick Balenger