CHESHIRE, Mass. — Delmolino & Sons has been collecting waste, pumping septics, and renting dumpsters, and more in the community since 1960.
Established by John Delmolino to pickup ashes from residential stoves and fireplaces, the business grew into trash collection and added the services it provides today. John's sons David and James took over the business and it is now owned by a third generation of Delmolinos: brothers Kyle, Aaron, and David.
We sat down with Kyle Delmolino to talk about the company's years servicing the community and how far they have come.
Tell us about your company and how it got started.
Delmolino & Sons is a family-owned trash and recycling company that's been serving Berkshire County for over 65 years. My grandfather started the business and I run it today alongside my two brothers — I'm in the office, and they're both owners out on the routes every day. The way we do business hasn't changed since day one: show up, do what you said you'd do, and treat people right.
What products or services does your company provide?
Weekly residential trash and recycling, commercial dumpster service for local businesses, roll-off dumpsters from three to 30 yards for clean outs and construction jobs, and septic pumping. If it involves hauling something away in Berkshire County, there's a good chance we do it.
What makes your business unique?
We don't upsell. If you call asking about a bigger can and if the smaller one is all you need, we'll tell you to take the smaller one — even though it means less money for us. We'd rather have you as a customer for 20 years than squeeze a few extra bucks out of you today.
And we answer the phone. People call us for everything: roofer recommendations, siding guys, snow removal. Half the time we feel like 411. We've got people here who'll answer a message at midnight on a Friday about setting up service and have a tote delivered Saturday afternoon. We've had customers hit with a health setback who needed us to grab their trash from the porch for a while — so we did.
My two brothers are owners and they're out on the routes every day — 200 to 300 stops a day, pushing dumpsters through snow to make sure customers get picked up on schedule. Side note: Aaron also served in the National Guard and spent a year in Iraq. Nobody here is above the work. That's the job as far as we're concerned: be there for the people in town.
Why has Berkshire County been a good place to build your business?
Because it's who we are. Our family grew up here. Most of our staff grew up here. A lot of our customers knew my grandfather, my dad, my uncle. My old Little League coaches come in and talk with me. Now I'm seeing friends of mine buying homes in the area, starting families, setting up trash service as they move back here to build their lives. It's really just the connections we have with people — and the connections we're building with new customers every day.
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Do you source locally or work with other Berkshire businesses?
All the time. We use as many local businesses as we can for the things we need, and we stay friendly with the other small haulers in the area instead of treating them like enemies. Just the other day, one of them called us — he had a box too heavy for his truck and needed help getting it dumped. We reshuffled our whole day to get it out of there first thing in the morning so his customer was taken care of. We're all just out here trying our best to provide a service to the people in this community. There's enough work for everybody if you act right.
How important is the local community to your company?
It's everything. My father was a coach all his life — he coached me and my brothers growing up — and he was passionate about youth sports. I coached Hoosac football/baseball, Little League, flag football, T-ball, and now I'm out there coaching with my own kids. We donate to youth sports across every town we service, as much as we possibly can. We gave out more than 75 backpacks to local kids this year, and when we found out a lot of the families who needed them didn't have transportation, we had one of our drivers deliver them over two days. We donate dumpsters and totes for trash removal at community events, too — we're always willing to help with that. That's just what you do here.
What is your company culture like?
We treat everyone like family. I work in the office every day with Travis, my best friend since childhood. I want this to be a place where people come to work and retire from — not a stepping stone. A lot of our people have been here a long time, and that's not an accident. I tell all the guys to take ownership in the work they do and be proud of it — treat the company like it's your own, because we all grow together as a company. We encourage our people to make the right choices for their families, and we respect that family time matters.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
Still being here, still family-owned, after more than 65 years — in an industry where the big national companies buy up everybody. The team we've built. Our new front load truck is a huge step forward — it's going to let us serve the local businesses in the area a lot more efficiently. And honestly, the youth sports stuff. When you see kids playing ball in uniforms you helped pay for, that stays with you.
What's something people might be surprised to learn about your company?
That we'll talk you out of spending more money with us. Everybody expects a company to upsell — we do the opposite. And that we're basically the town switchboard. Folks call us all day asking for contractor recommendations. We don't mind one bit. Answering the phone is the whole mission.
What advice would you give someone looking to start a business in the Berkshires?
Answer the phone. Show up when you say you will. Don't try to take advantage of people — just be good people, do good work, and the county will take care of you. It takes longer, but it lasts.