There are plenty of ways a Year 7 student could spend their spare time. Riding mountain bikes, camping, fishing, playing rugby or basketball, hanging out with mates, or perhaps tracking down the next sushi and bubble tea fix.
Nate Gordon enjoys all of the above, but he has also decided to spend some of his spare time doing something most of us would happily pay not to do: cleaning wheelie bins.
Meet the young entrepreneur behind Bin Boss Bundy, a local business taking on one of the stinkiest jobs around Bundaberg.
Let’s face it, the humble wheelie bin can get pretty feral. Week after week we throw rubbish into it, roll it to the kerb, roll it back again and try not to look too closely at whatever mysterious liquid has collected in the bottom.
So why would a Year 7 student voluntarily sign up for that? “Because no one else was doing it, and it’s something I could learn to do really good pretty quickly!” Nate explains.
That right there is Entrepreneurship 101: find a problem, spot a gap and have a crack at filling it.
Nate only started Bin Boss Bundy in July 2026, but within weeks his venture has attracted a strong base of regular, supportive customers.
In fact, he now has limited availability thanks to the number of locals signing up for repeat cleans. Not bad for a business that is barely old enough to have experienced its first wheelie-bin maggot season.
While earning some extra money is certainly part of the motivation, Nate also wanted to learn useful skills and develop a good work ethic for the future. He already has a plan for his earnings too. “I save some money from every job to put towards my first car, and it’s nice to be able to have extra cash if I see something I want.”
When Nate decided to give the business a go, his family had a chat with him about doing things properly, getting educated, researching what he was doing, being thorough and approaching it with some grit and heart. That means Nate isn’t simply turning up, spraying a bin and pocketing the cash. He purchases his own cleaning supplies and is responsible for cleaning and looking after his equipment after every job.
He also researched what products he would be using and chose non-toxic, eco-friendly and biodegradable cleaning supplies. During his search, he discovered a deodoriser which he now adds to each bin at the end of the service, along with sanitiser, leaving it smelling considerably better than when he arrived. Customers have noticed, commenting: “They’re the cleanest they’ve ever been.”
Bin Boss Bundy offers one-off cleans as well as a monthly subscription-style service. $15 for one bin per month or $25 for two, mostly servicing Kalkie, Bundaberg East, Kepnock, Walkervale and Bargara.
Being a Year 7 student, Nate isn’t exactly throwing the cleaning gear in the ute and heading off alone. He is always accompanied by either Bin Boss Mum or Bin Boss Dad, who provide adult supervision and transport while Nate takes responsibility for the work itself. Mum also helps with social media, while Dad assists with getting the operation from job to job.
And Nate is already discovering one of the great lessons of running a business: things don’t always go according to plan. On two days in a row, jobs took longer than expected and he found himself finishing in the dark. Rather than packing up and leaving them for another day, he followed through and finished what he had started.
For all the talk about teaching young people money, responsibility and work ethic, sometimes the best education comes from simply getting out there and having a go.
In a short time, Nate has had to deal with customers, manage his money, research and purchase products, maintain equipment and learn that when somebody pays you to do a job, you turn up and do it properly.
He’s also discovered something rather encouraging along the way, Bundaberg likes getting behind a young person willing to work. “I really appreciate how the community has gotten behind me,” Nate says.
So next bin day, when you lift the lid, get hit by that smell and immediately slam it shut again, remember there is a young Bundaberg entrepreneur willing to tackle the job you’ve been avoiding.
Contact Bin Boss Bundy on:
0439 663 091 or by email
binbossbundaberg@gmail.com
Published September 2026 Chitchat Newspaper.