How much does a Smash my Trash franchise cost?
Opening a Smash my Trash franchise takes a total initial investment of $372,050 to $492,200, according to the brand's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median gross sales of $705,474 across 110 outlets.
Smash My Trash franchises Smash My Trash Businesses that conduct waste compaction services and Ancillary Services. Category: Business Services.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Smash my Trash franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2025 FDD. The total is $372,050 to $492,200. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Trucks ($275,000 to $350,000), Additional Funds – 3 months ($30,000 to $50,000), and Computer System ($6,700 to $11,700). Together they make up about 84% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $49,500, about 13% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $49,500 | $49,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Rent, Utilities and Leasehold Improvements2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $500 | $4,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Operating Assets2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $500 | $2,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Market Introduction Program2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $2,500 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Computer System2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $6,700 | $11,700 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Insurance2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $2,000 | $10,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Trucks2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $275,000 | $350,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Licenses and Permits2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $500 | $1,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Dues and Subscriptions2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $350 | $1,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Professional Fees (lawyer, accountant, etc.)2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $2,500 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Travel, lodging and meals for initial training2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $2,000 | $3,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $30,000 | $50,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Total estimated initial investment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17-18 | $372,050 | $492,200 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17-18 |
Source Smash my Trash, 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 17-18, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 19
What Smash my Trash franchisees actually report earning
Median Gross Sales
$705,474
Smash my Trash's 2025 FDD, Item 19, for the January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024 (the “Covered Period”). Basis: The remaining 110 franchised Smash My Trash Businesses that were in operation during all of the 2024 calendar year (the “Covered Businesses”).
Sample size: 110 outlets. The FDD also reports average gross sales of $876,193. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- All affiliate-owned Smash My Trash Businesses were excluded from the historical Gross Sales.
- Two franchised Smash My Trash Businesses covering, in the aggregate, 4 Territories were not open for a full year as of December 31, 2024 and were excluded from the historical Gross Sales.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Smash my Trash outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Smash my Trash, 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 60, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 20
How many Smash my Trash outlets there are, and how many closed
Smash my Trash ended 2024 with 504 franchised outlets and 16 company-owned outlets. In that year 34 franchised outlets opened and 26 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2022 through 2024, Smash my Trash opened 192 franchised outlets and 115 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 77, from 427 to 504 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 68 were terminated, 9 were bought back by the franchisor, and 38 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 8.0% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 13.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 496 | 34 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 504 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
| 2023 | 523 | 29 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 496 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
| 2022 | 427 | 129 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 523 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
Source Smash my Trash, 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 64-70, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Compare
How Smash my Trash compares with other Business Services franchises
Measured against the 140 Business Services franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Smash my Trash's estimated range is $432,125. It costs more to open than 89% of Business Services franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 8.0% for Smash my Trash. That is higher than 53% of the 101 Business Services franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Smash my Trash's franchised system grew 18%. The typical Business Services franchise here grew 4.3%.
- Earnings disclosure. 71 of the 140 Business Services franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Smash my Trash is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Business Services franchise side by side.
Alert me when Smash my Trash files a new FDD
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