The history of Overdie goes back to 1917. In that year Jan Wit and Son. started his company in waste materials at the Laat 33 in Alkmaar. On the outskirts of the city, rags and metals were collected with a trolley and horse and cart.
Around 1950 the business was sold to Gerrit van Beekum. In addition to a branch on the Bloemstraat, Gerrit also had a storage facility at the Zeglis near where the industrial estate Overdie, which was still to be built.