Scrappers

[Randyzzz]

When is was a little kid we used to go "trash picking" every day before the trash man came. We found so much cool stuff- even found a single shot shotgun once! Lots of aquarium's- I used to clean them up and sell them and make some spare change. Beat having a paper route!

I've always loved finding "junk" and reselling it for a profit. I live garage and estste sales. Sometimes I got lucky and made some decent money!

The last dealership I worked for also had storage units. There was a metal scrap bin and I pulled more goodies out of there- lots of $$ to be had.

As far as yard art…there's a guy a few doors down that has a brass bed frame as a trellis and a toilet as a planter. Quite the display. Of course, I'm a Jeep guy- and he might not think much of mine either…

 

[gnappi]

Here in south Florida we have junk collectors come by twice a week on garbage collection days. They have the routes and pickup times down pat. Bless them they get much of what's collected recycled and prevent a lot of stuff from going to the landfill.

 

[Jeepnik]

In high school one of my side jobs was repairing small engines. It wasn't uncommon to find old mowers, edgers and such on the drive with a "free" sign" Now most of the mowers were totally trashed. But some actually just need the blades sharpen, belt changed, a tune up and fresh gas. Those that were really trashed the engine was usually still good. Again cleaning, tune up, and fresh gas.

The engines were free. A complete rebuild kit (were talking taking it down to the block) would have all the rings, seals, ignition parts etc. and cost about 5 bucks. So, a few hours tearing one apart and rebuilding it, fresh paint and I could sell them to the small engine repair shops for 30 bucks.

 

[jimbo1096]

I have two 5 gal buckets full of once fired brass that will make it to the recycler eventually. Use to scrap out plumbing materials and old HVAC units. Stuff left out at the curb doesn't last long in my neighborhood, if it has any value.

 

[Mobuck]

One of the worst problems of having 'scrappers' running the roads is the 'stuff' they lose off their ramshackle trailers. Could be anything from a wad of rusty fence wire to a fridge and if it falls off along the road, they don't go back and pick it up. I've been hassled by SHP because some loose hay blew off the bales I was hauling but a 'scrapper' can lose a kitchen stove on a busy highway and not look back.
Scrappers are a lot like buzzards.

 

[XP100]

Coming back from Walmart one day and around the corner from our house was a Blackstone 28" grille out by the curb for FREE. Picked it up. Hooked up a tank to it fired it up and cleaned up the grease from the last time it was used. Scrubbed on it a few times and it looks like new now. Went to a garage sale there a month later and the woman there told me she broke up with he boyfriend and told him she was getting rir of his stuff and he never came after it. She gave me a portable Blackstone that has rust on the top. Going to get some sand for my blaster and make it like new too.

 

[kentucky yeti]

One of the worst problems of having 'scrappers' running the roads is the 'stuff' they lose off their ramshackle trailers. Could be anything from a wad of rusty fence wire to a fridge and if it falls off along the road, they don't go back and pick it up. I've been hassled by SHP because some loose hay blew off the bales I was hauling but a 'scrapper' can lose a kitchen stove on a busy highway and not look back.
Scrappers are a lot like buzzards.

Exactly what I was thinking when I read through this thread. I see jagged metal all the time, and trailers piled high with nothing holding the load down

 

[v35]

Every barbecue grill I ever had I picked up from the curb. At least four or five of them over the years. I just refused to pay hundreds of dollars for what's essentially a can that spits fire and that's only going to rot out anyway. When they rot to the point of uselessness I chopped them up and mixed the pieces in with my weekly trash.

Only recently I splurged and bought a barely used grill from Craigslist for less than half what he paid for it. Nearly brand new and shiny. Owner was moving away.

Lots of stuff I picked up from the curb:

• A really funky old enormous wall clock. Works fine. Everyone who visits loves that clock.
• Vacuum cleaner. Works fine. I use it to vacuum my basement. Who vacuums basements? This cheapskate.
• A truly phenomenal stereo subwoofer that sells for nearly $800 new. Works fine.
• A nearly new HP laptop with a broken screen. Replaced the screen for about $100. Owner didn't bother to erase the hard drive, which contained a plain text document with hundreds of passwords, user names, driver license numbers, addresses, social security numbers... etc. What are people thinking!!! Of course I erased it. It worked fine until I grew tired of Windows. I tried to sell it for $50, then $20, no takers, gave up. Put it out at the curb, gone in moments (yes I erased it).
• Typewriter. Nobody uses typewriters any more, but they work and don't need software updates. I might use it every couple of years.
• Printers - no not the inkjet kind, not worth buying cartridges for them. Lots of people throw away brand new printers when their ink dries out because you can buy a brand new one for almost the price of replacement ink. This is our "green" technology at work.
• Incandescent light bulbs. You can keep your green energy light bulbs, I got years worth of free old ones that work.
• Sewing machine. Works fine. I fixed up a few items of clothing and put it back in the closet.
• Electric (plug in) weed trimmer. Works as far as an extension cord will reach. Don't want underpowered batteries that wear out.
• Plastic gas cans. It's a can that doesn't spit fire (hopefully). You can't buy simple gas cans any more, they incorporate valves and complicated evaporation and spill proof dispensing technology. I use something called "a funnel".

 

[Watertender]

One of the worst problems of having 'scrappers' running the roads is the 'stuff' they lose off their ramshackle trailers. Could be anything from a wad of rusty fence wire to a fridge and if it falls off along the road, they don't go back and pick it up. I've been hassled by SHP because some loose hay blew off the bales I was hauling but a 'scrapper' can lose a kitchen stove on a busy highway and not look back.
Scrappers are a lot like buzzards.

There is a scrapyard just over a mile from my house. It's on a State truck route and it's amazing how much stuff falls off of the scrappers vehicles. We jokingly refer to it as "Shrapnel Alley" because of the number of flat tires that happen on that stretch of road. One guy lost a bucket of rusty roofing nails and that was a disaster.

 

[dchmule]

My Father in Law (who passed on in the 1990s), had a workshop behind his house and an public alleyway behind that. He tried storing scrap lumber and other stuff he wanted to save behind the shop but people would steal whatever he put there, so, he started putting anything he wanted to get rid of behind the shop and it would magically disappear.

 

[Papalote]

The majority of "scrappers" are just thieves looking to steal something and sell it for dope money. Just my opion and being a retired LEO.

 

[el caminero]

I once saw an overloaded southbound junktrailer (i.e. a trailer made from junk) pulled by an overloaded pickup (commonly easy to do with the common halfton) lose one of the boxy white appliances (not a 'fridge) as it made a right turn at the intersection, and it totalled the lil white eastbound minivan. nobody hurt, apparently. Dosent take much to total (insurance assessment) a 20yro minivan.
The vast majority of private trailers i see are inadequate to the load, poorly-to-badly hooked-up, and badly tied down if at all.

 

[el caminero]

My brother in law used to have several old toilets in his yard for flower planters. His wife finally got fed up with it and made him get rid of them.

Years ago " in L.A." there was some arab sheikh who edged his yard with purple-painted toilets.

 

[Watertender]

The majority of "scrappers" are just thieves looking to steal something and sell it for dope money. Just my opion and being a retired LEO.

Some are just what you said. However there are others that are honest people. I have a friend who is called "Junkin' Joe". He picks up scrap and does house and garage clean outs. Joe hustles hard and makes a good living at it. He isn't book smart and can barely read but he is a money making machine. I look paperwork over for him to make sure he isn't getting the short end of things. Joe does hire people who have drug problems but if they stiff him he is done with them. He lets me know when he finds scrap lead and I buy it from him.

 

[Richbaker]

My daughter set at the curb a pretty nice loveseat she had no use for.
Put a big FREE sign on it hoping to help somebody out,
It sat there about a week and even got rained on twice.
I told her to put a sign on it with $20.00 printed.
Yep …. Somebody "stole" it later that day. LOL.

I would've put $50 on it...

 

[Papalote]

Water tender, I never said all scrappers that way. But the honest ones ask before they come on your property at night and take "scrap"

 

[blume357]

I've had a pile of scrap metal sitting out in front of my house for the last month and no takers... I need to do something with it or I'm going to get the letter from the City zoning guy.
Don't know what has happened to the scrappers here..... I've been known to pick up good stuff also but for the last couple of years it is only to take to Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity.

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

The majority of "scrappers" are just thieves looking to steal something and sell it for dope money. Just my opion and being a retired LEO.

What I see around me is guys in old trucks and old cars finding a way to make a few extra bucks to stretch. I don't see ANY stealing- though of course catalytics are certainly stolen- among regular scrappers like myself, and the recycling center requires ID and enters all transactions.

You mileage may vary if you worked in a lower income urban environment, but here in the suburbs it's more of a bunch of people recycling with many who know each other and get their scrap from the curb, dumpster, etc. Not sure that I ever had to buy a new lawn mower.

 

[blume357]

I've said for years, Dumpster diving is the original recycling."

 

[Mike J]

Around here we don't have curbside trash pick up for large items. The trash service we use wont take anything that will not go in a bag & fit in their plastic container.
When I have scrap metal I want to get rid of I go on a local facebook page that is for people in this area & say that. I am usually contacted pretty quickly. We set a time & they come by & pick up. There is one guy that seems to always follow that page. He is well liked in the community as he performs a service for everyone & makes himself some extra money at the same time.