Trash pickers

[JHZR2]

I saw that batteries were like 13-15c per pound. I think aluminum cans were like 40c/lb. Cu wire is worth a good deal.

I was under the impression that cars were around 13c/lb too. Not sure if that accounts for just scrapping and melting or gutting the parts for resale...

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: toneydoc
Sure do. At least they try and do some good and make a dollar or two instead of being on the dole as their lifeline.


Who says they don't do both?

 

[EA82]

I usually save a lot of AC coils and old copper refrigerant lines during the summer, I cut them up and take them to the scrap yard at winter time when business slows down.

 

[Kruse]

I don't mind the trash pickers. If they can recycle something or keep it out of the landfill without causing a mess, all the better.
However, about 20+ years ago, I lived in a large apartment complex that had a single dumpster for several buildings. Quite often I would see a man in an old pickup or van that would stop and would heave several of his small kids into the dumpster. He would then supervise, point out all the things that he wanted his kids to pull out of the dump and then they would leave the dumpster with about 8-10 things loaded up in his vehicle.
I felt sorry for those kids and I wish I could have called child services on them.

 

[chriscreags]

There is an elderly gentleman that picks trash in my neighborhood. He drives an older Pathfinder and loads up all his loot in it. We don't mind him here, as he seems very respectful of the neighborhood and always cleans up after himself. He doesn't score much on our household though, because I collect all the cans and bottles before they even make it into our bin to begin with!

 

[daves87rs]

Have them here....seem to be good for the most part....

 

[01rangerxl]

They are all over the place here. Scrapping is a saturated industry in this area.

Some are totally legit, some are supporting a meth or crack habit.

One guy here has his AL "junk dealer's license" # (an actual thing) and insurance # on his truck. Most of the others don't, but seem legit enough. You see them in the same areas, and without suspicious goods like lots of HVAC components or lots of wire. What they have looks like actual discarded junk. They wouldn't be sticking to the same areas if they were problematic.

There are the thieves still. The state passed some laws preventing it, and some yards do a good job of cracking down themselves, but HVAC and plumbing that is an easy target will still get snatched.

In the city, homeless people do a lot of the scavenging. Generally it's not a problem, but sometimes it is. One night I saw a guy digging through my building's dumpster. Obviously homeless. I didn't think anything of it as it's common and let him be. The next morning when I came out, stuff that had been in the dumpster was strewn all over the parking lot. Nice. That has only happened once though, and I see people in the dumpster about once a week or more. Everyone ranging from homeless people on foot, to guys in pickups/vans, to a guy in a mid 2000s Accord digging for electronics.

As long as they aren't stealing or making a mess, it's all good in my book. I've scrapped plenty of things myself. I don't go dumpster diving, but my boss and friends know I will make unwanted metal go away. Right now there are A/C components for a Jeep Cherokee laying in the bed of my truck in fact.

 

[xfactor9]

Residents around here used to get the green recycling bins. One bin was for newspapers, one for glass & metals, and one for plastics. You would leave them out w/ the trash. Well, this made it way too convenient for the pickers to take the most valuable recyclables. The city wasn't too pleased because they lost revenue so now they hand out the big recycling cart, and residents just toss everything into it. They are sorted at the facility

 

[KD0AXS]

Originally Posted By: xfactor9
Residents around here used to get the green recycling bins. One bin was for newspapers, one for glass & metals, and one for plastics. You would leave them out w/ the trash. Well, this made it way too convenient for the pickers to take the most valuable recyclables. The city wasn't too pleased because they lost revenue so now they hand out the big recycling cart, and residents just toss everything into it. They are sorted at the facility


That may have been a small factor in the switch to single sort recycling, but the main reason is efficiency. The truck picks up the can and dumps it, the same way as trash pickup. This means the driver doesn't have to get out of the truck at every stop. Also, far more people will recycle when they can just throw it all in one can instead of sorting everything.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I see them occasionally...some want scrap, many want returnable bottles. Some people make a pretty good living returning bottles!

 

[PF52]

Nice thing about the scrappers, is they aren't picky about odd size or long items.

I had some old downspouts and gutters to get rid of a few years ago. Per the village's rules, I'd have to cut everything down to fit into the trash or recycling bins. On a whim, I decided to just lay everything out by the curb the afternoon ahead of pickup day. It was all gone within the hour! And I didn't have to cut anything down to size.

 

[callbay]

I grew up in one of the wealthy Chicago suburbs in the 60's. A couple of times a year people were allowed to put there larger trash items out in front of the house by the curb.

There was one Rolls Royce in the town. A silver sedan. My Dad happened to be looking out in front of the house on the trash day and the Silver Rolls stopped by our pile and picked something off of it, put it in the trunk, and drove off.

Just an aside but the same people that owned the Rolls had a dinner party. After the dinner the guests all left the large table for 18. The hosts let their two Poodles get up on the table and eat whatever was left on people's plates before the table was cleared. All the guests were still there.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The scrappers here are the ones to watch out for.

It's like clock work. They all have a schedule. Although, I don't see how driving a pickup to EVERY complex in the city, shutting it off, grabbing a pipe or something small and leaving pays off. Yet the SAME people keep doing it.

They have a synchronized schedule. I moved across the city to a different apartment complex and it's the same people on their day of the week.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Forgot to mention ...

For a while, the apartment complex moved the trash dumpster infront of where I park the Cherokee. I was expecting someone to steal my bumper.

 

[expat]

Our local Dump has a tent set up where possible useful stuff is offered for free.

It's amazing what gets put in there.

Last year I just looked in while passing and there was a Brand new
Baldor 1 1/2 hp Electric motor up for grabs

At weekends there are some Trash Pickers that kind of hang around, but Loitering is forbidden.

 

[paulo57509]

I don't see too many scrappers going around the neighborhood going through our trash. I do see them going around in pickup trucks on the days when the city has "spring cleaning" days. These scrappers are technically stealing from the city as once it's put out for city collection, it's the city's property and they can be cited.

Most of the legit scrappers will leave flyers a few days before they come around asking for e-waste or scrap metal be put out for collection, usually on a Saturday.

I do see the folks on bicycles (with home made trailers) going around looking for cans and bottles on trash day. While this is also technically stealing, most of these folks are just trying to make ends meet.

 

[Silverado12]

I feel sorry for someone who has to pick through trash to try to make a living. Thanks free trade for putting so many Americans out of work. Maybe we can be just like India some day.

 

[Shannow]

They've got an expanding and increasing standard of living...

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
I feel sorry for someone who has to pick through trash to try to make a living. Thanks free trade for putting so many Americans out of work. Maybe we can be just like India some day.


No one has to pick through trash to make a living. There are a lot of jobs available, but people are either too lazy to do them or don't want to move to the areas of the country with plenty of jobs.

For some picking through garbage is a lifestyle they prefer.

 

[Fleetmon]

Anytime we have something of use to put out (bathroom vanity that we replaced, small computer desk, microwave - marked works, free) we just set it out by the road and the stuff is always gone by the next morning. We've also noticed some stuff we deemed unusable and put out the night before for trash pick-up gets selected as well.

I feel if they want it and/or need it, they're welcome to it. We have never had a mess left behind, no tire tracks where the stuff is so "whomever" is respectful of our property.