Free scrap pickup

Does anyone else have criteria of scrap they won't pickup for free besides too light/too far etc...?

I won't go up down too many stairs or detach anything from a house like a gas stove or dryer, or a dishwasher/washing machine. That's my own rule having had the displeasure of agreeing to pickup something for free, only to find it's down a spiral staircase in a basement but not mentioned in the CL ad.

i was once called to pick up a lot of stuff as the ppl were cleaning out their garage. only problem was that the guy insisted i be there BEFORE he leaves for work in the morning.
that would mean returning with a full load in rush hour traffic- and the area he lives in has narrow roads.
i blankly refused- i asked if i could come in the evening or in the weekend- he still insisted i be there in the morning before he left for work-i told him to find someone else.

im sure it would have been a good load but its not worth the aggravation of dealing with the traffic.

I had 3 big rules when I did free scrap removal for a few years:

1, Food free fridges only. Even if they are willing to pay you extra it is not worth it. I took one when I first was starting out and after experiencing the rotting meat and other food smells I said never again.

2, I would not remove large stuff from basements. If you are planning to remove washers and dryers the best way is to take them apart and carry the pieces out.

3, No pickups outside of town unless the load is very large or they pay a gas fee.

Originally Posted by 406Refining

Food free fridges only. Even if they are willing to pay you extra it is not worth it. I took one when I first was starting out and after experiencing the rotting meat and other food smells I said never again.

Gotta share an old story from way back when I was a college kid selling books door-to-door. We always would ask about the folks up the road (who has kids, etc.). About 10 houses away from one particular house I was warned very explicitly about avoiding a certain house. They said I would not be able to stand the smell.

They went on to tell me the lady who lived there had a couple big burly guys come to repossess her fridge one day. They absolutely couldn't stand the smell after opening the door. They said, "Lady, keep it." And they left.

Naturally that got me to being very curious. So I decided to knock on her door. As soon as she opened the door (she appeared to be perhaps 60-something and friendly enough) the STENCH WAS OVERPOWERING! It was a very hot, humid summer day and I was exhausted. But I didn't dare go inside, even though she invited me in.

That story still gives me shivers and it has been decades since it happened.

Originally Posted by recyclersteve

Gotta share an old story from way back when I was a college kid selling books door-to-door. We always would ask about the folks up the road (who has kids, etc.). About 10 houses away from one particular house I was warned very explicitly about avoiding a certain house. They said I would not be able to stand the smell.

They went on to tell me the lady who lived there had a couple big burly guys come to repossess her fridge one day. They absolutely couldn't stand the smell after opening the door. They said, "Lady, keep it." And they left.

Naturally that got me to being very curious. So I decided to knock on her door. As soon as she opened the door (she appeared to be perhaps 60-something and friendly enough) the STENCH WAS OVERPOWERING! It was a very hot, humid summer day and I was exhausted. But I didn't dare go inside, even though she invited me in.

That story still gives me shivers and it has been decades since it happened.

ppl like that make me wonder f they have any common sense or self respect.

Originally Posted by 406Refining

I had 3 big rules when I did free scrap removal for a few years:

1, Food free fridges only. Even if they are willing to pay you extra it is not worth it. I took one when I first was starting out and after experiencing the rotting meat and other food smells I said never again.

2, I would not remove large stuff from basements. If you are planning to remove washers and dryers the best way is to take them apart and carry the pieces out.

3, No pickups outside of town unless the load is very large or they pay a gas fee.

1. That's nasty - I have experienced beers in a fridge before and a spilled soda but it wasn't too bad. I don't know how old the beer was tho... so I did not consume.\

2. My back is worth more than 7-15$ in scrap, I also wouldn't risk damaging someone's property. There's plenty of scrap that's not down a flight of stairs or attached to a water or gas line etc... but I never thought of taking them apart before bringing them upstairs - provided they are already not attached to anything.

I drive an SUV, so for me anything too big I won't pick up (fridges, washers, dryers, etc.). For anyone who thinks it is too hard to make money with an SUV, I saw a video on Youtube of a guy who scraps with his bike and makes something like $100 (actually 100 British pounds- the current equivalent of $132 US) a day. I was floored!

I once packed 25 computers it a Nissan Versa. That was a scary ride home.

I do what the job is worth. I'm in Florida so we don't have basements down here. Second stories...I'm not lugging a couple hundred pounds up or down stairs for scrap prices. I also stay away from light weight big bulky items...they take up to much room in your truck or trailer and you get nothing $$ wise for them. I will load the light weight stuff like metal tables and stuff on at the end for filler but that's after I have a truck load.

Originally Posted by muzzy17is

I'm in Florida so we don't have basements down here.

Surprised to hear that there aren't basements in Florida. I would think that any state which can have tornados would be a good place to build a basement.

Originally Posted by recyclersteve

I drive an SUV, so for me anything too big I won't pick up (fridges, washers, dryers, etc.). For anyone who thinks it is too hard to make money with an SUV, I saw a video on Youtube of a guy who scraps with his bike and makes something like $100 (actually 100 British pounds- the current equivalent of $132 US) a day. I was floored!

I saw an older lady yesterday with an old Taurus wagon unloading scrap. The back of the wagon was begging for mercy so I bet she had a heavy load.

I have a truck but it's not full size, it's a 2wd V6 Dakota 5-speed manual with a 6.5 foot bed, so not a compact, not a full size. Payload I think I read is 1275lbs, might be more but it's old so I wouldn't push it. The heaviest load I have had is 1060lbs. Yesterday was 934, but I actually made more $$ this time because I separated aluminum and stainless out etc... that and I found 3$ in change in a dryer I picked up.