The economy must really be getting bad. The amount of scrappers I see out on the street has gone up 10 fold in the last month or so. I actually saw an older couple yesterday out scrapping on Bicycles with baskets on the back.
Experienced Scrapper
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The economy must really be getting bad. The amount of scrappers I see out on the street has gone up 10 fold in the last month or so. I actually saw an older couple yesterday out scrapping on Bicycles with baskets on the back.
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Thats why Ive changed tactics. I used to drive around more looking for likely places. Ive developed some repeat residential business and a commercial route. Although its small, Ive been relying on these rather than compete for new business. Just too much competition out there dividing up the pie. Plus the price of gas being up 50% over the past two years.
But theyll drop off as the economy improves. Also it helps to develop a niche they can not compete against. For instance, the couple on the bicycles could not handle farm machinery.
Last edited by Andrew; 09-20-2010 at 02:38 PM.
Experienced Scrapper
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Not too many people getting rid of Farm Machinery in the Chicago area :-)
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As an idea for the Chicago area, could you hook up with some real estate agencies and/or banks to do clean-outs of foreclosed properties? There is a lot of potential for scrap metal besides charging for the clean-out itself. I subcontract to a guy who does clean-outs for the State. I only take metal stuff that I want. I sell a lot of it on Craigs List. He gets the contract and first "dibs". Then he doesnt have to pay dumpster tipping fees for whatever weight I take. Its a win-win situation. Another idea for avoiding the bicycle crowd - get in with a couple HVAC companies. Offer to haul off their old hot water heaters and boilers. They usually are glad to get rid of them - theyre heavy and awkward. But you can scrap a lot of copper from them.
Directly competing with those pickups running up and down the highway is a losing proposition.
Last edited by Andrew; 09-20-2010 at 02:38 PM.
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When I started scrapping a few years back the prices were at record highs there was a huge boom of new scrappers (including me) but as soon as the prices dropped most of them stopped scrapping right away.
New Guy
Yea, here in Southeast Texas we are having a BIG problem with people stealing copper and other metals, It is getting RIDICULOUS! It makes us honest guys out there look bad. I wish they could take care of this!
New Guy
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In Philly that's all you see all day long ! My next door neighbor scraps 7 days a week full time !
Experienced Scrapper
I invested a lot of time this winter picking up exactly the type of work Mick described.
Experienced Scrapper
I know it was just an example of how strapped people are for cash, soo there out scrapping, but an old couple on bicycles isnt much competition. In my area the dpw's been complaining about "scrappers" driving around at night and taking items off the curb on bulk night. Soo now there going to start handing out fines if your caught. Anyway like mick said, you have to try and get repeat business and make contacts, driving around and hopeing to come across scrap can be very stressful,time consuming,and the end result isnt always the best.Originally Posted by 708bigbuck
Experienced Scrapper
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Yeah, does anyone know the laws on picking up items from the side of the road on trash night? I have a buddy (kind of a wing-nut) who always talks about scrapping aluminum cans. There is a recycling place near me and they do cans, but I can't imagine getting enough to make any money. He says that he goes around some nights with a bunch of trashcans and fills them with aluminum cans. He says he then takes the aluminum cans to a crusher who pays him by weight. Is this for real, or is he just BSing me? In my home city there is an unbelievably massive quantity of cans. We have a big university and on recycling night the streets shimmer with Aluminum. Question is, is it legal, and is it profitable?
Experienced Scrapper
It takes ~30 aluminum cans to make a pound, and the aluminum sells for about 65¢/lbs. So if you know of a place where you can collect 1000 cans, you could do so, and make 21 dollars. Of course, I have never seen that many cans in one place on the side of the road. There is a deposit on the cans in some states, so people who collect them are making 3x that or even 6x that by returning them.
If you could spend 5 hours at night collecting cans off the side of the road, you would need to collect 1670 cans to be making minimum wage.
Last edited by TheMetalizer; 01-09-2011 at 09:46 PM.
Where I am I get .35/LB for cans. Takes a lot of cans to make some weight. Not sure the laws but if there is a set date for recycling i would assume someone set that up and they look to proffit from it. So in that case i would not take those cans cause that was someone elses idea to get stuff to recycle. Also who picks the stuff up? Is it the city or an organization raising money?
Experienced Scrapper
In my area its the city. My town, its once a week..with white goods or apliances you would have to call in ahead of time and give them your adress. They give you a date they can come and the homeowner leaves the item on the curb.. My town takes it for free. Oher towns makes a little bit bigger of a process and the resident has to go to the city hall pay for a "sticker" $10, and place it on the item when they put it out on the curb. There big complaint is when they go to the home to pick it up on the schedualed day its no longer there, and obviously there losing $$.
Experienced Scrapper
The 10 dollars sticker is referring to recycling things like refrigerators and HVAC items I'm guessing.
I think you are throwing around the word "obviously" a little too casually. I don't think they are losing money. They are making $10. That $10 sticker was going towards the "proper recycling" of the item. If there is no item to recycle properly, how can they be losing money?
Honestly, I think that argument is being made by recycling companies that are starting to become savvy to the money that can be made from scrap metal. They are trying to get little guys squashed so they can sell the scrap we have been collecting.
I saw a story claiming that waste management wanted to force the local government to make scrap salvage illegal in the paper a few weeks back. It made me livid.
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Where I live the price for the sticker is $20. But it's for anything over a certain size.....couches, dryers, etc. Then it's the trash men that take it with the rest of the trash......not a recycling company.
Experienced Scrapper
Majority of the towns dont require a sticker, soo there relying on just the metal for profit.. and "proper recycling" is picking up these items in a rack body, going back to the dpw yard and throwing them into a 40 yd container.. theres no "freon disposal" i know our yard just takes the items as is..anyway im a pretty reasonable guy and all im saying is i can understand there point. Oo yea, and the fuel and lobar cost for the 2 guys who are driving around in city truck, to go pick up something that isnt going to be there. Dont get me wrong, there was a good 3 month period where i would drive around at night just picking up metal on garbage night.
Last edited by BigIgg; 01-10-2011 at 04:33 AM.
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I doubt he's BSing you. Try it and see. State laws vary. If it's off private property, usually it'll be up for grabs.
There was supposed to be a quote from HGWELLS with this. I just realized it didn't go through and now there are several others responses between them.
Last edited by Mick; 01-10-2011 at 06:09 AM.
People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank.
Experienced Scrapper
Who are you directing your post to mick?
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I was originally talking to HGWells and hadn't realized the "Reply With Quote" hadn't taken. Then it was an hour or so before I realized it and edited the comment. Sorry for the confusion. Like in scrapping, crap happens.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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As far as I know, the town I live in, it isn't illegal to grab metal on the curb side. I was gonna hit up the town I work in. Take off an hour or so earlier to get to work than normal and see if I can snag anything. Was told by someone that it is illegal in that town to grab tossed out metal. They said they heard of people getting fined for it. Haven't taken the chance yet, but wanting to check with some of the city ordinance before I start. I can't afford the fine if they do happen to give them out.
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