saving time but being an as* /vs/ being nice but spending more time

this time of year always seems to bring out folks that seem good at pissing off peaple in the name of saving time ,saving space in the truck or saving waste .......a good example would be smashing open a crt tv ,taking the copper then leaving the tv carcas ,or destroying still good things then leaving them behind
......me i find in the long run ,if you use common sence and aren't an ass then folks see you in a more positive light ,they say nice things to there neighbors about you ,try to help you out more and ......often the positive image brings more scrap ,.....but this area gets raided by the thieves ,the smashers ,the illeagle dumpers ,the leave a mess'ers and the just plain inconsiderate

i know guys are in it to make money and but it's frustrating to have images tarnished and alienated peaple blaming me ,in recent weeks i'm seeing that my territory has a regular thats pissing folks off ,....i see the messes the smashed stuff and am picking up on the persons routine ,talked to a dissapointed fellow today ,he put out a nice pedistool sink hoping someone would make use of it ,as he wanted to get rid of it ,the guy smacked it with a hammer to get the faucet and drain,then left the broken sink .....i talked to the guy ,he knew of me and didn't think it was me ,told him i understood his alienation and convinced him that i shared his opinion ,......he liked me ,he took a minute and gave me some stuff ......often i find peaple go out of there way to catch you like the ice cream truck and often have alot more stuff that they just didn't put out till they saw me

now what i'm wondering is what the difference in payoffs on the long run are ,is it better to keep moving ,less waste less time ,less gas ,....or is it better to be friendly ,talk to folks and take the extra minute to take the whole thing or neatly remove the scrap ........often i pass on stuff i see might find someone who could use it if i don't destroy it and often i wind up talking to folks too long and waste time ,.....my opinion is my style makes more money via more scrap donations

........i was kinda wondering what the og seasoned scrappers thought of the subject

"Not an OG" Well I will say in my own personal code. I try my best never ever ever leave a mess, or have stuff scattered around or outside of a dumpster or location I scrap from. I never DUMP trash at locations. In fact I RATHER there be no evidence of me even being there, except the absence of the items that leave with me. But once something is on the curb or dumpster the person who is trying to get rid of it shouldn't have any expectations of its future use. If it goes to the dump, destroyed, or if its sold for a profit by a heathen who then goes to spend the money at the strip club on booze and ladies.

All that said sometimes I do cherry pick. I dont have a truck, or facilities at this time to always take everything on the curb, or the whole item. I have actually seen a sink in a dumpster and took a hammer to it while still in the dumpster so i could grab the faucet. Same thing with TVs that are already in a dumpster. I think to myself WHY use the energy and the time to take it out of the dumpster, take it with me, and use valuable space just to get 5 pounds of scrap?

Now if its on someones curb thats a different story. I would PROBABLY NEVER take a hammer to a sink to get a faucet. I WOULD take time to unscrew the fauceT and leave the sink, if it something that can be done in a couple minutes. If it looks like I am gonna make a scene I just leave it. If there is a tv on the curb, and I dont feel like toting it to the car I WILL CUT THE CORD and keep moving. Same with any appliance I cannot fit in or on top of the car. "TAKE WHAT YOU CAN, GIVE NOTHING BACK" lol that quote has to be good for something.


Now I know there might be some fluffy stories where people will say they have never done anything like this even when just starting out. But as long as I am not leaving a mess, being a nuisance or doing something that would get me arrested by a "SANE" police officer. I will keep doing what I do until shown a better way.

There is a big difference between a scrapper and a scavenger.

Any smash and grabber I see WILL be reported complete with license #. We must police ourselves or the regulators will be more then glad to do it.

IMO, its best to treat others and their property the way I'd want them to treat mine. I've been trying to distance myself as much as possible from the scavengers by being respectful and talking to people even if it takes more time. I actually started referring to what i do as recycling instead of scrapping since that carries thoughts of thieves and such in my area. I was out for a local cleanup, a lady stopped me and asked if I take computers and in talking, I scored a fridge to pick up in the future. I think being nice is the time well wasted, and it pays off, even if it isn't in cash, its a good karma boost.

I always try and make sure I don't make a mess and if I do I clean up. The smash and grabbers need put to a stop.

Reputation means EVERYTHING in this business.

yesterdays examples include speeding like a maniac through a residential neighborhood to get ahead of me cruising through a profitable neighborhood ,the weekly trail of illegally dumped crt tvs in dumpsters and taking the frame rails to a nice bunkbed set the owner was hoping to find someone who could use the "whole thing"....left them with a big pile of useless wood without the rails

.......the random scavenger doesn't bother me as much as a regular scavenger ,often the legit regulars take the blame for actions of one
.........speed racer only screwed himself ,blew through the neighborhood so fast he missed alot .....i've seen the guy before and he tailgates my regular routes ,....theres actually several regulars but most of us are smart enough to shift areas instead of trying to stay ahead of another cruiser ,a few of the regulars will even try to intercept me and i'll usually let them know what derection i just came ,what direction i'm going .....smart enough to know that cooperating means covering more ground and us both finding more ......theres a few who do the skip ,will jump to the next neighborhood to stay ahead but i don't mind that ,usually i just take a break ,hang and wait for more stuff to make it's way out ,......this guy pissed me off cause he literally was doing like 55-60 through a neighborhood where kids play ,.....that pisses peaple off , ....ironicly when i saw him ,i knew his tactic so i just called it a day ,was on my way home and saw him flying through ,.....then noticed he missed a dehumidifier ,i hung back slow and relaxed and got a bunch of stuff he missed
......same guy might be my illegle dumper ,but i gotta narrow it down more .......folks think peaple are dumb on that one ,but it just a matter of time befor i figuer out who it is ,......i don't like going to the police ,my apartment managers will do that i tell em who to look for ,......me i'd rather catch them in a dark place and um ,......have a talk ,lol

......i gut tvs and sometimes whack sinks if there allready in the dumpster ,find it's often less work to remove tv backs and faucets though ......sometimes i'll take the whole sink or tv if the trucks emty and i can't cleanly remove metals ...... at the curb a never whack stuff ,....the guy in referel is picking up tvs at curbside ,then dumping carcasses at the next nearest dumpster and whacking stuff at curbside ,leaving broken glass ,broken furniture ect .....peaple hate that

what some guys don't realize is that peaple see them from windows ,peaple talk and alienated peaple don't want to give you there stuff ,....some guys don't do regular routes and do above stuff cause there always in new areas ,....it might be profitable for them but it screws the regulars and inevitabley means getting hassled by the law more cause they have to deal with the complaints

.....i've been there and done that but find more money myself in happy peaple ,..... some of my post is in hopes to spread that awareness and to satisfy my curiosity pertaining witch methods make more money

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Originally Posted by RustnGrease

IMO, its best to treat others and their property the way I'd want them to treat mine. I've been trying to distance myself as much as possible from the scavengers by being respectful and talking to people even if it takes more time. I actually started referring to what i do as recycling instead of scrapping since that carries thoughts of thieves and such in my area. I was out for a local cleanup, a lady stopped me and asked if I take computers and in talking, I scored a fridge to pick up in the future. I think being nice is the time well wasted, and it pays off, even if it isn't in cash, its a good karma boost.

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couldn't agree more ,......many times talking to folks ,telling them what your up to results in ,"hey i got some other stuff you can have" .....in alot of my regular routs they know me like the ice cream man and i always leave the windows cracked cause i get flagged down pretty regular by folks who want me to have their stuff instead of the other guys

.......rule of thumb for me is when in doubt ,leave it ,...if it'd piss me off then leave it ,..... collect everything in the light of day ,and if you have to sneak it in the truck, then you don't need have any business taking it