40 yard roll off containers for scrap metal

Hey guys,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience using roll off containers for their scrap metal. I'm working with a mix of light iron (shred ) and heavier stuff like brake rotors and #1 steel uppd. Looking to load about 15 - 17 tons into a 40 yard roll off. The metal is compacted so that it would take up less space in the box when it ships out.

We use containers for everything else at my job and they seem to work pretty well but it might be a different story when it comes to scrap metal. Is it feasible to do ?

Not really looking to maximize profit. The main goal is to keep the stuff that collects at the metals pile moving in and out of the facility in a more timely & efficient way. The pile gets pretty big this time of year with so much coming in so fast. Don't have the available space to stockpile it till things slow down and prices go back up next winter.

Gotta turn-n-burn to stay ahead of it all.

At the time had 18 aluminum electric trolley bus's, 75 miles from home base. I had Rypac Aluminum drop a roll off at my home to first load my tractor with a front end loader and a welder to be delivered to the job site.

Once the bin was full they would bring me an empty taking the full one back to their yard, weighed and paid.

I have also had yards drop off tridem trailers at our yard, we owned and operated a five acre yard.

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Originally Posted by hills

Hey guys,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience using roll off containers for their scrap metal. I'm working with a mix of light iron (shred ) and heavier stuff like brake rotors and #1 steel uppd. Looking to load about 15 - 17 tons into a 40 yard roll off. The metal is compacted so that it would take up less space in the box when it ships out.

We use containers for everything else at my job and they seem to work pretty well but it might be a different story when it comes to scrap metal. Is it feasible to do ?

Not really looking to maximize profit. The main goal is to keep the stuff that collects at the metals pile moving in and out of the facility in a more timely & efficient way. The pile gets pretty big this time of year with so much coming in so fast. Don't have the available space to stockpile it till things slow down and prices go back up next winter.

Gotta turn-n-burn to stay ahead of it all.

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At my yard white goods were added to loads of crushed cars, some yards have mobile balers that make the rounds to the landfills.

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Originally Posted by alloy2

At the time had 18 aluminum electric trolley bus's, 75 miles from home base. I had Rypac Aluminum drop a roll off at my home to first load my tractor with a front end loader and a welder to be delivered to the job site.

Once the bin was full they would bring me an empty taking the full one back to their yard, weighed and paid.

I have also had yards drop off tridem trailers at our yard, we owned and operated a five acre yard.

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It seems like a better way of doing things. Going to a roll off would resolve a number of problems and cut down on the labor involved with tending the metals pile every day. Once it's loaded into the can ... you don't have to fuss with it anymore.

Do you remember any downsides that ought to be taken into account ? The main reason i asked is that the higher ups are educated office workers. They're smart on book learning but don't have much practical hands on experience. It takes awhile to bring them around. We're in different worlds. If i'm gonna push for this change ... it would be good to go into it knowing all the pro's and con's.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hills

It seems like a better way of doing things. Going to a roll off would resolve a number of problems and cut down on the labor involved with tending the metals pile every day. Once it's loaded into the can ... you don't have to fuss with it anymore.

Do you remember any downsides that ought to be taken into account ? The main reason i asked is that the higher ups are educated office workers. They're smart on book learning but don't have much practical hands on experience. It takes awhile to bring them around. We're in different worlds. If i'm gonna push for this change ... it would be good to go into it knowing all the pro's and con's.

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For me it was a very advantageous arrangement, no more 60 miles trips to the nearest yard, fuel savings alone not to mentions the hours previously taken for the long trips were now freed up, insurance rate for the big truck lowered, no more tickets from the D.O.T. mobile unit.

Because of the DOT mobile units out during daylight hours, I would leave for the yard around 2:00 am arrive around 3:00 catch some nap time until the yard opened. Usually I was not the only driver taking advantage of the late hours travel, often there would be a small line up before my arrival.

The possible downside you may encounter is that the metal pile is under contract to the highest bidder, who for logistics reasons only wants to retrieve the metals every so often. like when the metal prices are favourable.

Makes sense using municipal land rent free for storage.

There would be no advantage for the contract holder to place a roll off.

hills I had almost forgotten the best part, roll offs are self dumping at the scrap yard while tridems are usually magged clean. Clean being the key word, often an empty trailer delivered to my yard would have several pounds of non ferris laying inside on the floor. Mostly stainless steel, some large bits of brass, not very often for copper.

Hi there,


I've had experience using 40-yard roll-off containers for scrap metal, and they can be quite effective when managed properly. Here are some insights that might help:


1. Weight Considerations:
A 40-yard container typically holds between 10,000 to 12,000 lbs of material. If you're dealing with heavy metals like steel or cast iron, it's easy to reach the weight limit before the container is full. Overloading can lead to safety issues and additional fees, so it's crucial to monitor the weight as you fill the container.


2. Loading Practices:
Start by placing the heaviest items at the bottom to maintain stability during transport. This approach helps prevent the container from becoming top-heavy, which can be hazardous.


3. Material Sorting:
Separating ferrous and non-ferrous metals can be beneficial. Non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum often fetch higher prices, so keeping them separate can maximize your returns.


4. Container Placement:
Ensure the container is placed on a stable, level surface that's easily accessible for loading and pickup. This setup not only facilitates efficient loading but also ensures safety for everyone involved.


5. Communication with the Hauler:
Maintain open communication with your roll-off service provider. Discuss pickup schedules, weight limits, and any specific requirements they might have. Clear communication helps avoid misunderstandings and potential extra charges


Using a 40-yard roll-off container can streamline your scrap metal collection process, but it's essential to manage it thoughtfully to maximize efficiency and profitability. If you have any more questions or need further details, feel free to ask!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alloy2

The possible downside you may encounter is that the metal pile is under contract to the highest bidder, who for logistics reasons only wants to retrieve the metals every so often. like when the metal prices are favourable.

Makes sense using municipal land rent free for storage.

There would be no advantage for the contract holder to place a roll off.

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You've got some really good points there. I don't know if we're under contract. I don't think so but i'll have to look into it. The main thing i'm up against is that we're a rather small transfer station and not a landfill or a dump. The whole idea is to take the material in and ship it back out ASAP.

Right now ... we must be pushing at least 30 tons of trash & demolition material a week. There's also composting material, mixed recycling, deposit bottles, e-waste, freon units, and a swap shop thing.

Point being : I guess we're a little bit at odds with our scrap yard. Our best interests aren't quite in alignment because we don't have the available land area to store their metals for any length of time. I'll have to noodle it a bit more.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hills

You've got some really good points there. I don't know if we're under contract. I don't think so but i'll have to look into it. The main thing i'm up against is that we're a rather small transfer station and not a landfill or a dump. The whole idea is to take the material in and ship it back out ASAP.

Right now ... we must be pushing at least 30 tons of trash & demolition material a week. There's also composting material, mixed recycling, deposit bottles, e-waste, freon units, and a swap shop thing.

Point being : I guess we're a little bit at odds with our scrap yard. Our best interests aren't quite in alignment because we don't have the available land area to store their metals for any length of time. I'll have to noodle it a bit more.

---

In British Columbia the disposal sites all now have scales with people paying a fee on the incoming weight, this had led to illegal dumping on both private and crown land.

Manitoba has recently installed drive on scales at two of the local landfills I frequently visit in search of treasures, I suspect this added cost will lead to illegal dumping.

A woman pastor I had met during the Erickson estate clean up, contacted me a couple of weeks ago to survey a house she is about to demolish to make way for a multiple dwelling. She had already owned a lot beside Danny the deceased, then purchased Dan's lot from his estate and now the other lot next to the one she already owns.

It was on the most recent lot she had purchased that had an old house on it, the landfill in Erickson no longer accepts building demolition , which now has to to trucked to Onanole and the incoming material has to be certified free of asbestos.

What I found was a piece of linoleum laid down in the small sun room, not even glued to the floor.

Danny who's estate I did the clean up, had owned five property's four of which were in town the rural farm posed a problem as there were some burned out vehicles along with other metals the combined lot would not have covered the cost of bringing in equipment and having to pay for the scrap.

After conferring with the executor who lives in London Ontario that I thought it best to have the scrap yard i was dealing with for the town lots to just take the farm scrap without expecting any money. She agreed as it was her intent to sell the farm and town lots.

A fifth property of the deceased was located in Waskada, the house was a tear down. The floors either missing or sagging, Debby had the property listed with a realitor for a year. No buyer interest, at this time I had suggested she voluntarily return the lot to the municipality as there was no sense to keep paying tax on the lot.

In addition some of the provinces larger towns have issued demolition orders to property owners that have buildings considered a hazard or unsightly.

Much to my surprise a few months ago Debby sent me $500.00 as a gratuity,

.

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Originally Posted by Theromanking

Hi there,


I've had experience using 40-yard roll-off containers for scrap metal, and they can be quite effective when managed properly. Here are some insights that might help:


1. Weight Considerations:
A 40-yard container typically holds between 10,000 to 12,000 lbs of material. If you're dealing with heavy metals like steel or cast iron, it's easy to reach the weight limit before the container is full. Overloading can lead to safety issues and additional fees, so it's crucial to monitor the weight as you fill the container.


2. Loading Practices:
Start by placing the heaviest items at the bottom to maintain stability during transport. This approach helps prevent the container from becoming top-heavy, which can be hazardous.


3. Material Sorting:
Separating ferrous and non-ferrous metals can be beneficial. Non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum often fetch higher prices, so keeping them separate can maximize your returns.


4. Container Placement:
Ensure the container is placed on a stable, level surface that's easily accessible for loading and pickup. This setup not only facilitates efficient loading but also ensures safety for everyone involved.


5. Communication with the Hauler:
Maintain open communication with your roll-off service provider. Discuss pickup schedules, weight limits, and any specific requirements they might have. Clear communication helps avoid misunderstandings and potential extra charges


Using a 40-yard roll-off container can streamline your scrap metal collection process, but it's essential to manage it thoughtfully to maximize efficiency and profitability. If you have any more questions or need further details, feel free to ask!

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Back in the day I dealt with heavy melt, I would order in a liquid oxygen cylinder have my metal all prepared for loading. The fellow I used for trucking could self load, my Canadian scrap went to Tacoma Washington the dollar difference covered the cost of trucking.

hills the next time I'm at the rapid city landfill site will take pictures of how they set up the roll off bins. Concrete lock blocks for a retaining wall, dirt pushed up long gradual slope with flat area, folks can easily toss metal into the bins below. No scale yet.

This work is all recent, with all the mounds of dirt mentioned to the custodian is would be a great set up for motocross then he told me that the site at one time had been an oval track for stock car racing.

I had a peek inside the container for e-waste, nothing too exciting printers and flat screen tv's which I no longer do due to the amount of plastic waste.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alloy2

In British Columbia the disposal sites all now have scales with people paying a fee on the incoming weight, this had led to illegal dumping on both private and crown land.

Manitoba has recently installed drive on scales at two of the local landfills I frequently visit in search of treasures, I suspect this added cost will lead to illegal dumping.

A woman pastor I had met during the Erickson estate clean up, contacted me a couple of weeks ago to survey a house she is about to demolish to make way for a multiple dwelling. She had already owned a lot beside Danny the deceased, then purchased Dan's lot from his estate and now the other lot next to the one she already owns.

It was on the most recent lot she had purchased that had an old house on it, the landfill in Erickson no longer accepts building demolition , which now has to to trucked to Onanole and the incoming material has to be certified free of asbestos.

What I found was a piece of linoleum laid down in the small sun room, not even glued to the floor.

Danny who's estate I did the clean up, had owned five property's four of which were in town the rural farm posed a problem as there were some burned out vehicles along with other metals the combined lot would not have covered the cost of bringing in equipment and having to pay for the scrap.

After conferring with the executor who lives in London Ontario that I thought it best to have the scrap yard i was dealing with for the town lots to just take the farm scrap without expecting any money. She agreed as it was her intent to sell the farm and town lots.

A fifth property of the deceased was located in Waskada, the house was a tear down. The floors either missing or sagging, Debby had the property listed with a realitor for a year. No buyer interest, at this time I had suggested she voluntarily return the lot to the municipality as there was no sense to keep paying tax on the lot.

In addition some of the provinces larger towns have issued demolition orders to property owners that have buildings considered a hazard or unsightly.

Much to my surprise a few months ago Debby sent me $500.00 as a gratuity,

.

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Many of the transfer stations here in Maine have drive on weigh scales as well. There are some places where the customer pays for everything ... including tossing a bag of trash. It varies from town to town. Our transfer station is more of the traditional model where the cost to operate the place comes out of the local property and excise taxes. We try to keep it rather loose & easy for people to use the place. The folks that don't have much money are just as good as the man with lots of cash in his pocket. I think it works out to be less expensive to operate a transfer station this way. Labor costs aren't that high. It's just me and a part timer that works one day a week.

The thing with us is that we aren't a full service transfer station. We used to accept demolition debris into our burn pile but the DEP shut that down about three years ago when i first started the job. It's probably just as well. I know of a few local transfer station attendants that died of cancer. I think it was at least partly due to working around all of that toxic smoke for all those years. Nowadays ... i refer our demolition debris customers to a larger full service transfer station 40 miles away. They're equipped with scales and the customer pays by the pound.

We're limited in what we can do because we only have about two acres of land area to work with. There's no room to expand so we have to make the best use of what we do have to work with. It's worked out pretty well since i came on. We used to have these great big piles of stuff taking up a lot of the available space. Those have all been cleaned up. Direct loading everything we do take into open top roll off containers keeps it from accumulating. The e-waste used to be loaded piece by piece onto the truck. I shifted us over to a gaylord system last year. Now it doesn't take any time at all to have it loaded and on it's way.

There are a lot of moving parts to our operation. My main goals are to modernize the way we do things, reduce our environmental impact, lower overall operating costs, and reduce the amount of labor it takes to run the place on a day to day basis. It seems to be working. We're well under budget for labor as compared to this time last year. The place makes a decent presentation to the public and we passed our annual DEP inspection with no problems found last month.

Now ... if i can just get that metals pile sorted and working a little more smoothly ... i'll be able to think about retiring and handing the place off to the next generation coming up through to run. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alloy2

hills the next time I'm at the rapid city landfill site will take pictures of how they set up the roll off bins. Concrete lock blocks for a retaining wall, dirt pushed up long gradual slope with flat area, folks can easily toss metal into the bins below. No scale yet.

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That's similar to the picture in my head. I would like to get everything up on concrete or asphalt with large concrete block back walls. Get everything containerized. It's just gonna take time to raise the funds. Set it as a goal to reach with a five year plan. It may not come to be during my tenure on the job but i can see a day when it would all come to pass. It would be a good thing.

I think i favor loading the containers with the backhoe though. For instance ... i can reduce a washing machine's volume by about 90 % by compacting it and shaking out most of the plastics. Doing it this way helps to insure you've got nice dense loads of metal going out that are just about the legal weight for a dual axle truck here. We're government so we have to abide by the law as much as possible.