scrap sources

I don't see a lot of relevant sources for scrap being shared. I'd like to share some of my ideas, some have worked , some I will continue to pursue. I will give my five top sources and would enjoyed if you shared your experiences and what works and what doesn't. #1 for me curb shopping. I get a variety of items this way.#2 freinds/ family/ referals most of my e- scrap is obtained this way. #3 my garage door repairman. Simple I called him up he liked the idea he drops everything from motors to tracks to springs on the side of my garage a few times a week. I usually leave him thank yous that resemble a case if beer or a$10 dollar bill in an undisclosed read.#4 Contractors I have several freinds that work for home remodeling companies. I get mainly appliances this way. Some other odds and ends too. Piping wiring ect... #5 my full time job. I'm lucky enough to work in the service field if I'm at a homeowners doing work I'm very careful but I do offer to remove things for free. I've gotten everything from electronics to auto parts. I've tried all types of auto places, lawn mower repair around here with no luck as well as HVAC companies with no luck. What places have you found that work for you?

Hey Russell...same boat as you right now, trash night runs and family/friends are my top. I am going to start visiting some of the apt. complexes near me and speak to the supers and maint guys. Figure if I offer to help them get appliances out its less work for them. Going to also ask if I can drop some flyers in their offices for e scrap from tenants. Also looking into a couple of private gun clubs that a few people I know belong to. Lots of brass to be had and my yard will take it. Tried the service stations around me and a couple of contractors...all sewn up by a few locals and the contractors are taking what they can after jobs are done. Keep brainstorming......from what I have been reading here scrappers are the most inovative people!!!!!

I have seen a lot of sharing. You may want to read more of the older threads.

I will again share some of the ways I get material to scrap. First my next door neighbor is a scrapper and sells me insulated wire and motors at the same price the local yard pays. I break them down.

I have another scrapper who sells me computer towers and other items he doesn't process. I buy towers from a local scrap yard where I sell my metals.

I also bid on state gov auctions for electronics. So far I have won only one auction which had 41 towers and 7 lcd monoitors.

I have been considering contacting the many used/thrift shops in the area and try to buy their broken computers and wires.

Thats all the secrets I have at this time, Mike.

I live about 30 miles from the nearest landfill.The local dumps do not take furniture you have to pay to dump it at the landfill.Recliners,couches with fold out beds and some other furniture contain a fair amount of metal.People dump them in the woods.I have found and mapped about a dozen of these unauthorized dumps and visit them about once a month.I break down the furniture and take the metal usually get around a ton a month this way.

friends, i am blessed with alot of them. my friend that got me started by accident of course owns property all over the county. my intro will cover part of this and he got me my first house trailer frame. i have a friend that owns a repo service i have gotten 5 of my cars from him i had to buy them of course. my friend that owns the fire saftey service with my fire extinguishers of course. another friend thats had several IT jobs around northeast AR in high positions has gotten me started on my escrap with some contacts in the right places which is starting to pick up. some other buddies with alum cans and odd and end stuff likeappliances. my friends have known me all my life i was working 2 jobs at 17 and havnt slowed down since so they know i wont let them down if its in my control. lots of word of mouth, craigslist and paper adds. i will take anything from cars to cans and let it be known we can pick anything up

I went out today on foot and picked up 6 lbs of cans which was a little difficult because of the snow and the blackberry bushes, I had a chunk of stainless I was going to scrap and posted Clist and a guy from a restaurant gave me $100 bucks for it 3x scrap value. I have a route now and know where things get dumped mostly apartments and housing projects folks dump things regularly there are 3 TVs on my street and a monitor tonight. I stop by one big project once a week and always find things last time 4 or 5 towers only problem motherboards were stripped. I run ad on Clist Free pickup of unwanted PCs Macs and have someone who wants to give me a laptop and some towers. I fix the good ones up and donate them to folks in the projects and the laptops going to a homeless guy who lives in a van and had his laptop ripped off. Out here it's all about recycling and nothing goes to a landfill and allot of companies are excepting PCs electronics and I offer Free pickup because people want convenience.

try to get an in with a grocery store. loads of good stuff. i get all their junk and metal but i also work there. Sold a grease trap about a month ago when they got a new one. im sitting on a industrial panini grill now. old diplays, shelving, ballasts...

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Originally Posted by ruben23

try to get an in with a grocery store. loads of good stuff. i get all their junk and metal but i also work there. Sold a grease trap about a month ago when they got a new one. im sitting on a industrial panini grill now. old diplays, shelving, ballasts...

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This worked for me sence I work in a grocery store at the moment. But my company now takes there old shelfs and racks back to scrap them there self. I saw four pallets of used shelving sent out this week. I said to the boss, " OH, SO NOW WE DONT NEED THESE HUH?" Boss didnt like that to much.

lol Grey

ouch. the way my store looks at it they are saving hundreds on a dumpster rental. also most of it is stored on top of the large freezer. so i just mentioned to the boss that freezers are not made to hold wait and that OSHA would s%^t if they saw it. they told to to get it out. also i talked to the "handy man" that the store hires and now he brings me everything of value from his other jobs

I find NOTHING on the curb on trash day in my area . # 1 for me is my co-workers . #2 Craig list in the free section ( I keep the app on my phone ) . # 3 is my full time job my boss use to call other scrapers to pick up our stuff . # 4 my neighbors .

Hello there folks, I am new to the Forum but love the info. I do scrap full time as it is my business and I use good old door knocking. I go up to commercial and industrial buildings speak to the ones who count and take from there. For residential just about to launch my first Ad`s and flyers..thanks

bosses can be tough. they don't want u making even a nickel more than them - even though most of them wouldn't think of or even be capable of doing the work required to scrap most stuff like we do. jealousy. they wish they wuz scrappy like us...................

A big thing for me is o ask about every thing, if i see anything even if it doesn't look like scrap ill ask and its gotten me a stove, grill and a dryer,and fridge in one day also since i am young people like to think there taking advantage of me by giving me their problems. So i used there ignorance to fatten my pocket. The real thing is to not be afraid to ask , the worst they can say is "No".