City Spring Clean-Ups are on the way!

SPRING CLEAN-UP. For those who aren't lucky enough to know what that means, it's when a town has an agreement with it's trash hauler to pick up an unlimited amount of garbage for free during a certain week in the spring. That's when you have literally parades of scrap trucks going through the town collecting thousands of pounds of scrap.

Who's got them coming up? and how big of a deal do you make it out to be?

for example, spring clean-up is a huge deal for me, I've currently got at least 3 trucks equipped with CB radios going to run through the streets. and i have a 2000sq ft landscaping shop that suddenly turns into a tipping floor and sorting/break-down facility for 4 days where everything is dumped and at the end of the day, 2 of the trucks come back to help sort while the 3rd stays out overnight. In end, all the precious metals and materials are sorted, and a dumpster is dropped off by the scrap yard to take all the shred.

the whole operation is kind of big

Wow! I love this!

We have a fun time, I'll try to get pics posted afterwards because it is pretty insane. This is my 2nd year doing this, but instead I used my 2 car garage. I packed the **** thing floor to ceiling the ENTIRE GARAGE full of scrap every day for 3 days.

ie: 1st day go out and dump in garage, sort at night.
2nd day empty out the garage and send to scrap yard, and start over (repeat for 3 days)

It's sad that here in my city they just offer free dumping at a transfer station and don't pick it up curb side. It's also sad that when I went there to drop off some plastic and yard debris there was mountains of iron, tin, aluminum, appliances, and other unknown recyclables mixed in with the trash headed for the landfill. I don't think any of it is sorted. Just hauled off and dumped. I really don't understand it at all. I saw one guy dumping a trailer with an ac unit, above ground swimming pool, and other misc light iron. My guess is that it was worth between $150 and $250 at the scrap yard which was only about 5 minutes away. Not to mention the numerous ads I see on Craigslist for free pick up of scrap. The guy dumping could have either made $100 by taking it to the scrap yard by taking it himself or saved his gas and time by calling one of us. Like the people who post to give away free appliances or scrap instead of calling one of a million ads asking for the exact same thing that they are giving away. It creates a feeding frenzy amongst the scrappers. I guess at least they are giving it away instead of sending it to the dump. Sorry this turned into a rant, sometimes these things work me up a bit.

If I were you, I'd park just before the weigh station, and just ask people if you can take it. No need to drive up and down streets! Have you tried talking to the management at the transfer station? Is it owned by a local hauling company? or is is owned by a national like WM, Waste Connections, or Republic Services? you can usually get somewhere if it's local since there may not be an exact textbook procedure.

The did that where i use to live.

Have you thought about driving the streets with a trailer to limit the trips to the shop and time out on the street.

They just started a recycleing center in the next town, which is where i get a lot of my appliances, really dont think it will hurt me much,they have to haul it in themselves, i deal with a lot of folks who cant for physical reasons,or because they have no truck to haul stuff off. might actually help me some maybe i can get rid of some of the plastic i have left over. no where around close i can sell it.

I know I love it in just a few months got our city free days for garbage coming up but even bigger is college move out day I am so excited cause this year I now have a truck even if I have little space I can pile high at night and morning and tear down during the day

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Originally Posted by elitelawnteam1

If I were you, I'd park just before the weigh station, and just ask people if you can take it. No need to drive up and down streets! Have you tried talking to the management at the transfer station? Is it owned by a local hauling company? or is is owned by a national like WM, Waste Connections, or Republic Services? you can usually get somewhere if it's local since there may not be an exact textbook procedure.

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Yeah it's WM. I thought about parking there with a sign but it's on the corner of two streets and the only place to park is about 200 to 300 yards away on a side road down a small drainage canyon which is a parking lot for county owned park/hiking trail. I will figure something out though because I think it could make money. Has anyone else had any luck dealing with WM for buying or taking stuff out

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Originally Posted by Storedaddy

Yeah it's WM. I thought about parking there with a sign but it's on the corner of two streets and the only place to park is about 200 to 300 yards away on a side road down a small drainage canyon which is a parking lot for county owned park/hiking trail. I will figure something out though because I think it could make money. Has anyone else had any luck dealing with WM for buying or taking stuff out

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I'd say the problem with WM is that they typically handle the reycling of appliances. As far as scrap metal goes, I'd just go in and ask them. "Hey can I hang around here and collect scrap metal since you're not recycling it?" While you're waiting, maybe help people unload their stuff. But like I said earlier the bigger trash companies have policies for EVERYTHING but I think if you're cool about it, (maybe throw the manager a few bucks here and there) I think if they were to turn you down, it's probably because when the big whigs come in to inspect/audit they don't want to get in trouble because they let you hang out there all day taking scrap.
Try! it's definitely worth a shot

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Originally Posted by drozenski

The did that where i use to live.

Have you thought about driving the streets with a trailer to limit the trips to the shop and time out on the street.

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No, the shop is a 5 min. drive from where I'm scrapping. I don't like pulling extra weight when I don't have to. Plus scrappers here don't use trailers. We just put up walls, and ladder racks and stack it high.
I'm also working on buying a large diesel cabover dump truck with a 16 foot dump bed. I'll be just fine

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...76309441_n.jpg

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Originally Posted by elitelawnteam1

I'd say the problem with WM is that they typically handle the reycling of appliances. As far as scrap metal goes, I'd just go in and ask them. "Hey can I hang around here and collect scrap metal since you're not recycling it?" While you're waiting, maybe help people unload their stuff. But like I said earlier the bigger trash companies have policies for EVERYTHING but I think if you're cool about it, (maybe throw the manager a few bucks here and there) I think if they were to turn you down, it's probably because when the big whigs come in to inspect/audit they don't want to get in trouble because they let you hang out there all day taking scrap.
Try! it's definitely worth a shot

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Sorry, just stating my opinion here. I think this is a bad idea. I have a feeling that Waste Management would probably Kick you off the property for staying just before the weigh station and collecting the appliances. Why would they let you hang around the tipping floor and take metal from people? Even if you "tossed" the managers money, I would be willing to bet money he would say no. You can get into big trouble for stuff behind big whigs back, and you can get the manager in trouble for making money off of a businesses wastes you could say, which is highly forbidden in a lot of businesses. I know people who are managers for some pharmacy's (Walgreens) that would give me TONS of metal from refacings and renovations, but they can't because it's against the rules to make money off of the businesses wastes. If you really want appliances, I would talk to the operations manager of the facility and try to work out a deal where you pay X amount for mixed appliances, and just set up a drop off area for them near the tipping floor. The tipping floor is a pretty dangerous place for a number of reasons. #1: At most transfer stations, there is an area called "The Pit" which is a big concrete pit where the trash is dumped and is flattened and compressed by large bulldozers. It is then pushed to one side of the pit where it is pushed into a large semi trailer and it is hauled to a landfill off site. If you are "Hanging out" by the pit, you are a liability to WM and you could sue them if you get hurt or pushed into the pit. Why would ANY company want to take a risk like that? By you hanging around the pit, it would be the equivalent of you "Hanging out" at the shred pile at the yard pulling out the good stuff.
And the second reason is, you could probably get fined for trespassing if you stayed there long enough and if WM wanted to be real jerks. Why would you want to take that risk? I know I wouldn't. It just sounds like a bad idea all the way around, but I guess I just try do things the right way because I have a company's REPUTATION on the line and I don't want to risk that. I think its just a bad idea from the start. Just my $.02

What kind of transfer station allows regular people in their personal vehicles to dump their trash directly in the pit? No sensible company, especially WM. They have a special area (usually a roll-off where people chuck it in) reason for this is because there are garbage trucks dumping in the pit! It is extremely dangerous allowing residents to directly throw their garbage into the pit. So you would therefore not be by the pit, but where the residents drop off their trash.

ASK FIRST!!! IF YOU DON'T, YOU WILL MOST LIKELY GET IN TROUBLE

And why can't you hang out by the shred pile? the scrap yard guys let me take back a/c units and other things that are thrown in shred, I disassemble them and bring them back. The employees are happy because they don't have to pick through it and disassemble them, and i'm happy because im making more money. I can go in to my yard and buy electrical wire for a little more than what they paid per lb, and i don't have to spend an arm and a leg buying new wire to wire accessories to my truck.



READ 1st, COMMENT 2nd

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Originally Posted by elitelawnteam1

What kind of transfer station allows regular people in their personal vehicles to dump their trash directly in the pit? No sensible company, especially WM. They have a special area (usually a roll-off where people chuck it in) reason for this is because there are garbage trucks dumping in the pit! It is extremely dangerous allowing residents to directly throw their garbage into the pit. So you would therefore not be by the pit, but where the residents drop off their trash.

ASK FIRST!!! IF YOU DON'T, YOU WILL MOST LIKELY GET IN TROUBLE

And why can't you hang out by the shred pile? the scrap yard guys let me take back a/c units and other things that are thrown in shred, I disassemble them and bring them back. The employees are happy because they don't have to pick through it and disassemble them, and i'm happy because im making more money. I can go in to my yard and buy electrical wire for a little more than what they paid per lb, and i don't have to spend an arm and a leg buying new wire to wire accessories to my truck.


READ 1st, COMMENT 2nd

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Dude, calm down.

Ok, first off, I apologize for offending you. That was not my intention. I did read your both of your comments, and I posted the possible problems that I saw with it (IMO). For me, it was the way you worded your post that threw me off, and the way that you were saying if you "Played it cool" just makes you sound sketchy and I know your not. I apologize for mis interpreting your post. My bad.

Going back to your reply to me about the transfer station, some of the ones around me allow people to do that, some landfills allow you to dump your own truck inside the landfill, no roll off needed in some cases. In a lot of transfer stations down here, the trucks dump on one side of the pit, and the residents dump on the other. There is a chain fence that prevents people from falling in for the most part. I guess the way trash is handled down here is different than up there.

None of the yards down here by me allow people to fish stuff out of the shred pile. If you do, the boom operator yells at you. The way I was talking about the shred pile was if you were to stay out there for extended periods of time and fish out motors, aluminum, the good stuff. THAT would be a liability in my opinion. Again, MY opinion.

I'm sorry if this forum I pi$$ed you off. That was not my intention. I hope that you understand my perspective on your post. Apparently the trash and recycling biz is very different up there from down here.

Apology accepted, but if you look through a lot of my other posts/replies this is what happens. Like the last time, I posted how I break down tvs, and in the end there was like 2-3 pages of people telling me that I shouldn't break the lead glass even when I insisted I didn't. I'm just agitated because I am a part of 3 other forums besides this one, ford trucks, lawnsite, and plowsite. and i never hear the sorts of replies I get here.

It seems to me a majority of the members here are so obsessed with the "I'm a legal, professional scrapper" ego thing goin on, that if you don't clarify in every post that you don't cut freon lines, and you don't smash lead glass you will be reminded to.

I don't know, maybe im just crazy but that's what I've noticed at least.

we have bulk pickup every week in my county. i haven't figured out all the days of near by cities yet but just in my neighborhood alone i can easily pull $1-$200 off the curb in a couple hours. that has been my only source of scrap, still new at this. i think the county north of me only does bulk pickup twice per year. wish it was easier to find this info online, i don't know what day they do it yet.

Once every 2 years in my city...u just have to check each cities website for when their next bulk pickup is...

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Originally Posted by elitelawnteam1

Apology accepted, but if you look through a lot of my other posts/replies this is what happens. Like the last time, I posted how I break down tvs, and in the end there was like 2-3 pages of people telling me that I shouldn't break the lead glass even when I insisted I didn't. I'm just agitated because I am a part of 3 other forums besides this one, ford trucks, lawnsite, and plowsite. and i never hear the sorts of replies I get here.

It seems to me a majority of the members here are so obsessed with the "I'm a legal, professional scrapper" ego thing goin on, that if you don't clarify in every post that you don't cut freon lines, and you don't smash lead glass you will be reminded to.

I don't know, maybe im just crazy but that's what I've noticed at least.

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Just stick it out, there is a slight attitude in the forum now, but it was not here a year ago. It will pass

i live in a college town and unfortunately they don't do this ( i think it would be great). but its kind of understood that when the students move out its ok to put stuff on the curb for people to pick over. i've found microwaves, tv's and more.

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Originally Posted by scrappy888

Once every 2 years in my city...u just have to check each cities website for when their next bulk pickup is...

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Nice thing is for me that it's every year, and there are al least 4 towns around me I know of that do a spring clean-up every year that I plan to participate in all of them this year.

How many scrappers do you guys have go through your routes? It's very competitive here during spring/summer/fall about 10 during normal times about 50-60 during spring clean-up. In the winter, it's only me.

Our Spring Cleanup Week isn't until the end of April but I can't wait. I like the CB and landscaping shop idea. I will be using my 2 car garage again is all I'm sure. The biggest tip I can give out is this:

I have a laptop with Microsoft Streets and Trips loaded up and then a GPS hooked up through USB. You can set it to draw a line wherever you drive so I can see which streets I've already hit, especially helpful in some of the more loopy style streets in some neighborhoods where you cant just drive a grid. I also have a pretty big power inverter installed so I dont have to worry about the laptop battery draining.

Yeah all the trucks have a gps. I don't need one in my town because I run these streets everyday, but neighboring towns, gps is a lifesaver.

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Originally Posted by elitelawnteam1

Apology accepted, but if you look through a lot of my other posts/replies this is what happens. Like the last time, I posted how I break down tvs, and in the end there was like 2-3 pages of people telling me that I shouldn't break the lead glass even when I insisted I didn't. I'm just agitated because I am a part of 3 other forums besides this one, ford trucks, lawnsite, and plowsite. and i never hear the sorts of replies I get here.

It seems to me a majority of the members here are so obsessed with the "I'm a legal, professional scrapper" ego thing goin on, that if you don't clarify in every frickin post that you don't cut freon lines, and you don't smash lead glass you will be reminded to.

I don't know, maybe im just crazy but that's what I've noticed at least.

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I'm also a member of Lawnsite, Plowsite and Let's Talk Snow (Lawnsite actually started as "Lawnicure". Plowsite started as a section of Lawnsite. Let's Talk Snow was started by a Plowsite moderator) - all three from their beginnings. The same thing happened with each of them, just in different ways.
Everybody wants to make sure everybody else understands how "professional" they are in respective fields.