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  1. #1
    AllanMiller7 started this thread.
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    Can you make good money picking up scrap on the side of the road??

    So I have this idea. I simply walk along the road with a trash bag collecting scrap, like medals and such. What would I gross in a day if I did this all day?



  2. #2
    greytruck's Avatar
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    $2.00

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  4. #3
    AllanMiller7 started this thread.
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    Seriously??? :0 only 2$..... :/

  5. #4
    Otto's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AllanMiller7 View Post
    So I have this idea. I simply walk along the road with a trash bag collecting scrap, like medals and such. What would I gross in a day if I did this all day?
    Go give it a try. The worst that could happen is you get some fresh air and sunshine.

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  7. #5
    AllanMiller7 started this thread.
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    Yup yup. I found a 20$ bill once. Was a some. But like I read somewhere were this guy said the side of the road is a candy store cuz of all the scrap. Idk. 2$ would be like just cans and such ._.

  8. #6
    mikeinreco's Avatar
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    When I lived on the streets I could make $10 to $20 a day walking alleys and digging thru trash so perhaps that gives u an idea

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  10. #7
    AllanMiller7 started this thread.
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    Thanks! I read this thread called, " ditch walk-in" , I'm going to give that a try.

  11. #8
    Mechanic688's Avatar
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    You won't be able to live on what you make unless your a homeless guy with no bills, then you might make lunch money. Depending on where you eat.
    P & M Recycling - Specializing in E-Waste Recycling.
    If you enjoy your freedom, thank a vet.

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  13. #9
    NHscrapman's Avatar
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    I like your Idea!
    I don't think you will make much but I found $100 bracelet on the road this spring.... So one never knows.
    Even if it's a couple bucks the world will be all that much better of a place thanks to you.
    take a bag for some trash to
    There ain't nothing wrong with an honest days work. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.- Old Man

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  15. #10
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    Approximately 34 12oz cans make a pound, 40˘ pound. Guess it depends where your at, and how far and how long you want to walk.

  16. #11
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    here cans have a 5cent deposit but if you walked the ditches all day I think maybe $20-30 the first day only though because the refresh rate would be a week maybe less or more but maybe some mufflers and odds and ends as well. realistically though walking the ditch would not be productive but I am not saying you should not do it but more for trash than money and if you adopt a highway you get your name on a shinny sign and roaming gangs of the highway homeless could in fact prove to be useful after all by helping you clean up trash for the cans so you do not have to do it yourself however they would require shelter in the drainage culverts so you must provide weather reports and flood warnings but also could sell them flood insurance and bail money insurance lol

  17. #12
    AllanMiller7 started this thread.
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    Lol :0

  18. #13
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    In all seriousness, on some days yes. Once or twice a year the state has inmates who come along and pick up trash and bag it. I've spent a fair amount of time along the side of the interstate, and there is a surprising amount of metal, even large pieces. Around here, it takes them a few days to get the trucks to come pick up the trash bags, so I don't know of any reason why you couldn't just stop, take a quick look, then keep moving to the next one. Same thing with those Adopt A Highway programs. Just keep an eye out for colored bags...

  19. #14
    Rollyrogers33's Avatar
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    I started out like this in my younger years and I had no idea what I was doing. Still don't. The most I ever made in a day was when some guy stopped his car and handed me a $10 bill and thanked me for cleaning up the neighborhood. A week later I stopped collect roadside cans after I saw a elderly couple picking cans roadside. I figured that someone needs aluminum can money more than me.

    The best spots to pick cans are freeway exits and entrances. Everyone is pitching their trash there. Beer cans, pop cans, energy drinks are what I always found.
    Last edited by Rollyrogers33; 06-09-2015 at 12:58 AM.
    "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage." Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark

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  21. #15
    mikeorloff's Avatar
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    My return on about 10 hours of walking the ditches along rural roads was $20; mostly beer cans. Saw a lot of steel scrap, but did not collect it. One man drove by, and seeing me collect cans, went home and brought me a bag of cans. Definitely think the strategy of having others collect cans for you makes the most sense.

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  23. #16
    AdmiralAluminum's Avatar
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    Do you have access to a bicycle? That would improve your speed and efficiency. I have heard of people using golf carts as bike trailers (heard of means someone bought one off me for that purpose). A big backpack would help too. Worst that can happen is you get some exercise.
    METAL IS MY MISTRESS...PLEASE DON'T TELL MY WIFE!

  24. #17
    newattitude's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 64Goat View Post
    Approximately 34 12oz cans make a pound, 40˘ pound. Guess it depends where your at, and how far and how long you want to walk.
    37 by our scale. Anywho, walking and picking up scrap, yeah, please read old threads.
    Scrapper, Scrap Yard Worker, Horse farm worker, Cooler Puller and just plain ''tired''

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  26. #18
    Sirscrapalot's Avatar
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    There is no money to be made in scrap metal..of any kind.

    Despite this forum, all of it's members, all the available info, or anything else you read or hear.

    There is no money in this.

    /cough

    Sirscrapalot - Hello Horse, allow me to drink that water for you.

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  28. #19
    mikeorloff's Avatar
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    Thanks for the tips; alway looking for ways to improve speed and efficiency. Hope to get my bicycle on the road with something like a basket for storage; also thinking about a the best way to crush them to minimize space.

  29. #20
    mikeorloff's Avatar
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    Thank you; appreciate the humor and encouragement.


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