Full circle with curb-co

**Copper Head** · 05-09-2014, 10:25 AM

Collecting trash has me seeing whats really up.
First it's amazing that in plain sight a scrapper can find so much.
YET now I see what people put in trash bags . Obviously it's redundant
old food packaging kitty litter SO ON .
But day in - day out- people also toss lots of small appliances . Wire of all types . Pot and Pans . brass faucets . and metal in general .
The weight , the bag solidity , the feel of items and sound are the cues to if it's got more then just food stuff . By the end of my day
I have scrap - by the end of the week I have plenty to sort .
I find TV's out and about .
It's clear to me now, much of our natural resources are bagged up for the landfill . Curb-co scraping could never facilitate finding out whats in bags with out POLICE intervention
BUT let me be clear there is another 40% curb scrap hidden from sight now I know cause I see it .

**carolinaecycle** · 05-09-2014, 10:51 AM

I used to get scrap from a company that collected trash in Raleigh. They would call for 2 pick-up and replace every week. 2 roll offs come in both 40 yards, one slam full of AL Cans another of steel food cans and anything that sticks to their magnets.
also 2 of their workers would bring in bins and BINS full of brass, aluminum, wire and everything else under the sun. funny thing is the amount of bullet shells that would come in.
the bad thing was the amount of glass that would be mixed in with the cans, i guess their method used some sort of shredding then magnets and then a picking table but they could never keep all the glass out.
so we'd have to rake the cans BUT the amount of coin$ that we found in the glass was insane.. rake cans, collect coin(literally), beer and lunch!

its amazing what people will throw out.. plus there will ALWAYS be trash so its a good business to be in.

**Mick** · 05-09-2014, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by carolinaecycle

...plus there will ALWAYS be trash so its a good business to be in.

It's just get more and more. We are a throw-away society. TVs, computers, cars, refrigerators etc, etc were once repaired over and over. No more. If it needs fixed, just throw it out and get another - cheaper.

**AdmiralAluminum** · 05-09-2014, 11:58 AM

I complain and rejoice about our wasteful society all the time! On one hand I wonder how people can be so ignorant and lazy (I would rather make something myself that is ugly but completely functional than buy a pretty retail mark up) but on the other hand I am more than happy and willing to pick up the $$$$$ they so carelessly put at the curb.

If it wasn't for consumer culture, only the full-time scrappers doing called in pick ups and contract work would survive, I think, but just my .02.

**newattitude** · 05-09-2014, 01:30 PM

Last week another scrapper actually got out to bang my bags and see what was inside them, it was just all my plastic breakdown but I had never seen that before!

**Copper Head** · 05-09-2014, 03:02 PM

I thought our throw-away society was due to people tireing of what they had ,
now I see the main foundation , Nothing seems to last . I have a sears appliance warranty that averages $1000 per year on ALL my appliances and I am to scared to not have it . Like clock work - washers - Dryer - re-fridge - dish washer - oven - always go bust .
During my fathers time , appliances lasted 15 - 20 years ,
a new one was bought due to a worn look - - already .

Who ever is in charge, has us just where they want us ,
selling us crap . and getting back the crap as scrap to make more crap.

My washer just broke and was fixed with warranty, as a temporary washer I used an old may-tag that was out side for 2 years in rain snow & sub zero cleaned it up, plugged it in , and darn thing worked .

**newattitude** · 05-09-2014, 04:57 PM

^^Copper, when my gramma died, her fridge was still running it was from 1963, its as old as I am!

**NHscrapman** · 05-09-2014, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Mick

It's just get more and more. We are a throw-away society. TVs, computers, cars, refrigerators etc, etc were once repaired over and over. No more. If it needs fixed, just throw it out and get another - cheaper.

"No more" are pretty strong words. I would have to disagree

**Copper Head** · 05-10-2014, 12:14 AM

Well here is the washer story I glossed over
It needed a new motor parts and labor was $421 paid by warranty , The washer was originally $599
since new it has had circut boards blow out 3 times
pump motor 3 times rubber gasket (side loader type)
and more .

I moved here 2005 purchased appliances from 2006 to 2008 at a cost of $5000
warranty total cost $8000 now that I add it up THIS IS BULL****
If I did not know better this is planed obsolescence to bankrupt people like me .

**ryanw** · 05-10-2014, 01:34 AM

A business in my building wholesales appliances to repair shops to fix and resell. They usually scrap the new style front loaders (washers and their dryer counterparts) because the repair people don't want them. Harder and more expensive to fix, and they break a lot.

**Curbside shopper** · 05-10-2014, 09:05 AM

The water level switch went in the washer and the dryer snapped it's belt, figured they were over 10+ years old maybe time to look at new... I like the front loaders, the cherry red ones that chime when the laundry is done. Then I looked at the price, how much the parts cost when they break, and what a pain they are to fix.

Bought my parts and a can of red paint and painted the cabinets in the laundry room instead. Spent around $40.

**Copper Head** · 05-10-2014, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by Curbside shopper

The water level switch went in the washer and the dryer snapped it's belt, figured they were over 10+ years old maybe time to look at new... I like the front loaders, the cherry red ones that chime when the laundry is done. Then I looked at the price, how much the parts cost when they break, and what a pain they are to fix.

Bought my parts and a can of red paint and painted the cabinets in the laundry room instead. Spent around $40.

That's classic

**Montymoose** · 05-10-2014, 11:08 PM

"...
If it wasn't for consumer culture, only the full-time scrappers doing called in pick ups and contract work would survive, I think, but just my .02."

Yes sir, you are absolutely correct! I can't save the world, but I can keep a few tons a month out of the landfill while putting some cash in my pocket.

**Yunkman** · 05-11-2014, 01:45 PM

Referring to Throwaways, my son bought me a new skilsaw (good brand) a few years ago and the switch went out after a year. Cost of the switch was $49 plus labor and I chose to just throw it in the iron pile and bought a used saw from a pawn shop for $25 and it's still working. That was probably 6 years ago.

**Copper Head** · 05-11-2014, 08:53 PM

Well wile on subject of tools what do you think is better OLD if not real OLD tools that had less amps but used gearing
or new tools that rely more on a wallop of amperage

I just found an OLD drill
one speed
one direction
375 RPM
5 AMP
T handle drill It's a large drill that will easily mix thin-set
or have a bit jam in wood and keep spinning so your wrist breaks
Aluminum case.

**Montymoose** · 05-13-2014, 01:03 PM

Had a Sears dryer. Stopped heating one day, so I pulled out the heating element. Yep, break in the heater coil. Pretty simple fix, but then I thought: 'Why not take it one step more?' Clipped off a piece of a heavy metal coathanger and wrapped it into the coil so it spanned the break. Worked like a charm. Every 4 months it broke through in the same spot and I repeated the repair. Kept it going for another 5 years at the cost of a little time and a few coathangers.

**NHscrapman** · 05-14-2014, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by Copper Head

Well here is the washer story I glossed over
It needed a new motor parts and labor was $421 paid by warranty , The washer was originally $599
since new it has had circut boards blow out 3 times
pump motor 3 times rubber gasket (side loader type)
and more .

I moved here 2005 purchased appliances from 2006 to 2008 at a cost of $5000
warranty total cost $8000 now that I add it up THIS IS BULL****
If I did not know better this is planed obsolescence to bankrupt people like me .

There is a company that calls my house and tries to sell me insurance on my appliances for only $50 a month... bwahaha. I can go buy a used appliance once a month for that kinda money or at least get parts i don't already have through the many parts places online or at scrapyard for cheaper (they cannot understand this lol).If it's not used in a year the price of a new appliances was thrown into the pockets of the insurance company with nothing to show but a paid bill. I feel for the people who fall into these traps setup fpr them and do no minor maintenance/repairs to their things.
Most repairs only involve a part, minor thinking, and turning a few screws. The main problem with things breaking down so quickly is the cheaper materials
used in overseas manufacturing. the mainstream buying trend is "cheap" the lower a price the better an item is, well now the guy who fixes his things is stuck buying expensive plastic parts for a cheap plastic item that should be made outta metal and cost more originally.
Look for your appliances at the yard and fill a bucket full of parts for 5 bucks...worth every penny.
As for tools, most of my tools are twice as old as me.

**foobar** · 05-14-2014, 09:38 AM

Most homeowner's policies will have an add-on equipment breakdown coverage that will bay for electronics and appliances that break accidentally (. Mine is about 20 bucks a year. There's a 500 dollar deductible, and the devil is in the details. For expensive TV's / heating & cooling systems /other expensive items, it's cheap insurance. Charging 50 a month, or paying the extra bucks when you buy new seems incredibly high in comparison.

Full circle with curb-co

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Full circle with curb-co

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