Vegas Scrapping Diary

Hello Scrappers,

Sense a couple others have started a diary on here I figured why not. I believe I'll have information beneficial to the community so here goes. First don't know how many others will be in this situation but if you are then this will be the thread to follow.

First off some small ground work. At the moment the wife is the only income source (times are tough) and she works for an answering service where she has to answer phones for companies and write messages. Because of her diabetes her eye sight is starting to worsen which is effecting her job performance and has already been given a warning about errors in her message tickets. Soooo, it has become obvious that we need an alternative income source that isn't dependent on getting fired, layed off, etc. For that I chose scrapping. Now we live in an apartment complex and have no vehicle, truck, etc.

What I do have for this adventure is a bike and trailer. What I need to be able to do with this rig is at least make enough to pay the rent to begin with and work up from there. The plan is just to ride around dumpster diving, hunting, etc for scrap (aluminum cans, cast aluminum, copper, brass, what ever can fit is trailer). I'll not using the local scrapyards because there are buyers that you can meet, in various places, around town that will buy. Most of them only buy aluminum cans and plastic bottles but I did find one guy that purchases all metals. The going rate in Vegas right now is $1/lb for aluminum cans and .30/lb for plastic bottles. The scrap yards are worst at .38/lb for cans and I don't know what they pay for plastic bottles but I'll assume it isn't good.

That's all for now. Tomorrow I'll be starting and I'll keep this post as my diary to track progress and fill people in on my thoughts, tips, things I've learned etc. For those interested I'll post a picture below of my rig.

i'm going to start mailing my cans to you if you can get 1.00 a pound.

Yea all the remote buyers are paying $1/lb for cans. One is paying $1.10/lb to try and steal business. They take them to California where they get $1.80/lb

The scrapyards only pay .38/lb but people still go to them. Not sure why.

Wow, no wonder it costs so much to live in Cali. We're at 60 cents a pound here and that's pretty good. The highest I've seen it here is 70 cents. Can't believe that the yards in Vegas aren't at least in the 50 cent range. Something smells rotten...

Thanks pjost,

Well I'll also be collecting items that I believe I'll be able to sell on eBay too. Right now the wife is selling old purses and stuff she doesn't need anymore on my account. But soon, I'll be throwing my finds up for sale.

That is a nice rig. Good luck.

As far as a bike + trailer goes I think yours is pretty snazzy! Looks brand new!

$1/pound is incredible!! I was just in vegas a few weeks back and couldnt help but notice all of the folks rummaging through trash to fill up their cart o cans.
Are you in downtown vegas or are you nowhere near the craziness of the strip. On the strip the few folks that really got me thinking were the ones with a large cooler selling bottles of water for $1/per. I myself bought water from them only (cheapest around!) and couldnt help but wonder how much they are making in a day. I would bet on a GOOD day they might make $100+ just peddling bottles of water and that doesnt even involve moving around. A bit unrelated... but thats my .02

Yea armstrt8, there is a licensing fee and a couple other fees the peddlers have to pay to the city to get a license to either sell products on strip or be one of those people that dress up as celebs, actors, cartoon characters, etc and charge to take photos with you.

Personally I like the freedom is scrapping and having my own hours.

i just came back from las vegas for my moms wedding. it was an experience thats for sure. walked along fremont street seen all sorts of things i normally don't see in my state lol. we stayed at the golden nugget. was walking with sister and my 6 year old niece said look mommy those 2 girls and that guy don't have no clothes on! should seen the look on my sisters face lol. why she brought the kid i don't know! las vegas is not a place for a kid.

That trailer might be sturdier than mine. How are the corners fastened? Does it have a tailgate? I broke mine today and spent scrapping time repairing it.

Cans and bottles are the same here in AZ. Normal scrap yards pay $.55 for cans. Others $.95 for cans CRV, $.35 #1 CRV, $.15 #2 CRV and $.04 glass CRV. If you can find someone who will come and buy your other scrap that is a good deal as you have no truck! As for making money on the strip I would dress up as a big di ck and pose for photos! LOL

Isn't interstate transfer of non-deposit cans and bottle for receipt of deposit a felony? I mean that IS textbook fraud by misrepresentation.

It may or may not be enforced at any or only some levels right this moment...but the second they figure out they're losing more money than they thought with the program...the cracking down will start.

Originally Posted by armygreywolf

Isn't interstate transfer of non-deposit cans and bottle for receipt of deposit a felony? I mean that IS textbook fraud by misrepresentation.

It may or may not be enforced at any or only some levels right this moment...but the second they figure out they're losing more money than they thought with the program...the cracking down will start.

They want to set up checkpoints at California inspection stations. And they have over 100% redemption on deposit cans in California.

Check points are up. Beverage Container Importation Monitoring Program and Imported Materials Report (IMR)

Originally Posted by charn

That trailer might be sturdier than mine. How are the corners fastened? Does it have a tailgate? I broke mine today and spent scrapping time repairing it.

The corners are fasten by self-locking C-clip type fasteners. The front and back rails come out and the sides fold up. Basically you can slide it right under the bed or anywhere else you like.

CyberSorcerer

Originally Posted by armygreywolf

Isn't interstate transfer of non-deposit cans and bottle for receipt of deposit a felony? I mean that IS textbook fraud by misrepresentation.

It may or may not be enforced at any or only some levels right this moment...but the second they figure out they're losing more money than they thought with the program...the cracking down will start.

As for that I have no idea. These guys have been doing for sometime now. Nothing new and I don't believe there are any border stops between here and Vegas. For semi-trucks yes, but cars and pickup trucks? Don't think so.