I got warned to leave.

Last week I drove to the back of a building to check out their dumpster. This building has had major remodeling for the last several months. It used to be my wife's eye doctor's but he retired and sold the building. The dumpster used to be out front and I have recovered a ceiling fan and lots of wire.

Well now the remodeling is finished and the dumpster is in the back. No cars in the lot so I drive to the back and get out and I hear this voice telling me to leave. I look around and nobody in sight. It was a recording (not very loud) and every 10 feet, around the building, was a flashing light. I see cameras everywhere. So I wave at them and walk over to the dumpster and take a peek. Nothing inside so I drive off. No visits from the local sheriff yet.

... and some businesses (i.e. department stores) don't want the stuff they throw in their bin to return later on the market. Whatever it is being returned to them for refund or being sold elsewhere.

Also, the dumpster companies are losing money on the weight they can charge to customers. In some small areas, they operate as towing companies do, if you know what I mean.

Another reason can be that some previous pickers made a mess there and spoiled it for everyone else.

Originally Posted by greytruck

Any dumpsters on private property is a no-go unless given permission.

As far as I remember all dumpsters are on some kind of private property. Even out in the middle of a parking lot. That lot is owned by somebody.

Has anyone had the police called and they actually show up?

Originally Posted by jimicrk

You guys are gonna learn one of these days. Knock on doors and ask permission.
Do not assume anything.

It is much easier for them to say no.
I did ask when the remodeling first started. A big dumpster was out front for the teardown. Someone was at the front door so I did ask. He immediately said no, and took him a couple seconds to think up a reason. "insurance and liability" popped put of his mouth. Later I drove by and no cars in lot, I got a ceiling fan and some wire and a florescent light fixture.

I highly suggest you look for regular customers. You should consider yourself a business. Sell your service to your customers. What do you offer them? To me you are currently a liability to them. If you get hurt on their property then they will be liable for you hospital bills.

I recommend changing your strategy. It will take time and effort but the payoff will be much bigger. I pursued ewaste mostly but a lot of metal came along with it. One of my customers was a man who purchase medical/lab equipment at government auctions. He would sell off what was sell-able and sold the rest to me. The normal load from him was two pallets at a time and I could have taken it directly to the scrap yard and made a little profit. Instead of an instant sale I broke down the items because they were mostly SS, AL, CU, brass and contained ewaste and electric motors. In addition I also bought from computer repair businesses that did maintence for business computer systems.
Go look at businesses that you might know something about, show up on a regular schedule, act like a business. 73, Mike