Breaking stuff down, is it worth it?

Hello,

I recently bought a scale on amazon to help me find out if it is worth it to break stuff down. I recommend everyone to have a scale because it helps you to know how much you will be making and if it is worth it to break stuff down. Here is the link where I bought my scale 600lb limit scale for $80:

Amazon.com: 600 LB Pounds Platform Bench Shipping Weight Computing Counting Scales: Office Products

This scale helped me to find out if it is worth it or not to break stuff down. When you break stuff down you have to make sure that you are subtracting what you would get if you didnt break down from what you will get for breaking down. Then you will be able to know how much more profit you will be making (or loosing) by breaking down. For example:
A T.V
without breakdown: @.05/lb. (e-waste) 65lbs = $3.25
with breakdown: (copper, alu, brown board, wire)= $7.25
What you made from breaking down (7.25-3.25)= $4.00 ( took 15-20min)

I found that smaller tv's are worth it but, a lot of the bigger T.V's have aluminum wire instead of copper wire and you can actually loose money if you break it down. Here is what I found:
no break down: @.05 (e-waste) 110lbs= $5.50
with break down: (copper yoke, alu wire, e-waste,etc)= $3.30
What you make from breaking down $3.30-$5.50= -$2.20

So with this bigger tv. I actually lost $2.20 because I broke it down opposed to just recycling as e-waste.

A general rule is if there is lots of weight from discard (trash) after breaking stuff down you might want to think about recycling the item as is (without break down) because you will get the extra weight. Keep in mind that you can actually loose money when breaking down opposed to recycling as is. So, I recommend buying a scale.



Another very important thing for scappers if you are just starting out is that you have to:
1. Know ALL of the different classifications of all of the metals (contaminated, painted, thickness, everthing)
2. Know what the prices are to every classification.

If you dont know these two things you will have a hard time determining whether it is worth it to break something down or not. You will not know what is "up for grab" when you are breaking down. This goes for picking up too, if you dont know what something is worth then you wont know if it is worth it to pick it up.

I apologize if there is already a post on this matter but, I felt it was important to share this, especially the usefulness of a scale and knowing the classifications and prices. This stuff is probably more for beginners in the forum. I am also a beginner (about 6 month full time) and always learning new stuff all the time. So I hope that this helps some of you out there

thanks

So you guys cant sell whole tvs? Here in California we can sell tvs @ $.05/lb. but, it can get a little complicated. TVs are highly regulated and each house hold (address) can only drop off four tvs. If you drop off more than 4 the state will call you and confirm that the tvs came from your address. So, what a lot of scrappers do is they collect the address where they picked up the tv and give it to the scrap yard and they log that address in. Only some scrap yards (the more ghetto ones) allow you to do this but, other yard require an ID and they use the address on that ID.

As far as disposing of TV's that are already broken down: the dump take two per day with/out any fee.

How do things work in your state?

At goodwill do they take your name down or is there a limit on how many you can turn in?

I believe california funds the tv recycling program so that is why we can recycle them and also dump two off per day at the dump.

I would be happy to get .02lbs for tv's in my area. 5.00 charge per tv at the dump and if it is a big tv the charge gos up to 10.00. same charges for the tubes.

In My area of Mass. Everyone ( Towns and Private yards that will take them ) charges a Min. of $ 25.00 for a TV , with larger TV's a Lot More and don't even ask about the big old wood console units $$$$ . I have been reading up everything I can find here on TV's as there are 6 on the curb within a 1/2 mi. of the house , but the high disposal cost it is a turn off .
Bandit

haha, funny how this turned into a TV commercial ; ) The last big old "wood" (not real wood, wish it had been, was the only reason I chose to go so far to get it, it was only a particle board imitation of wood) TV I got turned into a nice workbench out behind the barn. Once it's deteriorated enough to be totally useless, it'll get tossed in a brushpile somewhere to be burned with the brush

WOW , Your able to burn brush !
Doesn't most of the Fall-A-Partical Board Furniture start to Deteriorate as soon as it is put outside , ( or leaves the showroom floor ) ?
When we find it in a storage locker it just gets broken down and trashed , don't even bother trying to give it away .

This was a 91 model, looks like the rain washes them away a little slower, it was extremely thick too, over an inch in places, and heavy, very heavy. Even just the tube from that thing is more than I care to lift, keep putting off hauling it to Goodwill. It got away from me and I dropped it two or three times getting it out the door, down some steps, across a gravel driveway, and up into the trailer. Must have made the woman who gave it to me feel real good ; )

Originally Posted by Mick

In Maine, the dump charges $5 each for a TV or computer monitor. I tear them apart for electronic components and haul the glass to Goodwill under their recycling agreement with Dell/Reconnect.

Thanks a lot mick for the advice. I went to Goodwill today and turned in some scrapped monitors with now problems. This is a great resource for me thanks a lot!

Goodwill by me still won't take them

Im going today to drop off most of the rest of my inventory. this is awesome.

Goodwill here in Mass. appears to only take working TV's and Computer's & Monitors along with a few other charities and they all say they Only want newer one's and will test them before taking them in.
The scrap yards and town's around here start at a $ 25 fee and go up ( Way Up ). Found one place that will take them from the public for a fee of $ 2.50 a pound .
There are a few National Recycling companies in the area , but it looks like they only want to deal with large commercial accounts for Secure Disposal for $$$$
Anyone ever deal with any of these companies ? They have Local Warehouses here in Mass.
Electronic Recyclers International
E-waste and Electronic Recycling Centers | Recycle Corporate, Consumer and Government Electronics
Computer Recycling USA
Computer Recycling USA
Advanced Electronics Recycling Inc.
Electronics Recycling
Thanks
Bandit

I have been Googling all afternoon , found a link on here to the Dell recycling web sites and the closest one to me , living west of Boston is in Southern New Hampshire , Goodwill of Northern New England , and they even give you directions on how to " Safely "box and label broken monitors .
It looks like this will solve the Computer Monitor Disposal Problem , Now I just have to find one for TV CRT tubes .
Computer Equipment Recycling with Reconnect
Goodwill Industries of NNE
Bandit
Ps
Hi Mick
Does Northern NE Goodwill take CRT Tubes too ?
Pps
The Magic I got from You at Cole Farms , worked Like a Dream , LOL

For the tv's I just take all of the copper and everything out of the crt TV/monitor then put the back cover back on the so that it looks like a normal tv. I think goodwill will take the tubes also but, if you put the back cover back on they are easier to handle and stack.