Rules change....

I agree with Sirscrapalot. Some talk about "karma" on the forum, but consider deliberately including extra plastic to pad the weight an acceptable business practice. Some stuff is not feasible to clean off, but padding the weight is the same mindset as putting pebbles in your aluminum cans. I want to be known by the yard as the guy who brings in quality lots, and am still trying to work a deal to buy all their computers. If I had a yard I would downgrade loads with extra plastic, but that would require a trained personnel at the scale who would be more effectively used in another spot. So instead of downgrading individual lots, everyone gets downgraded based on the actions of short-term opportunists.

Rules are made for fools who don't know how to behave otherwise.

My yards have never givin me grief about plastic. They dont really care. Theres not enough weight to really affect the pay out all that much. So, im just gonna keep piling printers, comps with plastic, etc in my scrap cars until they tell me not to.

Knock on wood....

I normally take off excess plastic and other things from my shred loads, except for things like refrigerators, dishwashers, etc. Anyway, the yard pays for 85% steel, 15% other. They don't give you a better rate if you have all metal, or a mix. It is what it is. I don't find myself wanting to take any extra time cleaning what I bring in. If I had a whole load of just straight steel, it makes me want to just throw some garbage in with it. They give you a rate that allows for 15% "other" for it, so give them their 15% "other" :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ryanw

I normally take off excess plastic and other things from my shred loads, except for things like refrigerators, dishwashers, etc. Anyway, the yard pays for 85% steel, 15% other. They don't give you a better rate if you have all metal, or a mix. It is what it is. I don't find myself wanting to take any extra time cleaning what I bring in. If I had a whole load of just straight steel, it makes me want to just throw some garbage in with it. They give you a rate that allows for 15% "other" for it, so give them their 15% "other" :)

---

Thats how my yards work. Doesnt matter gow clean the metal is. Steel is steel and they have one price for it. And they also allow for i think something like 20% non metal.

Jord your a special case..heh. You use cars for the container, so yea.. your yard won't *****. An it's not the stuff you can't remove that's a problem, trust me I don't remove every bit of plastic. I just don't take things that 90% to 75% plastic. I mean a washer..I understand. Fridges, same. Printers..to a degree, it's not hard to knock the outside casing off. Same with most things, the plastic comes off easily lest for me. I'm not reselling this stuff it's going to the yard. lol.

Each their own, me I do what I gotta so my yard stays happy an gives me the good pricing. YMMV

Sirscrapalot - I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying. - Oscar Wilde

So im crazy and im special? LOL

Cars are the best shred holders. Dont have to worry about strapping all th stuff down.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sirscrapalot

Each their own, me I do what I gotta so my yard stays happy an gives me the good pricing. YMMV

---

To me this is the key...you have to know the rules the yards want you to play by and you have to play within those rules. The initial point of this thread was to note the rules change. I didn't write about it last month, but the same yard changed the rules on wire last month. Ends must be cut off of wire now to receive the same price we were receiving two months ago. Otherwise they put the degrade the wire a step. When I first started only 6 months ago, I made a trip to the yard and specifically asked the yard boss what they wanted and how I needed to prepare the wire. I prepared it just like they told me until last month when I took in 60+ pounds and they wanted to devalue it and give me $0.60/lb instead of 1.60/lb. I told them I'd take it home and trim the ends...they said, no, we'll buy it this time but to cut the ends off. I do cut the ends off now for them and I get a better ROI. I always take the brass off of the male end once I remove it and I leave the female ends intact. Not to mention the fact that that yard accepts the ends as copper breakage. I don't understand it, but that is what they want, so that is what I do and I make decent money on my time and material.

You always say I don't include you enough Jord..so yep, special an crazy. ;) Welcome to the club.

An I think I need to change up my YMMV...

the new one shall be YYMV..Your Yard may vary..lol.

Sirscrapalot - Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. - Nelson Mandela - 1918 - 2013

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by erewen

I agree with Sirscrapalot. Some talk about "karma" on the forum, but consider deliberately including extra plastic to pad the weight an acceptable business practice. Some stuff is not feasible to clean off, but padding the weight is the same mindset as putting pebbles in your aluminum cans. I want to be known by the yard as the guy who brings in quality lots, and am still trying to work a deal to buy all their computers. If I had a yard I would downgrade loads with extra plastic, but that would require a trained personnel at the scale who would be more effectively used in another spot. So instead of downgrading individual lots, everyone gets downgraded based on the actions of short-term opportunists.

Rules are made for fools who don't know how to behave otherwise.

---

Considering your opening statement erewen, and your closing one, that's rather stern ain't it? Specifically if they're both aimed at someone here on this thread. I've seen numbers who discussed different yards acceptable mix etc, but nobody talking about purposefully hiding pure plastic.

I will not speak for theirs, but will attempt explaining my own, about stacking the printers into the computer shells. They won't quite fit into the hard cases, only into the tops, which are open on at least 3 sides. I didn't put them all on bottom, I certainly didn't put them all on top, but mixed them with the load of cases, some on bottom, some in the middle, some on top, but None at any level were hidden.

The yard I went to has qualified personnel at all points, At least three in the scale office overlooking the scale, one of which will usually be the owner, and at least two office workers, All of which are qualified scale operators. They see down into my trailer every time I cross it, are looking into my trailer as they take my weight, and look across it again when waving for me to proceed. Out in the yard is a qualified hoist operator with a qualified rigger, both with radios, who Will let the office know of any excessive abuse in quality of merchandise.

If your yard is less prepared to deal with incoming loads, maybe you should find a better one.

I found it rather humorous that we had to dig it all out by hand, but was still Not found to be abusing their standards. Those old late 80s and early to mid 90s Dot Matrix printers were built with solid steel frames, rods, gears, and real motors, with only an outer plastic shell. They are Not like the ones of today which are plastic through and through with only a couple of metal rods and a tiny mostly plastic motor and plastic gears.

It was in no way hidden, although it was certainly mixed, nor was it loose plastic. My mix could possibly have been at that one time near maxed, but it Was Not exceeded, else I would have certainly been docked, and knew it. I was in no way attempting to slide one by them, even if I did make an effort to blend it in, from top to bottom, knowing if it was all on bottom it would be seen by the crane operator, or if all was on top seen by the office, but it was instead well mixed, so all would see it, and know it, although maybe not all at once.

I cannot speak for others who posted in this thread, but for myself, do not feel I would be deserving of such a scathing post. So, as far as your opening statement, as well as your closing statement, if they were also directed at posters on this thread, maybe you could have blended those a little better also. ; )

Just an observation Bear. It's not meant as scathing, just meant to be direct commentary with a sweet quote a la Sirscrapalot. People bring what they bring, and yards take the load, request something cleaner, or lower their prices to reflect the market value of the lower quality loads.

Some contamination is inevitable and economically unavoidable. So knowing that contamination is allowable, people are presented with three personal choices: deliberately pad the weight, deliberately leave all the contaminants in up to the limit, or remove the "easy removable" contaminants to the detriment of volume/weight. These are business decisions each one of us make.

I'm not naive, and I don't put any weight into karma, but I guess by my actions I am willing to sacrifice a couple of bucks for my own personal standards. Not everyone feels the same, so your mileage may vary. No big deal. It's just steel and plastic.

I used to work in a food related industry, and the practice of adding bad to good to reach a certain allowable percentage of contaminants is an allowable and acceptable practice there also. It's the way of the world. I don't need to pi55 in anyone's cornflakes, I know what's in them. Bon appetit!

haha, all you need to do is see "food inc" on PBS "Point of View" to know about that, and never buy another processed food product ; )

I still say almost anything makes its way to a shredder will be processed. Plastic in cars, fridge and keyboards. Lots of seperating waste from shredders to make sure they get all the non farris metals. The point is if your yard wont take them find a yard that will!