scrap buckets

this is probably not an original idea but thought it was worth mentioning. i live in a small town with no sidewalk pickup no dumpsters and no pickin at the dump so my pickups come mostly talking to people. i have aquired a lot of 35 gallon trash buckets on my way (now i use large stackable crates) so i decided to paint them and put " metal and electronics" on the side as well as my phone number. the town over from me is a big ski resort town with many many hotels and motels all of which have a maintenance department. see where i'm going with this. most family run places took them no problem after a short talk with the owner and head maintenance supervisor letting them know what i'm looking for. some of the larger chain hotels took them with a little persuading that it will save them money and they can put "green company" on there name as far as waste is considered. the only places that wouldn't even talk to me were high end places that were and i quote "too good for the likes of garbage pickers" ohhh was i mad but kept my cool and went on my way i am currently up to 25 buckets and i usually pick up once a week and i can barley keep up with the mass influx now that ski season is in full swing and the places are packed. i have made a lot of good friends in all those maintenance departments and they usually give me hints on upcoming projects or something i might be interested in. guess in a nutshell for $5 in paint and some free buckets im pulling in 500 twice a month and have 5 mason jars full of gold pins from computers (which i prosses myself). my scrapyard knows me personaly now and the stock pile is growing nicely for the "mud season"
Life is Good!

cool deal! Good too that you didn't lose your cool there. As time goes by, you might find the guys who run the motels where you're at, are friends/golfing buddies/etc with the ones who didn't care to talk to you now. That "green" thing was a great idea too, and could well be another point to eventually bring the others around

Great Idea! I kind of do this but I did it in a smaller way since I am not old enough to drive. Here is what I did, I ordered 20 Recycling bins on ebay, and gave them out to my neighbors who wanted them, they would place there soda cans, cooking cans , old electronics, and metals. every week I would go around picking it up and bringing it home. I have gained much scrap metal and cans from this, but I no longer do this because I no longer collect cans due to how much they attract ants and people don't just generate old electronics once a week, so I decided to stop giving out recycling bins, but after the end I pretty much cut even after the cost of the bins, and how much I made.

"too good for the likes of garbage pickers"

Spoken like a true Massho**.

Good to have a granite stater here. I did a 5 year stint up in Manchvegas. Flatlander, I know, but it was a decent little city and an easy drive out to the coast. NH rocks.

Gah, wish I had seen this before I posted in the other thread NH. LOL...but yea, this idea works people. I do it here on my sandbar.

I don't get ski poles..but you'll get lots of goodies from the hotel/motel industry if you can get a in. NHscrapman has it right though the high end hotels will look down on you, but the mid and even some big chains will love you for the service. The million dollar home owners, lest in my neck of the woods, (Corolla & Duck) some are receptive some aren't. Once you mention saving them money, and the benefits to the local environment, it does get them to think twice.

Fun things you can get from a hotel/motel:
TVs, Radios, electric face plates, ironing boards, irons, broken tools, old ACs, old door locks (card reader type), Furniture, mini-fridges (some even stainless!), microwaves, old parts and supplies, phones, and many other things depending on the hotel/motel.

Good Post NHscrapman.


Sirscrapalot - Nothing like a call to pick up 'some' microwaves and it turns out they replaced every unit in every room...and its all yours.

Be sure to check out if there are any salvageable parts in the equipment you take away. It's sometimes easier for me to sell of parts of something than the entire unit...no matter what it is. New commercial restaurant parts cost an arm and a leg from the manufacturer.

you said for the mud season? You mean as in mudding with a mud truck?

That is an unbelieveably awesome idea!! Great work!!

Originally Posted by NHscrapman

lol NH rocks literally I work a landscaping job in the summer and dig out 1 giant rock for every 6 scoops of a shovel! found some nice geodes and some semi precious gemstones in the process though i'm still waiting to pull up that giant gold nugget but until then i keep on digging!

You mean like this one?



I am sorry i just couldnt help myself.