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I try to walk up and down the hills at my appartment complex every day, for exercise. However, today, I decided to stop by the dumpsters and trash cans. By the time I was done, I had gotten a large trash bag full of aluminum cans. Near the tennis courts people throw a lot of cans away, and I'm also fortunate that there are a lot of drinkers in my complex who throw away a lot of cans, boxes full.

So far I've just tried this with aluminum. Have any of you ever tried to glean useful things from garbage cans?

Where I live, there are people who drive up and down the
alleys in well used pickup trucks picking up things in trash
cans as well as anything else they can sell for scrap metal.

Do you get paid for recycling aluminium cans in the US?

Here in Oz you can take them to registered dealers and get money per kg... but haven't done it for years. Used to be a great way to generate income as a kid though, especially when on holidays.

Pull the copper wiring out of your neigbours apartments whilst they are out. That stuff sells like gold!

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:Do you get paid for recycling aluminium cans in the US?

Here in Oz you can take them to registered dealers and get money per kg... but haven't done it for years. Used to be a great way to generate income as a kid though, especially when on holidays.

Pull the copper wiring out of your neigbours apartments whilst they are out. That stuff sells like gold!

Lol, I'll be sure to do that and I'll tell the police DakkaDakka made me do it.

malfred wrote:Where I live, there are people who drive up and down the
alleys in well used pickup trucks picking up things in trash
cans as well as anything else they can sell for scrap metal

I had an uncle who made a living when he was younger picking up scrap metal in his truck. Of course that was back in the late 40's or early 50's probably

Actually it can be a pretty big deal. Some states pay more than others so people use to take bulk shipments of used can across lines for lots of profit. I think Michigan pays the most. But those states have passed laws preventing this practice. Could you imagine going to jail over trying to turn in a can for 10 more cents?

The State of Tennessee has recycling centers that take your trash, but they don't pay you anything. However, there is a private company that will pay you for metals, and probably glass/plastic too.

I did find out that if you come in with copper, they want to take a copy of your ID. You can probably figure out why.

I'm addicted to Coke... the drinkable kind... and so while my friends and family buy it for me, I hide the three cokes I drink a day and when it's time to go the grocery store I have three trash bags full of cans to turn in for 5 cents a can. How do you think I pay for WH40k?

Ya, the copper thing. You'll usually see at lest 1 or 2 guys in overnight holding cells for trespassing with the intent of yanking some copper out of a dumpster or salvage bin in order to sell it.

dogma wrote:Ya, the copper thing. You'll usually see at lest 1 or 2 guys in overnight holding cells for trespassing with the intent of yanking some copper out of a dumpster or salvage bin in order to sell it.

Or see the occasional news story about someone who went and got themselves electrocuted.

A friend of mine who rents out a few houses had one of them robbed recently. They pulled out the Air Conditioner and took the copper core. That was it.

In California there is a deposit you pay on cans and bottles (California redemption value) when you buy them. You can get it back by taking them to a recycling center. However, since a lot of people just throw them away (often into curb side recycling bins) it ends up being the homeless people who comb the trash bins that end up doing the majority of the recycling. Never thought bumbs would be some of the "greenest" people around, but we've made it economicaly advantageous for them so I guess it works. Its better than welfare at least they have to work for the money.

In college we called any dumpster diving finds 'obtanium'. Go to any town with a sizeable college/university community and wait until the school year ends: you'll find appliances, clothes, electronics, books, cds, furniture, pretty much anything you can imagine in perfectly good condition (especially the books ).

There are whole movements involved in dumpster diving, especially near restaurants and malls as ways of getting food/clothes/whatever that 'has' to be thrown out but is perfectly useable. Think of it as recycling advanced deployment. A lot of charities also rely on these sorts of programs, e.g. Philabundance in Philly, PA.

A mate of mine works in Railways infrastructure. He's sick of having to replace the ground strap every few weeks on one stretch of track (heavy duty copper cable).
Our trains are powered through overhead wires, not the tracks, but there is current going through the tracks to run signals and for train tracking purposes, but if there is a train in the same 'zone' as you whenyou are cutting the strap, then you're just as toasted as you would be if you had touched the overheads.

He's had to call the emerg boys out to pick up a crispy critter once or twice.

I use to work as grounds crew for a large complex which had dormitories on it. We picked up garbage. One guy I worked with was a total dumpster diver. We couldn't drive by one without him pulling over to check it out. I went to his house once and it was scary how much of his furniture and knick-knacks were pulled from someones trash. He didn't care.

I guess if you don't mind doing it, I would try not to take it to the extreme like he did.

syr8766 wrote:In college we called any dumpster diving finds 'obtanium'. Go to any town with a sizeable college/university community and wait until the school year ends: you'll find appliances, clothes, electronics, books, cds, furniture, pretty much anything you can imagine in perfectly good condition (especially the books ).

There are whole movements involved in dumpster diving, especially near restaurants and malls as ways of getting food/clothes/whatever that 'has' to be thrown out but is perfectly useable. Think of it as recycling advanced deployment. A lot of charities also rely on these sorts of programs, e.g. Philabundance in Philly, PA.

Haha. My friends and I used to do that but they tightened up security during move-out season. Now the only time you can find stuff is in the halls while you're walking around, and you'd better look through the right pile or you'll be inadvertently stealing. Selling back dumpster books to the bookstore is pretty cool.

After Hurricane Katrina, it was made illegal for people to sell back copper in coastal Mississippi because of how many people were attempting to raid buildings that survived and claiming they "found" it lying around.

they pay about $3.25 pnd for copper where I live. I cash in 3 or 4 times a year being a plumber and all. Its my secret off the radar game money hehheheh. unfortunatly its in the scariest neighborhood in town but I need my toy soldiers!!

A friend of mine pulled a complete drum kit out of a council skip.

In the UK we used to have a deposit on fizzy drink bottles and you took them back to the shop for a few pence. That was stopped, then the bottles went plastic. Nowadays there is no trade in but all local councils have recycling schemes so you separate your rubbish into plastic, metal, glass etc and it gets carted away for recycling. (So we are told.)