The Vultures Are Circling...

[JoeyGee]

We only have unlimited trash pickup two times a year, and this week is one of the weeks. There are countless beat up pickups doing laps and circles all through the area, most just jammed with junk.

I am certainly not judging, I have been known to dumpster dive if I see something good. If the stuff gets hauled to a recycling place, so much the better.

I gotta wonder, though, with gas prices as they are, and these OLD trucks packing quite a load, how much money could they actually make? I was doing some work on my roof yesterday, and I saw the same truck 5 times--and our street doesn't even put stuff out to the curb until tonight.

[Ed62]

Actually I think some of those guys make out pretty well, with the price of scrap metal.

Ed

[Uncle Cracker]

Most of 'em are just happy to eke out a few honest bucks. Can't fault 'em for that. Some of them are fountains of resourcefulness. Go to a flea market or swap meet and sit down and talk to a few. They are usually full of interesting stories. (And, frankly, some of them are full of something else... )

[RodKirby]

In Oz (Melbourne at least), we have a strange law that says - anything that is on the nature strip belongs to the Local Council - anyone caught "assisting with the cleanup" can be prosecuted

I might add - it doesn't seem to stop lots of stuff disappearing before they get to it

[jussi]

I personally love those guys. They've taken away old fridges, TVs, computers, etc. Saved me from having to load that crap up and hauling to the dump site. Not to mention the $50 disposal fee.

[TB Roye]

Our city has the same law about salvaging from the piles of junk on the street. We used to have twice a year clean up day but the salvaging became a danger as stuff was scattered all over buy these idiots. Now each family can call and make an appointment for pick up once a year and that solved the problem of the scroungers. Another big problem with the scroungers they would dump what they didn't want in an empty lot or on another street and create a bigger mess.

Tom

[LinuxRandal]

I have seen it go several ways. When I turned a wrench, we had this junk truck LOADED with tires come by and ask about our scrap metal. We had a elderly gentleman who took ours (wife had medical issues, and son had been in a fire and then had a heart attack). He did it to help pay the bills (keep his kid from needing the states help). We had a good load, that he was coming by that evening for, when he got there (we had been closed about an hour), the area was FILLED with tires and the scrap was gone.

I know several who make their living on scrap, then others who used to be able to keep the scrap for a lower salary (company gave them all and a truck). Then there are those who are on state aid, and do this under the table (normally beat up vehicles), as well as those scum, who steal things like the copper (and air conditioning units), outside of buidings. They tend to look at these trucks as disposible farm units (drive them till they die and leave it on the side of the road/other persons problem).

[sscherin]

Hey sometimes they help..

I left a dead microwave in the back of my truck one night so I could take it to the dump later...
It was gone in the morning..

I always wonder how long it took them to figure out it would do everything except make things hot.

[cabinetman]

We have a once a month bulk pick up. We also have the parades before pick-up. But, we have some guys that are into exchange. They will take what they want, and unload on my pile what they don't want in their truck.
.

[kevincan]

We have a few that come by - I mostly see them in the summer. They have been a big help when I have been cleaning out a lot of stuff from a house I bought. I get charged extra from the garbage co. if I have a lot of scrap etc.

One of the guys has a old trailer that is usually overfilled with junk by the time I see him. He has always been nice and will ask before taking anything. I thought it was funny when he took a broken microwave that the garbage guys would not touch.

Kevin