What did you scrap?

[Recyclersteve]

I may stop saving my #1 plastic bottles even though I am going to the scrap yard with cans. The bags are getting expensive. 32 cents each and I had to add a bag to each one as they were falling apart. That's $1.28 for the bags. I only made $4.20 on the plastic. So $2.92 I made. It more than covered the gas to get there and back but still.

Part of why I used , garbage cans.

Cry in my beer. The OL has decreed that all my yard,,waste,, is going away.
Want some cans for cheap???.

I have cut up all my pallets, as I can't find a buyer. At work, they now put them into the dumpster. Taking the cans , plastic in, tomorrow.

Loading steel, al, wire for Monday.

Also have to demolish my shade /sorting / storage ,structures.

Boo hoo

Tucson has brush pickup every 6 months. They take wood up to 5’ long, so that should include most pallets. You should (during pickup week) be able to place pallets out by the curb w/o cutting them up.

Also, I’m assuming you are talking about wooden pallets, not the heavy duty plastic ones. The plastic ones costs about $225-275 each at Home Depot. Those should be pretty easy to sell.

[Dr. Cadmium]

For wooden pallets my methods are:

Good condition:
- use for shipping
- sell to one scrap yard when there is a shortage
- give to one town dump for free (they use them for shipping)

Broken:
- cut up for firewood, assuming they are dry and not painted or laminated

Rotten:
- dispose as bulky waste

[cwgii]

I may stop saving my #1 plastic bottles even though I am going to the scrap yard with cans. The bags are getting expensive. 32 cents each and I had to add a bag to each one as they were falling apart. That's $1.28 for the bags. I only made $4.20 on the plastic. So $2.92 I made. It more than covered the gas to get there and back but still.

Part of why I used , garbage cans.

Cry in my beer. The OL has decreed that all my yard,,waste,, is going away.
Want some cans for cheap???.

I have cut up all my pallets, as I can't find a buyer. At work, they now put them into the dumpster. Taking the cans , plastic in, tomorrow.

Loading steel, al, wire for Monday.

Also have to demolish my shade /sorting / storage ,structures.

Boo hoo

Tucson has brush pickup every 6 months. They take wood up to 5’ long, so that should include most pallets. You should (during pickup week) be able to place pallets out by the curb w/o cutting them up.

Also, I’m assuming you are talking about wooden pallets, not the heavy duty plastic ones. The plastic ones costs about $225-275 each at Home Depot. Those should be pretty easy to sell.

We live outside the city limits.

I cannot even get the county to pick up a Palo Verde that fell, blocking yhe road. That I used the sawzall to cut up.

[cwgii]

#380///80/ton sheet iron....shred

Tin cans, burn barrel, old steel cooler, fencing, chairs.

[Dr. Cadmium]

100# light iron 160/GT
20# #1 steel 205/GT
1# S/S 0.37
4# dirty S/S 0.18
1# mixed Al 0.47
32# irony Al 0.15
19# dirty Al radiator 0.27
1# #2 copper 2.95
3# brass 2.00
2# mixed wire 1.00
6# electric motor 0.30
34# batteries 0.20
8# lead 0.40

Total: $38.08 rounded up to $38.10

[cwgii]

#26 cans .55
#5@.05 alum foil
#36@$.45 clean alum
#2@$.25 stainless
#41@140/ ton...prepared iron....cast griddle top
#13@.20 ..sealed unit

[Dr. Cadmium]

275# low grade wire 0.70
42# ATX power supplies with wire 0.35
55# power supply boards 0.40
8# AC adapter with wire 0.40

Total: $232.40

[hobo finds]

7 lb. Alum radiator $.30 lb.
33 lb. Dirty stainless $.25 lb. Got paid clean price
11 lb. Stainless $.25 lb.
46 lb. Hms 3x8 $.065 lb. Cast iron porcelain coated sink
9 lb. Clean sheet Alum $.39 lb.
13 lb. Dirty brass $2.03 paid me clean price.
179 lb. Dirty Alum baleable $.20 lb. Track lighting, mini blinds, chairs and good mix of items.

$85.85

[cwgii]

#71@.42 clean aluminum ...tent poles..awning
#6@.39 same but window blinds

[cwgii]

#340 clean sheet @120/ t

[Dr. Cadmium]

Results of first time scrapping outside the USA. Interesting that they price steel by NT, not GT.

585# light iron @ $120C/NT
566# battery backup @ $0.10C/lb
33# copper wire 30% @ $0.65C/lb

Total: $113.25 Canadian.

[Dr. Cadmium]

620# light iron 140/GT
5# S/S 0.37
18# dirty S/S 0.18
360# mixed Al 0.47
31# extruded Al 0.60
139# Al rims 0.70
51# irony Al 0.15
5# bare bright 3.40
28# #2 copper 3.00
39# brass 2.05
3# THHN 2.30
6# romex 1.80
76# mixed wire 1.05
34# electric motor 0.28
196# sealed unit 0.20
215# batteries 0.20

Total: $706.76 rounded up to $707

[Dr. Cadmium]

260# light iron 140/GT
17# #1 steel 190/GT
1# dirty S/S 0.18
5# mixed Al 0.47
12# irony Al 0.15
1# copper flashing 2.85
3# mixed wire 1.05

Total: $28.02 rounded up to $28.05

[Dr. Cadmium]

87# low grade wire 0.70
12# AC adapters with wire 0.40
136# ATX power supplies with wire 0.35

Total: $113.30

[Recyclersteve]

DR. CADMIUM:

I am an avid scrapper, but not anywhere close to what you post here.

I did a quick tally of your 2024 proceeds year-to-date (thru 8/31/24) and this is what I found.

You had 34 trips paying $8,390 in the first 8 months of the year. That would prorate to 51 trips totaling $12,585 for the year. Very impressive!!!

By contrast, I do perhaps $600-900 per year, although I do find tons of other stuff that I use. Some examples are tools, vacuums, light bulbs, a really NICE painting, a roughly $3,000-3,500 (new price) Copenhagen type leather recliner and ottoman, etc.

I have several questions for you as I try to learn more and get better…

I did notice that 6 of your trips yielded less than $40 each. Any special reason you didn’t save the stuff for when you had more of a load? I’m guessing that perhaps you go to a place nearby so it isn’t really a big deal?

Do you mostly go to a single scrap yard, or are there several that you deal with? (I have two that are only a couple blocks from each other- the rest are too far away.)

Do you tend to go to the same corporate dumpsters repeatedly or do you have arrangements with businesses that save things for you to pick up? Also, how often do you search dumpsters left at construction sites such as homes being remodeled?

Do you carry a cordless sawzall (or similar device) for cutting piping ends off water heaters, etc.?

What type of vehicle do you drive? I’m driving a Ford SUV, so my capacity is somewhat limited.

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions, but you have obviously done well for a good while and I’m thirsty for more knowledge in this area!

[cwgii]

My .02

I had a pickup with a wooden rack. I carried sooo many tools. Many times I could not lift an item, so disassembly was needed. I had bars and restaurants that had been on my glass recycling route ,,,until that folded. Plus of course in Tucson, there is brush and bulky pickup in neighborhoods that would be scavanged by , a dozen, recyclers at a time. Highly competitive at that time.

[Dr. Cadmium]

You had 34 trips paying $8,390 in the first 8 months of the year. That would prorate to 51 trips totaling $12,585 for the year. Very impressive!!!

Is this where I mention that what I post here is not all of the scrap I sell? I also purchase much of the material I scrap and there are other expenses involved, so this is not all profit.

I did notice that 6 of your trips yielded less than $40 each. Any special reason you didn’t save the stuff for when you had more of a load? I’m guessing that perhaps you go to a place nearby so it isn’t really a big deal?

These small loads were either combined with a visit to a yard to purchase material or combined with another stop in the area.

Do you mostly go to a single scrap yard, or are there several that you deal with?

I deal with around a dozen different yards scattered across the northeastern US. Most of trips I post here with base metals get sold to the same place.

Do you tend to go to the same corporate dumpsters repeatedly or do you have arrangements with businesses that save things for you to pick up? Also, how often do you search dumpsters left at construction sites such as homes being remodeled?

My main sources are businesses and other scrappers that I have known for years. I still dumpster dive and pickup curbside scrap, but it's minimal.

Do you carry a cordless sawzall (or similar device) for cutting piping ends off water heaters, etc.?

Only if I'm expecting to need it for a job or a large piece of curbside scrap. I do very little dismantling in the field; I prefer to remove items intact and break them down at my own location.

What type of vehicle do you drive? I’m driving a Ford SUV, so my capacity is somewhat limited.

I primarily use cargo vans, but also trailers and box trucks. I'm not a fan of pickups.

[Dr. Cadmium]

Junk vehicle.

5,600# 150/GT

$375.00 total.

[Dr. Cadmium]

800# light iron 145/GT
100 #1 steel 195/GT
8# S/S 0.37
1# dirty S/S 0.18
8# mixed Al 0.45
6# extruded Al 0.62
20# irony Al 0.17
1# #1 copper 3.25
28# #2 copper 3.05
16# mixed wire 1.05
3# electric motor 0.28
18# sealed unit 0.20
49# batteries 0.20
5# lead 0.40

Total: $116.75 rounded up to $117

[Dr. Cadmium]

320# light iron 140/GT
130 #1 steel 190/GT
1# mixed Al 0.45
2# extruded Al 0.62
5# irony Al 0.15
2# #2 copper 3.20
19# clean ACR 1.65
2# romex 1.70
3# mixed wire 1.05
4# electric motor 0.28
17# sealed unit 0.20
15# batteries 0.20

Total: $85.31 rounded down to $85.30

[Dr. Cadmium]

169# lead

Sold to a local caster for $170.

[cwgii]

Extruded aluminum 12#...$.0.60
Low grade insulated #2...18#...$0.75...old power cubes
Sheet iron...68#...$100/ton

[Dr. Cadmium]

160# light iron 140/GT
54 #1 steel 190/GT
22# extruded Al 0.62
58# irony Al 0.15
22# Al rim 0.70
24# #2 copper 3.35
1# composition 2.35
130# clean ACR 1.60
2# THHN 2.35
1# romex 1.70
6# mixed wire 1.10
99# electric motor 0.28
380# sealed unit 0.20
74# batteries 0.20

Total: $474.59 rounded up to $474.60

[Dr. Cadmium]

100# light iron 140/GT
13 #1 steel 190/GT
4# S/S 0.37
4# mixed Al 0.45
103# Al rim 0.70
3# brass 2.15
2# mixed wire 1.10
1# peweter 2.50

Total: $93.88 rounded up to $94

[Recyclersteve]

You had 34 trips paying $8,390 in the first 8 months of the year. That would prorate to 51 trips totaling $12,585 for the year. Very impressive!!!

Is this where I mention that what I post here is not all of the scrap I sell? I also purchase much of the material I scrap and there are other expenses involved, so this is not all profit.

I did notice that 6 of your trips yielded less than $40 each. Any special reason you didn’t save the stuff for when you had more of a load? I’m guessing that perhaps you go to a place nearby so it isn’t really a big deal?

These small loads were either combined with a visit to a yard to purchase material or combined with another stop in the area.

Do you mostly go to a single scrap yard, or are there several that you deal with?

I deal with around a dozen different yards scattered across the northeastern US. Most of trips I post here with base metals get sold to the same place.

Do you tend to go to the same corporate dumpsters repeatedly or do you have arrangements with businesses that save things for you to pick up? Also, how often do you search dumpsters left at construction sites such as homes being remodeled?

My main sources are businesses and other scrappers that I have known for years. I still dumpster dive and pickup curbside scrap, but it's minimal.

Do you carry a cordless sawzall (or similar device) for cutting piping ends off water heaters, etc.?

Only if I'm expecting to need it for a job or a large piece of curbside scrap. I do very little dismantling in the field; I prefer to remove items intact and break them down at my own location.

What type of vehicle do you drive? I’m driving a Ford SUV, so my capacity is somewhat limited.

I primarily use cargo vans, but also trailers and box trucks. I'm not a fan of pickups.

Thanks for your detailed responses.