Blimey! There's money in scrap!
- Thread starter Globalti
- Start date
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Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
At St Nicks we're looking into changing who we sell ali and steel cans to, to get a better price, and seeing if it's worth weighing in the scrap people sometimes leave in the recycling boxes. We also found a box of cable in one of the lock ups, and are gradually cutting the pvc coating off to weigh it in. We're proper wombles.
Night Train
Maker of Things
- Location
- Greater Manchester
I have a little friendly scrap metal yard on the way to work that I take stuff to. I don't tend to worry about the actual figures (as I don't really have a real concept of money) as I take a mixed, but separated, load in a trailer, usually around 300-800kg at a time. I then get the advantage of raiding the scrap yard for useful scrap for my workshop projects and then settle a price.
I know that my last copper trip was the tops and bottoms of 3 water tanks (I kept the flat sheet sides for my own use) and a load of scrap pipe and I came out with near £100.
Having said that I then paid £170 for a big pile of 95sqmm and 120sqmm unused cable for my electric car that would have cost maybe £600+ if I had bought new.
My electric tractor and most of my electric car is scrap yard finds from the same yard.
The merchant is reasonable about stuff I think as he will check the most recent price for the day if I bring in a large amount of non ferrous stuff.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
upsidedown
Waiting for the great leap forward
- Location
- The middle bit
Removed our old cooker hood yesterday and couldn't be bothered taking it to the tip as it was covered in grease. Left it on the front lawn and went to B&Q, by the tome we got back the tat man had been and taken it away, great service.
Fnaar
Smutmaster General
- Location
- Thumberland
Anyone remember the rag and bone man?
Beebo
Firm and Fruity
- Location
- Hexleybeef
The "Travelling Community" (I think that is PC for Gypos) near us were nicking the access hatches from the street lamps because they were high grade aluminum.
They have been nicking lead off roofs for years but they now take the copper lightning conductor strips too which causes huge fire risks.
They have been nicking lead off roofs for years but they now take the copper lightning conductor strips too which causes huge fire risks.
bauldbairn
New Member
- Location
- Falkirk
Up until recently I'd worked in the "Electric Motor Rewind" business for 20 years - scrap copper had always been a big earner for unscrupulous works managers. During shut down time(March to October) when we regularilly did large scale rewinds from power stations and the oil rigs we could be scrapping 4/5 tons of your finest copper a fortnight - and double that in steel/cast iron scrap.
The gypsies/yannies regularilly raided our yard and repeatedly tried to steal copper/steel/iron and were repeatedly caught - it was(is) a 24 hour 365 days a year business and was never unmanned.
A former previous employer also had a hand in property/land redevelopment and purchased an old tax building for £250k. He made more than he paid for it by stripping out all the scrap high voltage power cables(all lead lined), all the plumbing(miles of 3" steel pipe) from the top of the range air conditioning - throughout the whole building(no expense spared when the tax payer was paying for the build). There were also three top of the range diesel generators - hardly used/fully maintained - for backing up the power to the whole building in a power cut, these made nearly £90K(allegedly!!
) on their own?????Yeah! There's definately big money in scrap.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
We have a couple of guys come round Tang Hall collecting scrap metal, whose call is rather like 'rag booone'. They're travellers, and do it properly with a horse drawn flatbed! They go down the street shouting, and then back up, by which time people have brought stuff out for them - I watched them one afternoon as we were collecting the recycling at the same time - they didn't seem to be helping themselves to anything they shouldn't.
We're glorified rag and bone men ourselves - we sell on what we collect. I think we (as a country) lost the art of 'scrap dealing' for a while, and now it's back, and fashionable! Better than landfill, for sure.
I wonder if ebay has had a hand in it. There was a time when selling off old stuff would have seemed mean, or a sign of poverty. Now the trade in second hand (Cash Converters and the like) is booming, and selling off your old stuff is considered canny. Sooner or later, the masses are going to realise the value of the stuff they currently chuck away - they just need to organise to a scale where selling is viable.
Night Train
Maker of Things
- Location
- Greater Manchester
I remember as a building contractor back in the 90's our clients, housing associations, would refuse to install the central heatin system until a tenant had signed the tenancy due to thefts.
Once the tenancy was signed if the heating system was stolen then it was the tenant's problem.
Central heating was ovten stolen the same day it was installed, as soon as the plumbers had left site.
Once the tenancy was signed if the heating system was stolen then it was the tenant's problem.
Central heating was ovten stolen the same day it was installed, as soon as the plumbers had left site.
Maz
Guru
Hehe, well spotted. I never noticed that unfortunate combination of posts!Ay ay! You trying to get rid of some copper cable, you crafty old Muslamic you!
Maz
Guru
Now that's what I call a Fishin' Ship Chop.
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Chrisz
Über Member
- Location
- Sittingbourne
I first saw this place on JCs "Motorworld" programme years ago - amazing! If you google earth (or maps - satellite) it you can see loads of ships beached and in various states of dismantlement.
