History Fun Stuff at the Recycle

I make a occasional trip to the local recycle center sometimes to drop off used oil or whatever. Household "hazardous waste" is put in a room for anyone to take home to use. Mostly its house paint or cleaning supplies, or some guy decides to clean out his garage and deposit the waste at the recycle. I usually keep an eye out for auto paint, surprisingly there is a fair amount to be had.
I found this recently and had to laugh. The Lacquer thinner still had the receipt taped to the top, and the paint had the price written on the label. Oh the good old days... 4 bucks for a can of acrylic lacquer in red no less.

 

My town transfer station always has great stuff, there’s a giant steel bin which always has tubing and sheet steel.

 

That Lucite brings back memories. I sold DuPont paint at an auto parts store from 75-89. You could paint a whole car for about $100 to $150 for the paint, thinner, primer and all.

 

those days are long gone!

 

You guys have it pretty good. Our transfer station has armed guards wandering around to make sure no one takes anything ...

 

Years ago Dad and I went to the dump, out of the corner of my eye I see him jump in a dumpster. He come out holding a mint 1957 MOTORS manual, it was a nice match for his 57 Vette.

 

Our dump won't let anything out either, don't really understand it, if I can use it , why let me have it.

 

Our landfill has strict "no salvaging" rules with people watching closely while you unload, then hurry you away. They won't let anyone loiter and pick.
When you turn in chemicals, paint, you have to call ahead and schedule an appointment for the sole collection center. Can't take anything out either.

CA is crazy strict on ewaste and hazardous waste, with routine business inspections. Few years ago, the place I work at had the State environmental agency red light the trash truck after it pulled out of the facility onto the street. They emptied the truck curbside and found a couple of AA batteries and levied a heavy fine. An employee had failed to toss them in the recycle bin.

 

Our dump weighs you in and weighs you out to determine the charge. They are like hawks there as well . You would swear it was Fort Knox .

 

They watch you like hawks because the guys who work there take the goodies themselves. I worked in sanitation for 23 years so I know first-hand. I used to get some good stuff out of the transfer stations/dumps. I'm still friendly with the guys who work there I see alot of them at the scrap metal place I work at and can ask them to look out for things for me. It wont hurt to bring them coffee/doughnuts sometime. They're good friends to have.

 

If an Anti Aircraft Battery were to fall into the wrong hands, it could be very, very tragic. So they deserve a big thanks, give them an attaboy! And Sleep Well, America.

 

Take stuff home from the dump? Who would do something like that?

Bob

 

Bob, Years ago I backed my truck in at the transfer station that was owned by my employer at the time when I got out of the cab I realized an entire shop had been thrown out. There was shelving for hardware/ supplies, tools and hardware. I took home with milk crates filled with new hardware as well as vises, torches blacksmithing tools. On another occassion at the same transfer station a construction roll off container dumped out a 38 Lasalle that had apparently loaded by an excavator then crushed it.

 

Big fines if you caught in my area. HRP

 

Hrp fines for what? Dumping the car? Or taking it. I worked for the company that owned the transfer station, had permission from the site manager to take it and knew the President of the company personally so it was no issue for me.

 

Same here....just lately they have added looped razor wire to the top of the fences. Looks like a friggen prison yard. Must be some mighty valuable garbage in there.

 

The local hazardous waste place has a corner that has stuff for you to take (5 things is the limit per person). They have paints, oils, cleaners...whatever people turn in. I've gotten lots of qts of oils (in plastic AND cardboard cans), full cans of Brasso and Brite boy and a early 60's can of factory MoPar radiator flush.

 

The way that the dump is guarded and CCTV monitored here, you would think people are dumping pieces of eight or gold ingots! Years ago, the owner of the local transfer station , who I knew well ,offered me a job there, and I told him that I would have to buy a truck to drive to work in the morning, a warehouse to store stuff, and after I had loaded up the truck , I wouldn't have any time left to actually work. He said "your'e right, I have to employ a dummy who will just put stuff in the bins, not take good stuff home."

 

I think most municipalities are trying to get the lacquer paint out of the public's hands.

 

A number of years ago I had some stuff to dump, ended up next to a "token-type" slot machine. Asked the guy if it was ok to take, was told "Sure, if you can lift it". Daughter and I brought machine home, plugged it in, damned if the machine started working!! Family had great fun for a number of years, finally sold it when moving into new home.

Also, being a dlivery driver for Corrugated products and driving a Ford tractor allowed me to check out dumpsters and back yards---Found a neat pedal car in a dumpster, took it home, cleaned and oiled it, sold, it paid for a couple nice dinners out for wife and I!!

 

Our landfill used to let us pick and take whatever we wanted, now it is a strict no-no. "Liability", we were told. Sad, sad sad.

 

I've returned stuff I couldn't sell or find a use for.

Bob

 

I used to frequent the local dump, and got some good pickings. My youngest son got a complete new HO train set that he still has some 30 years later. I didn't bring coffee for the guys that worked there, but a cold 6 pack worked wonders.

 

My very first bicycle was made from parts I had scrounged from the dump! I was one of 8 kids in the family so there was no extra money for bicycles. If I wanted 1 bad enough I had to build it. Probably where my mechanical training started.

 

The dumping laws are insane now. I travel a lot and see land fill after land fill. Most folks think they are nice square hills with green grass. Those hills indicate how much crap they have buried in our earth. They make look pretty.
A garbage truck should never reach the dump, almost everything could be recycled. The problem is , it’s not economically feasible, no profit in it, now. We will pay for it later! Ok my rant is over.


Bones

 

Have the locals trained well enough that old car parts,broken motorcycles and mini bikes just appear at the end of my driveway. Have two scrappers in town who call if they pick up something I might want plus 3 outstate dumpster divers and a guy at the local transfer station that aid in keeping me awash in stuff. We don't have a town dump.

 

Don’t think we have a dump anymore, we have a can they pick up once a week. Only household waste goes in it. Every so often they set a dumpster out for larger items.
I throw very little away. Sure, we have household garbage, but paint gets used up, as does oils and greases and cleaning chemicals.
Scrap metals go in piles, one for steel, one for aluminum and other non ferrous metals. I’m always going to the piles and picking pieces out and recycling them for other purposes.
Only thing I have a problem with is old tires. I burn them when I can, one or two at a time, but they frown on that, so I don’t do it often.

I agree with Boneyard, most things could be recycled instead of buried. But I don’t agree with forced recycling, it should be voluntary. Us hot rodders are basically recyclers anyway, look at all the stuff we reuse and repurpose! But the greenies don’t respect us for some reason.....

 

prob cuz you burn tires!!

 

This was at the dump the last time I went. The guys that work there had pulled it off to the side. I didn't have any spare cash so I didn't ask about. It.
Someone had dumped a big load of 2x4 ends one day that would probably have filled my flatbed and I could have loaded them up and bought them by the ton at a low price. That would have kept my stove in wood for a month.
Back a few years ago we had free dump day at the big dump that turned out to be as much a social event as yard clean out. I used to get 55 gallon barrels at work for burn barrels, use them once and haul them to the dump and kick them off. I was kicking some off when the gal in the next truck said they were way better than she had. I emptied them out and loaded them in her truck.
I won't say a few things haven't ended up in the back of the truck as I unloaded it though.


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I'm just impressed with the tax rate on the receipt.