Went to the scrap yard today to cash in on some stuff I found and low and behold, what was in one of the bins but two Stromberg Carlson tube amps. They were missing the tubes and one looked like it had been sitting outside for years, but none the less no amount of begging and offers to buy would release them from the grasp of the scrap yard. I see their point they're not a retail store, but who in their right mind would scrap something like that.

The fella manning the scales told me someone else was in a few weeks ago scrapping a tomb stone radio. He told him to take his radio back home and sell it since he as only going to get $5.00 scrap value. The radio owner came back and said he sold the radio for $225.00. At least that one was saved.

Let's face it. Many people simply don't know, and don't care, about the potential value of some of the things they throw away. "One man's junk is another man's treasure" is never more true than it is in such a situation as this.

Larry

Should have popped back in with a pilfered manhole cover and offered to trade.

I deal with vintage garden tractors and see it all the time. Its amazing what some people scrap. Ive seen great tractors thrown in the pile for the shredder. Society today has turned disposable. People dont fix what they should and think new is better. Not always the case. Our scrap yard lets you take whats near the edge of the piles as long as it weighs less than what youve brought in.

One scrap yard near me let me grab an old GE Brass blade fan out of the dumpster a couple months back, I had to pay $5 for it.
Good deal.
But many times in the past at other yards, No matter what, It goes ByeBye.
Peter

When New York City has a recycling event, nothing can be removed by anyone, the recycle company takes all. Our neighborhood event took 10 tons of stuff in one day, i guess that's a lot of CRT TVs and computer monitors with their leaded CRTs.
Don

NYC does have a fairly strict recycling law on the
books.Once it's put to the curb it becomes the City's
property.I have never had the police hassle me for
picking an old radio or tv out of the curb pile but
they will go after you if you try to take discarded
air conditioners.The City wants that copper and
aluminum!Law 16-118(7)(b)DSNY rules and regs.
$2000.00 fine and vehicle impoundment.These
days I'm cautious even with radios and tv's.A while
back there was a thread about a discarded Dumont
tv near Riverside drive.I'm kinda glad it was already
gone when I drove by there.If it was there the temptation
may have been too much for me and it would NOT have
been worth it if I got pinched and my car was impounded.
Regards,
Swanson

I tossed my old TV satellite dish. the smaller ones. now that I found a good use for it as a parabolic solar cooker I cant find one anywhere. wish I lived in NY. probably piles of them

That was probably $5.00 more than what the fan would have brought them as scrap

I just don't like the attitude these scrap yard workers have.Most of them have a chip on their shoulder.The same as some of the electronics recyclers.They think its gold when they get it in their hands.I would just love saying to them I've been recycling electronics for the last 35 years way before this recycling craze started.They probably laugh at me.

Yeah,
Alot of those guys are cut from the same cloth.As soon as
you go in there and start inquiring about stuff they get
kinda cagey and defensive.They think you are trying to rip them off.
I don't remember that kind of attitude back in the 70's or 80's.
It seemed back then you were more than welcome to take stuff
out of the pile.Maybe the problem these days with these guys
is because of Ebay or tv shows like Hardcore Pawn.I'm sure
American Pickers dosen't help much either.
Regards,
Swanson

I was dumping some of my stuff 5 or so years ago at the landfill's customer self service bins. They were at ground level for easy dumping. I noticed a whole bunch of office paper boxes full of baseball cards. Must of been hundreds of them. I looked around, no one around but still couldn't muster up the courage to jump down into the bin and retrieve the cards. I regretted it the minute I drove away and still do.

My only excuse is that it was my first time there and I really didn't know if they had someone watching or cameras pointed at the bins.
My only hope is that the owner of the cards took out the good ones and trashed the rest. I read somewhere recently that baseball card collecting is on the decline.

I scrapped a real basket case 1930's radio chassis a while back. I had salvaged all I could; rebuilding was not an option, even for me - a basket case specialist! At the scrap yard:
Me: Electronics?
Kid 1: over there... (pointing)
I go over...
Kid 2: No metal, just electronics.
Me: It is electronics, it's a radio.
Kid 2: Really?
Me: Yes
Kid 2: long silence...
Me: Really... 1930's
Kid 2: Um, well... OK, then, put it in that dumpster
Me: OK.
End of story. I thought it was cute.
Cheers,
Roger