Author Topic: Frustrated Scrounge!  (Read 642 times)

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nothing to lose

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Re: Frustrated Scrounge!
« Reply #33 on: April 12, 2005, 08:50:08 PM »
"100 guys at 15 cents an hour is $15. "


Plus 15 guys at $20 an hour, don't forget Guards to watch them :)

Still you are correct, it should actually pay for itself, and be profitable as well as all the other bennifits.

« Last Edit: April 12, 2005, 08:50:08 PM by nothing to lose »

healerenergy

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Re: Frustrated Scrounge!
« Reply #34 on: April 14, 2005, 02:09:49 AM »
This is happening now I saw a show today where they have a processes that turns any garbage into activated charcole, a burnable gas and diesel. It was a real cool show.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2005, 02:09:49 AM by healerenergy »

nothing to lose

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Re: Frustrated Scrounge!
« Reply #35 on: April 16, 2005, 03:49:28 AM »
Actually I think that only works with organic matter, and basically you can do that with just a large fire and oven. Same as I make charcoal, bake the wood hot enough long enough and drive out all the impurties and you have charcoal. The impurities are the creasote and methane gas, Methane is useable for about anything propane is.

Creasote and other tars/resins are probably the oil/diesel.


I could do this same thing with rotten foods, weeds, grass clippings, probably even old clothes if they are grown materails like cotton. But I only do wood.


Rubber and plastics will probably be about the same way, never tried them.

« Last Edit: April 16, 2005, 03:49:28 AM by nothing to lose »

Jeff7

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Re: Frustrated Scrounge!
« Reply #36 on: April 20, 2005, 11:06:53 AM »
Saw another example of waste today, at the place I hate more and more every day I am there. (Yes, I work there.) Walmart.


Outside in the dumpster, a full 4' x 8' sheet of plywood, probably 3/8" to 1/2" thick. Perfect shape, clean - and it still even had the manufacturer's barcode label on it. Out for the trash. If I had anything capable of transporting that, I'd have taken it in a second; car can't transport anything nearly that large though.

« Last Edit: April 20, 2005, 11:06:53 AM by Jeff7 »

ghurd

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Re: Frustrated Scrounge!
« Reply #37 on: April 20, 2005, 01:21:04 PM »
Like 30 years ago a relative worked at K-Mart.

They pitched stuff for cosmetic blemishes.

I still use a great gun case pitched by them.

Probably more I don't remember. My parents too.


A friend's relative makes a living dumpster diving super centers.

He sells it at the flea markets.

Works 4 months a year.

Makes more money than me every year.

« Last Edit: April 20, 2005, 01:21:04 PM by ghurd »
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BeenzMeenzWind

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Re: Frustrated Scrounge!
« Reply #38 on: April 23, 2005, 02:55:55 PM »
In reply to the Walmart guy, my partner used to work at ASDA (that's Walmart in the UK. Walmart actually own them, I mean)

One night I was picking her up and there was a huge industrial skip (dumpster) out back, filled with castoff metal shelving. I asked the numpty (local slang for any employee of low salary, intelligence and imagination)if I could take a few bits for my workshop. He said no and explained that it would lower their salvage price.

I figured he was being a pr** but got back in the car and forgot it.


Lo and behold! The next day I happened to be there picking up some milk and other stuff and I watched the day manager hand the salvage guy a cheque for £310 to take the stuff away! And this was like a 30 ton skip! Current price for scrap steel here is around £50 per ton and the truck was from a salvage yard 4 miles down the road.

I wonder exactly what that truck runs on if they need to charge £310 to move over £1000 of steel 4 miles?


On the subject of local dumping. We live quite close to the nearest dump (about a mile) so quite often take stuff down there rather than leave it for the collection guys, who often won't take it if it's not bagged anyway.

There's a guy there (we call him Ratboy, due to his being dentally over-endowed) who keeps his beady eye on us whenever we unload my van, cos he's sure we are dumping commercial waste. In this area you need to pay for a licence from the local authority every year if you are a business that routinely dumps anything related to your work. The licence is about £100, I'm told.

Naturally, I DO occasionally slip in the odd item of commercial junk (mostly old furniture), but...

It just makes me laugh because I regularly watch the local pipe fabrication company drop off a ton or so of steel swarf and small offcuts of tube.

Firstly, I'm amused because they NEVER get asked for their permit, as all their waste goes in the same 'Ferrous Metal Only' skip.

Secondly, I remember the ASDA incident and know why they are regularly chucking £50 away. It's cheaper than paying someone to collect it!

And Thirdly, I KNOW FOR A FACT that they don't HAVE a commercial disposal licence, because I asked the owner of the company one night in the pub.

Seems funny that I get the third degree every time I go there in the van, but they never get bothered. Could it be that West Pennine Recycling (who run the dump for the local authority) don't really give a rat's a
* about permits if you're dumping something they can make money off.


At our refuse disposal centres, too, you find those lovely 'No Scavenging' notices. A curious fact about this, though, is that you can apply to the local authority to get a licence to scavenge (again, about £100 per annum.)

I was vaguely interested in this and asked Ratboy. He informed me, with a toothy smirk, that you had no chance of actually being granted one of these licences unless you got it endorsed by one of the council employees at the dumps. It was fairly obvious from his tone that there was more chance of my being raped by a gang of nuns.

As I've quite often seen VERY useful items of steel, plumbing and mechanical junk lying around in carefully organised piles in the place, it seems quite obvious that the attendants themselves are making off with whatever they fancy. One is forced to wonder whether they've got a permit?


Oh, and lastly! Work out this mentality?

I used to work for the RAF, as an electronic technician on radars, command and control computers and suchlike. We had a major computer upgrade done and all the old machines were destined for the skip. I asked if I might take a few bits and pieces, to build some specialised test equipment for my workshop. I was told yes, certainly, no problem. The company that was collecting them charged by weight, so if I wanted to reduce that I was welcome.

I was aware that it could be construed as theft if I took anything before the stuff actually got skipped, so I watched patiently. Sure enough, the computer guys came out mid afternoon with a couple of pushcarts full of scrap towers and monitors. They deposited them in the skip and left.

As I was leaving, I went over to the dumpster, selected three complete towers and a couple of newish looking monitors and took them home.

Once I took the cover off the first one, I discovered that every wire from the motherboard to the rest off the machine had been neatly cut. The monitors had had their video plugs snipped off and neatly taped to the back of the case.

The next day I asked the computer services guy, Steve, why this had been done. He showed me the memo, straight from the Ministry of Defence HQ in London. It instructed that, while no parts should be removed, all scrapped equipment should have it's storage blanked and be rendered unusable before disposal.

Intrigued, I rang the appropriate department and, posing as one of the IT staff, asked for clarification of the memo. The 'crat on the other end told me, with a chuckle, 'wouldn't want anyone to get any use out of them, would we, old boy? After all, it's the taxpayers' money, isn't it?'


WHY??? surely, if the government was THAT concerned about the potential waste of taxpayers' hard-earned cash (unlikely in a country where we pay around $6.00 per gallon for petrol due to our taxation policies,) they could have donated the 48 outgoing machines (all of which worked fine) to one of the grossly underfunded schools in the area. It's a point of fact that I actually have more computers in my house and workshop than a local school of 560 kids does. I know, because my kids go to that particular school. (There wasn't much choice, it was the only local school with spaces at the time)


And people wonder why we are building a house in the middle of nowhere with a 'funny windmill,' PV panels and a homebuilt used vegetable oil generator for power. Rude not to, really!

« Last Edit: April 23, 2005, 02:55:55 PM by BeenzMeenzWind »

ghurd

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Re: Frustrated Scrounge!
« Reply #39 on: April 26, 2005, 12:26:00 PM »
A friend of mine works for a rather large US federal law enforcement organization.

Just 3 letters, starts with FB...


Anyway, they shoot. Alot. An awful lot.


The range master is not the busiest guy in the world. After if you can not trust these guys not to shoot themselves, who can you trust, right?


He decided to save the brass cartridge cases, sell them for scrap (not even to be reloaded- which could maybe be considered politicially incorrect around NYC).

He asked the guys what they could use (they have to purchase much of the related equipment themselves). Then he got a good wholesale type price on the items and purchased them with the scrap brass money.  Actually normally had a surplus of funds!  Nobody was abusing the informal system. It worked very well.


Did it for years.


Then some bean counter heard about it.

Turns out if something gets sold, it must be bought, have a residual value, and should have a loss in the books.  Ammo is bought and used up. Meaning no value is left.

Therefore, it can not be sold because it has no value, because there is no 'box' to check.  

ALL money MUST have come from somewhere!

And somewhere must have a box to make a checkmark!


It is now mandated that every brass case goes to the dumpster.

And someone actually checks to make sure!!!


All because top quality brass does not have a 'box' on a form to show it has residual value.


I wonder if they have any of those charity boxes in the lunch rooms for Al cans?

How do they count that?


(FYI- Our US gov't sells surplus ammo for scrap while making more everyday.

The buyer must remove and replace the powder, before reselling, because it is dangerous. Then they sell the powder.

Do we supply our soldiers with unsafe ammo?)


Rant over,

G-

« Last Edit: April 26, 2005, 12:26:00 PM by ghurd »
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elvin1949

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Re: Frustrated Scrounge!
« Reply #40 on: May 06, 2005, 12:56:01 AM »
dr.D

without lawyers and politican's there would

be no wind. Would be cooler though [less hot air].

later

elvin
« Last Edit: May 06, 2005, 12:56:01 AM by elvin1949 »