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Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Beginning...
Scrapping. Scrap metal. Shred steel, copper #1. Motors, aluminum, carbide. When I hear these words, my mouth starts to water. I can feel my mind sharpen to a point, and my legs get restless. If you're like me, you live for this game. You constantly wonder how people can throw away money without realizing it. You see beat up junk trucks sputter down the road, filled to the brim with money, and you get jealous. There are so many people scrapping nowadays, it makes me see the future differently. Did you know over 1/3 of all copper used in manufacturing is recycled? In the nest decade, everyone will be selling scrap, and it will be even more commonplace then it is now. I plan to use this blog as a place to interact with other scrappers, offer advice, tips, and things I've learned through experience, welcome newcomers to the scrapping industry, develop my scrapping technique, and analyze the direction of scrapping.
Hi - I've been saving & selling my cans for a while now, but had the chance to help my church get rid of some scrap after cleaning out their garage. I have been able to clean out some of my basement and have a couple of organizations giving me their cans. I would like to start seriously scrapping for financial reasons, however, and am finding it difficult. I live in the city of Chicago, so there are scrappers everywhere (and yes, I drool at what they have in their trucks). I have begun driving in alleys rather than city streets, but have yet to find anything substantial. I have contacted some plumbing, heating & auto repair shops - no one has responded. Perhaps you can give me some tips? For instance, what is the best time of day to go looking? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNO problem! I have to say that the suburbs offer the most steady flow of scrap. Chicago is a big place, and pretty much the heart of the scrap refineries. This is a double edged sword; it means you can sell scrap for higher prices than most anywhere else in the nation, but because of the extra incentive, people will all want to scrap. There are probably quite a few scrap yards around your place of residence. A good idea is to find one that you like, and figure out what their quality standards are. Before you go there, have every thing sorted to their specifications. Getting this all figured out can take some time. Thats ok, its all a work in progress. To find your scrap, you will have a lot of luck going into the suburbs. Find older neighborhoods, because they are the ones that have junk to throw out. Drive through the suburbs the day before their garbage gets picked up, because this is when the junk is set on the side of the road. (Depending on their schedule, they will have multiple zones for every day of the week. ) Find these schedules on you local government websites. Go out around 5pm. If you are ambitious, go out early in the morning (like 6 am). After you have accumulated enough to make a scrap yard trip worth while, go for it!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI just wandered across your blog today and thought it looked interesting (since I've been interested in scrapping for a while). I'll check back and hope you keep on posting.