recycle copper & aluminium wire

There's wire and there is WIRE.

Not all wire is created equal.

Some wire has copper at it's core, others have aluminium inside.



The wire that runs electricity from the power company to your home is the heavy duty stuff... wire that runs electricity to a commercial warehouse or factory or garage is the REALLY heavy duty stuff!

As you might expect, it pays a lot more...

small wire often needs to be stripped of it's insulator for you to make any real money scraping it... I used to burn it off by dousing it with gas... but that creates heavy black smoke that attracts the wrong attention from your neighbors and especially from the local fire department... I don't recommend doing that, this is experience talking here.

If you take the time to strip off what ever insulator is covering the wire, you'll get paid for Bright Copper!

Copper has been rising in demand so much because of the military's demand for ammunition. A while back I even read an article to the effect of that some police departments had a hard time getting some ammo because the military was taking precedent over the available stock.

And this blog's title is about actually going into a dumpster (with permission) to pull out the scrap metal:

Here's a pic of an actual dumpster that I rummaged through almost daily. It's a window company factory in Jessup Maryland:



If you're going to get permission to do this, there are some ground rules you have to communicate to the shipping & receiving clerk or he/she's not likely to grant permission:

clean up after yourself, don't leave screws or shards of glass that'll puncture the companies truck tires when you pull stuff out of the dumpster

don't do it so publicly, the insurance person for that company is likely to put an end to your getting permission if the wrong person see's you diving in to a dumpster on a commercial property

a word on insurance... the shipping & receiving person's job is to cut costs.

A dumpster company charges three things to a company that rents a dumpster:

monthly rent on the can

a haul charge

the dump fee is based on tonnage, the company renting the dumpster HAS TO PAY THAT TONNAGE

that last line is the whole ball of wax!

If you come every week, on time, with a preset schedule... like clockwork
so the guy in charge of the dock can depend on your showing up.

they'll leave the heavy stuff outside FOR YOU

they'll even load it into your pick up using THEIR forklift!

I've done it, this is not hypothetical... these guys have to answer to a boss.
that boss is going to want to see the expenses going DOWN not UP.

they pay by the ton for trash removal... make his/her job easier and they'll give you the cash (scrap)they're synonyms:)