Adventures in metal recycling~
This place pays for metal, and even takes computer electronics. I've been taking my aluminum cans there for a couple years now... Barely get $5 for two heaping crushed bags, but at least I know it's getting reclaimed.
on that note, today I noticed they take off 1/2 pound for each bag. wat. I could just dump the bags out on their scale, if they prefer??
But this is about a special delivery from cleaning a property: 2 CRT monitors, 2 printers, a 3-4ft CO2 tank, some steel exercise equipment
First guy: Can't take any of these electronics, sorry. We can take the tank but you'll have to take the valve off first. (This guy was nice, even apologetic)
Cool... I stop by my place, make sure the canister's empty, and take a vice grip to the valve. I have to sit on it, but it comes off! Woot!
Return to the place
Second guy: Can't take that tank.
Me: What? Why not?
Second guy: Can't take it.
Me: Ah... alright. Here's some exercise equipment
Second guy: That works *we load it up*
Third guy takes over
Me: Any idea where I *could* take this tank?
Third guy: You'll have to cut it in half
Me: What?? ...Is it too long, or-
Third guy: Gotta cut it in half
Me: I have no idea how or where to do that
Third guy: Gotta cut it in half (seriously)
Me: Got it, alright. You don't take printers, right?
Third guy: Sure, I'll take those. And that valve from the tank
Me: ...Sweet!
So I'm still stuck with these CRTs (not surprising, they're less than worthless) and a bigass empty aluminum cylinder that uh... they might take if I go back at the right time? this place takes entire trailer beds full of scrap metal, why the hell can't they process this
There's also a phone number on the canister, one of those "This is rented from a company, if found please return". I called first thing this morning - the company no longer handles CO2 canisters and wanted nothing to do with it. They seemed a little defensive, even, but I assured them that I was okay with taking it off their hands. They're an hour out of town, and it's a fairly valuable chunk of aluminum... IF I CAN SAW IT IN HALF APPARENTLY??
(I can't wait to tell my metal-machinist theyfriend about all this <3 But what if I didn't happen to know people like them??)
Adventures in not just dumping this shit in the woods like some people~
Also on the note of illegal dumping, I left my lidless recycling bin out a couple weeks ago for the city to collect. It was still out there the next morning, stuffed with the mangled wooden remains of a *loom*. (I later checked with the city and they had closed the ticket with no notes or communication with me, as if they had replaced my bin. "Oh there was stuff in it? That's probably why" great thanks)
So I loaded my car with this wood trash. The local convenience site has nowhere for it. I was having dinner with my dad Wednesday and moaning about it, and he convinced me to just stick it in his garbage bin, over my concerns. It didn't even close
That worked.
Real life is so ARBITRARY! Waaaaaah! bah.
Or put another way: "If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result, what does it mean about the world when that's the optimal solution?"
Edit: My dad thought it belonged in the "household trash" compactor at the convenience site. I explained that the sign said no lumber, and I couldn't ask for clarification because there was no one on duty. Just me, the trash, and the open compactor.
He gave me this funny look and then we both laughed, I think he's proud of me.