local landfill: free junk section?

You could find out and if it does, you may find a lot of great stuff to keep or sell.

In 2 different trips I've found 2 new leather office chairs that will resell for 50 bucks each.

I also found landscaping tile to put under our chicken coop (25 bucks worth)

A toy mini battery powered truck for my boy

Almost scored a new wheelbarrow with a flat tire (easy fix)

Any number of doors, screens, bathroom sinks, etc that I don't need yet

Lots of potting

Always a table or chair

It's amazing really. The things people throw out. Much more does get tossed by people that apparently don't know that they could gift their cabinets etc to the donation lot. I may just sit there on a Saturday and monitor with a big trailor!

Our local landfill has a 10' high chain link fence with barbed wire. Controlled access. All the supermarkets in town have locks on the dumpsters. The backs of strip malls are kept spotless, with cardboard neatly baled for the recycler pickup. News Item about how it is better to throw stuff away instead of give it to the poor.

You must realize that for the capitalist consumer culture to work, we can't have people getting stuff for free and reusing it. Shoots the demand side of the free market all to hell.

That's so sad, John. I'd be frustrated, living amongst such a culture. And, I suppose, inspired to change it...but it's those kinds of attitudes that drove me from New Jersey

Here in Maine, the reuse it 'til it falls apart mentality is strong (almost too strong, by the states of some folks' front yards). My transfer station has an awesome free store, and we also have the free section of Uncle Henry's! Plus all the junk shops, auctions, and the whole garage sale culture...

Jessica Gorton wrote:That's so sad, John. I'd be frustrated, living amongst such a culture. And, I suppose, inspired to change it...but it's those kinds of attitudes that drove me from New Jersey

Here in Maine, the reuse it 'til it falls apart mentality is strong (almost too strong, by the states of some folks' front yards). My transfer station has an awesome free store, and we also have the free section of Uncle Henry's! Plus all the junk shops, auctions, and the whole garage sale culture...

My wife is wary of my bargain hunting for fear we too end up with exercise equipment in our front yard.

I do try to vet the stuff but if she hates something I know I can always return it.

That mentality of stopping people from removing items from the 'dump' is not so much about "keeping people from getting things free" or reducing the waste, as it is from protecting the city (or whoever owns the dump) from being sued.

John Doe takes a load to the dump, and while there, he sees something he needs. Before he can jostle it to his car, he has pierced his calf with a piece of rebar that was sticking out of the rubble. His lawyer has determined that his injury was directly related to the fact that the 'city dump' is not a safe place to allow the public to roam. His million dollar law suit is settled out of court for a mere $100,000, and the "NO SALVAGING" rule is put into effect.

The rule is not a result of over zealous scroungers, nor over zealous city managers.
It is the result of over zealous lawyers.

Another example of why "The law is on your side" doesn't always work in your behalf.

As a side note, some 'dumps' charge by weight. The clerk didn't know what to do when my truck weighed more when I left that it did when I got there. I suggested that he pay me. Needless to say, he didn't pay me, else I'd be in a new business today !

In our township the landfill is well organized because, I guess, they have to handle a lot of traffic of people dropping off their own trash and recycling. The section to pick "junk" from is under a large half sided barn and is nicely paved, etc. They have a worker there who logs what is brought in, then she drags it out for picking. This isn't at all like picking through rubble or trash, so it's very safe.

John Polk wrote:That mentality of stopping people from removing items from the 'dump' is not so much about "keeping people from getting things free" or reducing the waste, as it is from protecting the city (or whoever owns the dump) from being sued.

I've heard that explanation before, John, but there are plenty of other public spaces where people can hurt themselves that they are still free to roam -- beaches, parks, playgrounds, hiking trails, etc. So I'll put it to you as a riddle: why is it OK to remove a part at a privately owned junkyard (and pay the capitalist owner of that junkyard for the part), but once all claim of ownership is gone, at the city dump, they would rather not have you leave with more than you had when you arrived?

Funny how litigious lawyers and capitalists creating more demand goes hand-in-hand.

City owned beaches, parks, etc are spaces set aside for the public to enjoy themselves.
City dumps are set aside as a place to "solve a (waste) problem".

As far as 'Pick-Your-Part' wrecking yards are concerned, I would hate to see what their liability insurance costs.

From my experience, it seems that the larger the city is, the tighter their restrictions are.

As far as litigious lawyers go, here is an example of their 'contribution' to society:
A nearby town recently repealed their law requiring bicycle riders to wear helmets.
The City Attorney told the City Council that if they had the law on the books, and didn't enforce it, they could be sued by anybody who got injured while not wearing a helmet.

I've made my own rules in these matters for years. In dumps that don't allow gathering, I do it covertly.

I intercept items that others are about to toss into bins at controled dumps.

I've bribed employees into turning a blind eye.

Most of my recycling is a business venture as stated in my signature but I enjoy the challenge of beating the system when others have made rules that don't suit me.

I once kept a house that was slated for demolition. Other bidders who planned to destroy it were dismayed to learn that the guy with a better plan won.

Several of the dumps have put in a free pile after pressure from environmental groups. My brother, with my financial help and with free legal help, was instrumental in having drywall banned from most dumps in our region.

I once thought I was caught red handed by Mr. Chew, an old man who operated a wood dump. He came out of his office when he saw me loading wood. He pointed out some good stuff that was covered up and he invited me to gather stuff at any time, even if I wasn't delivering a load. I did this for years and I convinced every scrap and reno guy I met to use the Chew facility rather than that of a nearby competitor that wouldn't allow salvage.

Ya'll are good folks!

Even most greenies forget the re use part of the three r's.

Rsised by people who lived through the repression, salgage just comes natural to me!

mick mclaughlin wrote:Ya'll are good folks!

Even most greenies forget the re use part of the three r's.

Rsised by people who lived through the repression, salvage just comes natural to me!

Mick, there are at least 4 Rs. The most important one being "refuse" --- Refuse to buy stuff that never should have been made in the first place. Once it exists, re use it. The mountains of trash that we're wallowing through, weren't produced by Mega Corp. for free. They choose to make many ridiculous products based on consumer demand.

When my girls were little, they wanted all manner of shinny, plastic baubles and bows and shoes that did not match the shape of human feet. These things are marketed to little girls. On many occasions, It was my job to point out that the clasp wouldn't hold or the sparklies were already coming off etc. Now, they can often be heard pronouncing low quality goods to be crap or junk. They buy the good shoes that come in the actual shape of their feet and they buy fewer but far better items of clothing that are well made. I think one of the best environmental moves we can make, is to teach kids how to identify and avoid crappy products.

Yep. Great stuff, Dale!

I am a single dad with an 11 year old son. All i can give hin is my knowledge, exsperience and values.

Like so many things, it is an attitude.

Update: dropped off the trash the other day and, just like that, got a sharp new desk and an Ikea book shelf. Both were in perfect condition. I just happen to be filling out our house with furniture and this is a free way to do it. I wouldn't generally bring in anything with cushions though. My single days are long gone.

John Elliott wrote: News Item about how it is better to throw stuff away instead of give it to the poor.

John, do you have another link with more information? I would like to know the whole story. Also, if the story is from Augusta, why does the photo have NYC police in it?

Joe Braxton wrote:

John Elliott wrote: News Item about how it is better to throw stuff away instead of give it to the poor.

John, do you have another link with more information? I would like to know the whole story. Also, if the story is from Augusta, why does the photo have NYC police in it?

If you click on "source" under the text, it takes you to the full article from a legit news affiliate... kind of a shame to see this happen

If you have Netflix, check out "Dive!: Living off America's Waste." An interesting look at the food that is thrown away, and some of the people who are trying to intercept it before it goes to a landfill.

Our landfill has free wood chips. They have some plastic mixed in, but it is easy enough to pick out.
They will load it for free for you.
I bought a dump trailer just so I could go get loads.
I got 5 loads yesterday.
It will take another 100 loads to cover 1.5 acres, but it should be fun.

When that is done, I'll try checking out the rest of the dump.
I know they have a huge pile of humungous logs for hugel beds.

Our county landfill closed a few years back and is turning into a park. All the waste is trucked over to the next county over.

Here is the look of our local recycling center / landfill. It's clean and safe and convenient. Picked up a plastic Christmas tree today

Looks fun

It was off the hook

Ok, so it was a slow year (a few odds and ends, very few raw materials) until last weekend when I pulled in right before a guy was unloading this:




I have been hunting a lawn sweeper for 2 years! Never. Luke pull the trigger on a 300 dollar version at the store.

Very happy about this one.

Turns out there was also a decent aluminum ladder and a laundry rack, which we needed too.

Free stuff!

We have the No Scavenging sign here at our dump. It's on the scrap metal pile. They mostly don't care if you take some thing as long as you drop some thing off.
Being unemployable every thing I can find helps.

The list of stuff I reclaimed this year is LONG!

Lawn mowers
weed eaters
power washer
air compressors
3 generators (yes 3, 2 worked)
All the metal for the RMH I built.
copper $327.00 of clean #1
The best cast iron skillet we have came from the dump. I've spent big money on them in the past and this one is far better than what I bought. Nothing sticks.
2. 36v elec. quad bikes needed batteries I even found replacements at the dump.
air conditioners (I recharge 134a ones)
Tons more. It is amazing what people through away and I thank them.

I could fill this page with pics of the good stuff I've picked.

The best thing that I have ever salvaged was a guy named Clifford. He came from a horrible home situation. His mother was a drug addict. The courts and social workers determined that Clifford would never amount to anything and he was put on a disability pension when he turned 18. When he was 24, I asked my helper Ken, if he knew anybody who could work on cleanup. He arrived with his friend and they worked well together. Eventually Ken moved away. For the next 7 years Clifford helped me regularly and became good at many things. I don't have work for him now, but he has a full time job. His brother has also worked for me.

This is rather off topic, but when trying to think of good things that were carelessly thrown away, Clifford came to mind. The powers that be decided that he was a low grade man who could not be a productive member of society because he has some learning disabilities. He'll prove them wrong again when work starts tomorrow.

"Rsised by people who lived through the repression"

Mick, we're all living through the repression. That's what we're trying to change here on permies. com!
John S
PDX OR