Thanks mojjax for the idea you gave in another post.

cyberdan

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Dec 12, 2006
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mojjax is always visiting the FREE TABLE at his town dump. It wasn't raining on saturday so I visited my town's transfer station. I saw an employee talking to someone near the front gate so I park there and asked about the free table. Since it rains here all the time (over 110" last 12 months) they have a FREE SHED but he said you have to be dropping something off (so they get money from you) before you can take something for free.

So I tell him I recycle cell phones and greenboards-RAM-CPU from computers. I asked him if he ever sees any and he said every now and then. I told him if he can legally pull and take home I would buy all he could get. He was thrilled to make some extra money and pulled out his phone to take my number. Three hours later I get a call from him. Someone brought in a big bag of cells. I said great I am on the pier fishing and on his way home he delivered (everyone knows where the pier is) 40 cell phones and he was $20 happier. This is not going to be as good as Juan's deliveries of 400-500 cells every 2-3 weeks but I am retired.
 

mojjax

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Feb 27, 2005
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That's great news ! Good luck !
More people should ask their Transfer Stations to start a free table or free shed .
Years ago our transfer had a big sign ''NO DUMP PICKING '' .... I found some antique brass lighting rods in the metal pile , I asked the dump manager if I could have them , he said ''sure'' .
 

bigcaddy64

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Apr 20, 2013
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When my girlfriend and I go back east for vacation, there is a transfer station in town that has the "free" shed off to one side. I think the only thing of value i ever saw there was an old lobster trap float. I gave it to my aunt back home in SoCal since she is a Cape Cod girl and loves that sort of stuff.
 

Baltimore

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Feb 18, 2013
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As a kid in Vermont I went to the transfer station a few towns over with a friend all the time. We got lots of skis for projects, milk crates, signs, assorted pieces of metal (our ultimate goal was to find something to make a basketball hoop out of, the ones we made were always pretty sketchy), an actual basketball hoop, bike parts, the list goes on. The only time we weren't allowed to take something was when we decided we wanted a 55 gallon drum, there were always a bunch of them but the guy in the office said we couldn't take them because they didn't know what had been in them. Understandable now, at the time seemed very unjust.

In hindsight I imagine we were able to take so much because we were kids, I've noticed as an adult that people are much more suspicious about your intentions and will refuse requests that were always granted as kids. It seems that many adults have a fear of someone making a profit off of them, or are worried about scams, so even though I want the objects for the same reasons it is definitely harder now. That being said, politeness and respect usually help you get what you want in the end.
 

WoodnHead

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Our recycling center - city run and very small, has signs up everywhere, "No Scrounging" "No Picking" and they're quick to yell if you pick something up. Even the hardcover book bin... that's always hard to see. I guess I just think books should be treated differently. I've gotten around it by surreptitiously slipping one into the box that I'm dumping from.

The metal bin always has a pile of nice stuff behind it - copper and brass items, and usable things, so I think the workers do their own scrounging.
 

WhiteTornado

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Our recycling center - city run and very small, has signs up everywhere, "No Scrounging" "No Picking" and they're quick to yell if you pick something up. Even the hardcover book bin... that's always hard to see. I guess I just think books should be treated differently. I've gotten around it by surreptitiously slipping one into the box that I'm dumping from.

The metal bin always has a pile of nice stuff behind it - copper and brass items, and usable things, so I think the workers do their own scrounging.

Same here, our county dump/transfer station has posted signs (real signs, like highway type signs) saying no taking of items, area is monitored via security cameras, violators will be barred from the property, etc.
 

Keith Jackson

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Our landfill had a "Free Shed" for a while, but they ended up turning it over to Goodwill to run. Part of the problem with it was that there were people who would come out there with their trucks and sit all day taking anything good that came in. They would even come over to your car to help you unload just to get first dibs. They started trying to solve this problem by setting a limit on how long you could be there, but later they apparently decided they didn't want to provide the manpower to run it and turned it over to Goodwill.
 

ethanfez

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Jun 15, 2013
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Goodwill = scum of the earth.

I've seen a good bit of people who wouldn't be able to get jobs anywhere else working there. People who are just happy to actually be doing something that is appreciated.
 

AlienLifeForm

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I've seen a good bit of people who wouldn't be able to get jobs anywhere else working there. People who are just happy to actually be doing something that is appreciated.

Picking up aluminum cans is appreciated and pays better.
 

Beans

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Unless you are Goodwill International CEO, Jim Gibbons, he made $729,000 in 2016

Have never seen GW do anything. Went to the VA the other day and the Salvation Army ladies were working the Coffee carts. No charge. Just wish Salvation Army had better stuff and then GW.
 

boogeyman

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Years back was involved in Search & Rescue during the big brush fires & floods. We walked down to the Red Cross trailer to get a cup of coffee. They were charging emergency personnel 10 cents a cup & 25 cents for a donut! Across the road down a little the Salvation Army was literally shoving a cup in everyones hand no charge! Guess who gets my donations?

Any of you guys old enough to remember going to the dump with dad or grandpa and bringing back with more than you took? And the only thing they yelled at you for was if you got too far from the truck!
 

Kiros32

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Years back was involved in Search & Rescue during the big brush fires & floods. We walked down to the Red Cross trailer to get a cup of coffee. They were charging emergency personnel 10 cents a cup & 25 cents for a donut! Across the road down a little the Salvation Army was literally shoving a cup in everyones hand no charge! Guess who gets my donations?

Any of you guys old enough to remember going to the dump with dad or grandpa and bringing back with more than you took? And the only thing they yelled at you for was if you got too far from the truck!

I'm not that old and I remember doing that!
 

GibH

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I've seen a good bit of people who wouldn't be able to get jobs anywhere else working there. People who are just happy to actually be doing something that is appreciated.

The Florida CEOs make between $328,000-$455,000 in base salary. That number was for 2014, the last year figures are available. It doesn't include $300,000 bonuses they were paid either. This year they are going to forego the bonuses, because sales are down. I hope they don't starve.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/busine...nal-sales-slump-tampa-bay-shortfall-1/2318121
 

BagLady

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Diving at the dump is a little different here. One of our best buddies runs the place, and he picks up all kinds of goodies. A couple of factories dump stuff there. If the CEO's only knew what all they dump...new stuff still in packages, like staplers, staples, binders, and dry erase boards.
4'x8' sheets of dry erase boards. Some with the sheet metal on the back.
We built our chicken houses inside the barn out of that stuff. Poop on, Wipe off...:thumbsup:
 

boogeyman

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Diving at the dump is a little different here. One of our best buddies runs the place, and he picks up all kinds of goodies. A couple of factories dump stuff there. If the CEO's only knew what all they dump...new stuff still in packages, like staplers, staples, binders, and dry erase boards.
4'x8' sheets of dry erase boards. Some with the sheet metal on the back.
We built our chicken houses inside the barn out of that stuff. Poop on, Wipe off...:thumbsup:
The metal backed ones would be cool! Put a surplus magnet from a harddrive on each chicken and you'd never have to worry about them getting out or chasing them down! :laughing7: Plus you'd could shoot video and your utube channel would go viral! :tongue3:
 

dejapooh

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I wouldn't mind it so much if they paid minimum wage while the CEO made millions... But they can't afford minimum wage for their handicapped workers... and the ceo makes millions.
 

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