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Two visits to the tip recently, and I am happy with:
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What have you found?
Moody blokes in hi viz that constantly moan that I'm using the tip and act like their presence is a massive favour to me personally. Taking something. 😆
My very well off BIL gets a skip at his house once a year to clear out stuff he no longer wants.
I then remove anything I want.
Top finds so far are:
1 x large gas bbq (griddle mouldy) - still going strong 6 years later.
1 x Weber Q series gas bbq - needed a stripping and a good clean (he likes new bbq's - can you tell?)
2 x XL Fatboy bean bags (grubby, couple of small tears and mildew from being left on grass for a summer) - I washed then, put sail tape on the inside of the tears and removed the mildew with specific cleaner. Topped them up with new beads and they're good as new).
Bless him!
Last time I went to the tip, the skip I used was empty save for a large amount of grumble in a back corner. DVDs, VHS tapes, magazines of the "if you look carefully you can see what I had for dinner" variety.
@sharkbait: so rather than just offering you this stuff directly, your BiL hires a skip so he can watch you raking through his garbage?
He sounds nice.
I just got a very good MIG welder and a bunch of tools off a neighbour who's moving house - didn't need to raid a skip, though, he told me to come get them.
I don't know which bit of the world you live in but round our way the hi-viz wearers go completely apeshit if you so much as try to touch anything that is already in a skip
other than one house brick that send the man into a total appoplexy I've not seen anything worth having
TBF Graham the first BBQ I pulled from the skip after my SIL called me to say what he'd done, the second BBQ he phoned and asked if I wanted it as it was going - he then bought it round.
He thought the Fatboys were dead. He is nice really 🙂
CBA to fire up the desktop to load pics - but:
One Raleigh 26" town bike
Lots of computer parts [RAM HDD's PSU's Cases etc]
Around 8 CPU Heatsinks for Fishtank LED conversions
Speakers/drivers
A Toshiba [s]Celeron[/s] [url= http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/81002-35-challenging-problem-tosh-northwood ]PIV[/url] Laptop
12v 50A CB PSU
Untold bits of 'HiFi'
A Polaroid Spectra-format camera, with a few shots still in it, in a camera bag. I picked it up, pointed it at the G/F, pushed the button and out popped a picture!
I used to make lots of money off a computer shop near me by taking all their untested/'uneconomic for repair' and putting working bits together and flogging it.
The list goes on and on and on; it used to be a hobby of sorts.
These days the girlfriend keeps me on a tighter leash, and to be honest after moving with all that crap a few times, I've sort of had enough myself!
He is nice really
Fair enough - I had images of him inviting his friends round for Pimms and a good laugh at his frightful brother-in-law raking through a skip. 😀
round our way the hi-viz wearers go completely apeshit
This.
Plus you get this at the entrance:
Hi-viz and headser man: "What are you bringing in today"
Me: "Rubble and plasterboard"
Hi-viz: *sucks air through teeth* "How much rubble?"
Me: About 4 sacks
Hi-viz: "Do you know why I am asking you this?"
Me: "No, I assume I can only bring in so much a month"
Hi-viz: "If it's commercial waste, we are going to have a problem"
Me: "It's not" (I'm in my car - the rubble and plasterboard in the boot)
Hi-Viz: "Well I can only go what you say."
Me: "So can I go in?"
Hi-viz: "Well I'm telling you we are going to have a problem if it's commercial waste"
Me: "Again, it's not, if you aren't going to let me in, then say so"
Hi-viz: "Well, I have to tell you these things"
Me: "So can I go in?"
Hi-viz: "Go ahead"
FFS!!
2x Numatic Henry vacuum cleaners,De Longhi oil filled portable radiator,High back vibrating sound system gaming chair,3x vacuum flasks various sizes,5x bike bottles,3x 26"/700c tubes and a steamer chair in the last 18 months from our local Recycling point. I do like a good up-cycle!
😀
The local guy we have here is brilliant. I have to stop myself bringing stuff back every time I go.
One of the best finds was a ladies bike that Mrs J commuted on for 2 years.
Charity shops are my speciality. My mate pulled a classic Dean ti frame in pretty minty condition from a roadside skip a few years back. Jammy sod.
Resuscitated a number of dumped bikes in the past - just sold an old Trek MTB for 80 quid in about fifteen minutes on Gumtree - but most unexpected result was an old Dawes. Found it in a skip, left it in the shed for ten years, mate put t on eBay last week - more than 250 quid! Result!!!
My mate pulled a classic Dean ti frame in pretty minty condition from a roadside skip a few years back
I can imagine the conversation that led to that being chucked out.
"This bike frame that so and so left in the shed, Do think it's any good?"
"Nah, it's not even got any paint on it, best chuck it out before it goes all rusty"
My ex worked for a Garden Centre, she used get access to the van, we had a big hedge and trees that needed trimming, you can guess the kind of convesation we had when we took it to the dump.
"it's a Garden Centre, it sells plants, we don't do gardening jobs" Just had bonfires after that IIRC. Much more satisfying.
Nice find Matt - will go with your other Recycabike projects? It was empty on Sat afternoon, nearly all stock gone!
At my local [s]tip[/s] recycling centre, you need a permit if you have a van. The Highly Visible Harry Kings they employ will stop you at the gate if you dare to turn up in anything remotely vannish, such as a car with privacy glass.
I realise the HighVizHitlers have a job to do, but is it really so inconceivable that a member of the council tax paying public might own a van for domestic use, or perhaps hire one occasionally? Especially when they are taking items to the tip!
Likewise, surely they should be actively encouraging people to take away anything they think is of some salvageable use? It is [i]supposed[/i] to be a recycling centre after all.
is it really so inconceivable that a member of the council tax paying public might own a van for domestic use, or perhaps hire one occasionally? Especially when they are taking items to the tip!
Nope. Which is why many councils allow you one permit free per month to allow you to use your van.
Pretty much the argument I had with them when I turned up in an Astra van, identical to a regular Astra estate only with metal panels where the back windows would've been.
That said, I *think* the permits are free, so it's just a means of proving that you're not abusing the system. I think.
That said, I *think* the permits are free, so it's just a means of proving that you're not abusing the system. I think.
Yeah I think so. When I had a pickup I just had to ring the council to let them know I'd going to the tip later that week and that it was all private not commercial.
The Highly Visible Harry Kings they employ will stop you at the gate if you dare to turn up in anything remotely vannish, such as a car with privacy glass.
or on foot, or on a bicycle, or a motorbike
They're all far too dangerous to take part in environmentally friendly recycling 🙂
If you haven't got a car, you're not coming in.
What you have to understand is commercial waste is EXTREMELY expensive to get rid of, don't know the current figures but to landfill it used to be about 30 quid a tonne plus 80 quids worth of tax that's for normal waste fridges, tyres, asbestos and gas canisters etc... loads more.
Its not inconceivable someone is just using their works van for domestic use... its just highly likely it someone pulling a fast one, I know of atleast one guy who had a fleet of shitty estates for just such a purpose.
Glasgow City Council require advanced notice and an addressed letter/bill etc.
There's a lot of obvious trade waste being dropped at our local tip in old estates / people carriers with the seats down or removed. But woe betide anyone bringing household waste in anything vaguely van like or with a trailer.
Well you can find out from your council what you need to do and not have an issue can't you? Simple.
One vintage 'national' shop till, sold on eBay for £120
A pair of vintage wooden skis
A Raleigh town bike
A full set of wooden patio furniture it just needed sanding and teak oiling
A lavazza coffee machine (broken) sold on eBay for £10
2 vintage trunk cases
A broken iMac
A bay tree in a pot (was live and well couldn't see it get binned)
I avoid the tip in Chester city centre though high viz make it hassle to drop anything off.
Came home with a boot full of Scalextric years ago.
On the trade waste front, I wonder if they'd turn me away if I turned up with a tonne of clean copper to be 'dumped'.
What narks me about the Hi-Viz 'police' is the way they bark orders about what goes where, but if you need a hand with anything they're nowhere to be seen.
Got a working pair of Mission floorstanding speakers from the local recycling place, was really chuffed, only later did I relse that sort of stuff gets collected by a charity which then sells it on. 😳
I've built my entire basement workshop out of materials I've salvaged from outside neaby houses that are having work done. And having plenty of affluent friends means I don't have to scrat about in skips to find nice things. 8)
Found the complete Lego super car (8880 I think?) built it and then sold it on eBay for £80.
Just to redress the balance; Pudsey Recycling centre have been nothing but helpful as I've emptied the contents of an overgrown allotment, and then a house, over the last year.
Happy to help and give a hand when they can see me, or anyone else with a boot full of crap (I'm talking soil/plaster/wood/carpet - not anything with the slightest whiff of value).
I even asked about getting rid of some sofas and they provided some useful 'advice'.
Nice fellas.
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/14434968401_7af77c21f5_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/14434968401_7af77c21f5_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/nZyZcx ]Raleigh Sprint[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people// ]SGMTB[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8572341010_22fc6e04e6_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8572341010_22fc6e04e6_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/e4vujW ]Raleigh Sprint - Vintage Road Bike - Project[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people// ]SGMTB[/url], on Flickr
Does it make me a roadie ;-(
Kendal waste recycling "tip":
"Sorry sir, you can't come in here with a van"
Me:"but this is my only transport, I've only got my old cooker in the back"
"sorry sir"
*unloads cooker round the corner onto sack trolley & walks back in*
"sorry sir, you can't come in here ON FOOT"
Me: "OH **** OFF!"
For me it was always the skip where my late dad worked - an AV company
They threw allsorts out, still have a pile of amps, speakers, CD players, tuners etc at my brother's house and have a nice Hi-fi set-up at work.
My brother is a porter for the NHS. I've had all sorts from the usual boxes of surgical gloves, syringes, stainless steel tables and a diesel Karcher pressure washer. You've got to love the NHS stock control.
Make a few bob back in the day by emptying the skips out the back of the University of Glasgow Computer Science Department. Found an LCD screen that mounted onto an OHP that I sold to a guy in Spain for about £100, remember an original Power PC and Mac II manking a few quid on the evil bay as well.
Another guy got a fully working (but locked and no software) Sun Sparc Station and punted it for about £300.
Managed to get some propane bottles and bike wheels from the local tip before they started getting arsey. They redid it and it looks like a prison yard with all the spikes, floodlights and cameras, bonkers...
I almost got a Bridgeport milling machine from the Physics department at Glasgow Uni - they'd phoned the scrap man half an hour before. I do have some useful stuff from the Uni, though - my frame soaking tank has a fancy water bath heater.
The guys who work at the Basingstoke tip are brilliant. We were going there five times per weekend a few years ago with a trailer full of rubble and other waste from a house refurb project and they were really helpful.
Almost got to be on first name terms. You have to have the right trailer though - ours is the largest you can get into the tip without a permit (thanks for the tip, TrailerTek!)
I don't see why trade waste should be recycled for free and I totally get why they are careful about it. I went in one time in our builder's van and they were a bit chary: I said 'Come on guys, you know me' and they said 'Yes, but we need to do the paperwork'. That said, I was taking a dozen or so saleable doors.
Great guys and a great facility.
Its not inconceivable someone is just using their works van for domestic use... its just highly likely it someone pulling a fast one, I know of atleast one guy who had a fleet of shitty estates for just such a purpose.
Let them. Arseholes like that will just dump it all at the side of the road otherwise.
Forgot; I found a bunck of old Apple laptops in a skip near South Bank uni a few years ago. Probably worth something to collectors, but I'm fearful of punting them on ebay, as they have SBU stamped very prominently on them. I woudn't want to be done for theft. What is the law regarding skip rescues? Still technically theft?
Dunno, but I'm an Old Apple pervert, what are they and do you still have them?
What is the law regarding skip rescues? Still technically theft?
Yup (as I understand it).
They're waiting for the return of their Mac.
On a slightly related note, in a former life (over 25 years ago now) I did a stint working at BBC radio Manchester and the wastage was unbelievable. I remember when they replaced about 10 of the big reel to reel editing machines from the news room. Back then we used to manually splice the tapes for news items, which was one of my jobs. They were probably over £1k each to replace them with brand new ones and I was told to put the old but still perfectly functional machines in the crusher skip in the back yard.
What? Can I rescue one for myself?
Nope. Company policy.
Took the machines into the back where two security staff watched as they were crushed to bits along with microphones, speakers, amps etc...
Bonkers.
There's a lot of obvious trade waste being dropped at our local tip in old estates / people carriers with the seats down or removed. But woe betide anyone bringing household waste in anything vaguely van like or with a trailer.
Ah! So it's Ok to assume someone is trade as long as you're not wearing a Hi-Viz.
I've had 2 dentists chairs lately, these aren't the ones we sit in but the swivel stool type the dentist uses. They are beautiful very retro styling all working, just needed the chrome polishing. They are perfect for a man cave/garage.
Seen the same on eBay selling for £75-100, I'm a bit torn on wether to keep them or take the profit?
Also 2 aluminium crates, these are for safe transportation of aircraft valves or pressurised bottle packs, they have lids and handles and look great polished, make good coffee tables, toy boxes.
Had a selection of bikes from a Halfords skip, no gems but a good source of parts for the bikes at the after care club at school, I had these on the ok of the manager.
I find shop window/post office advertising (postcards in window) a good source for stuff, people can't be bothered with eBay hassle, I've just bought a load of Playmobil locally, over £500 worth, the dolls house was over £100 on its own, the people were moving house and couldn't be bothered to use eBay because of postage costs.
Ah! So it's Ok to assume someone is trade as long as you're not wearing a Hi-Viz
I suppose the guy who I know is a kitchen and bathroom fitter by trade could have been doing work on his own house, regularly. And the ones who run the Indian take away could have been getting through loads of huge catering sized tubs/boxes/barrels at home.
In a small town people know people. But the rules are enforced to the letter. It doesn't matter who you are, what trade you're in or what waste you bring, it's all down to how you arrive.
In Leeds you get permits for using your van for domestic rubbish. 6 for household waste and 6 for household waste including building materials/rubble.
Seems a sensible compromise.
Previously it was ok to use a van Weds and Sat mornings - but up to the workers to make sure people were not taking the p***, which was a bit hard on them I think
You can't take stuff away from the tip (or recycling centre as it is now called) - it is council property as soon as it is dropped off
Found this dumped at the recycling point on my estate.....
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it needed a headset, chain and a pair of forks.
Sold it the day I finished building it back up for £90 profit 
Bonkers
I had this seemingly insane 'policy' explained to me once. It is quite complicated and has something to do with tax and companies liable for big fines if they give away/sell stuff on they've bought that's been tax exempt. An organisation like the BBC will be monitored very closely, so probably just don't want to take risks. Still a shame though; I don't see why charities can't benefit from this.
Dunno, but I'm an Old Apple pervert, what are they and do you still have them?
I'll have a look later. I thik they might even still work!
Yup (as I understand it).
So who is the rightful owner then? Those throwing it out? The skip hire people?
What about stuff left on the street, in a public place?
Legally, even if a person has put something in a skip they have not relinquished their ownership. So technically you should ask permission before removal. But hey, the law's only a guideline, fill yer boots!
pulled allsorts out of skips:
my first shed was built from wood taken from skips (if someone was around i asked for it!) - ok its not a pretty shiplap thing but its bombproof and not had any problems with break ins. in fact the door is about 2inch thick!
microwave in our old flat got pulled out a few years ago, conveniently around the same time i dropped our old one we were given and smashed it to bits (karma?!) cleaned up a treat and still going strong
a lamp - made a new lampshade cos the one on it was battered
few clothes airers - great for taking to work to dry clothes in the back room
lots of logs/wood for our woodburner
i tried to get a decent decathlon road bike from the tip once but the attendant guy shouted at me - he had bagged it for his mate who was on his way down. otherwise i'd have had it
couple of black office type chairs that are great for working on the bike without worrying about them getting grubby
shelving units & shoe racks - good for garage
it's shocking what you see some people throwing away at the tip. especially peeves me seeing kids toys thrown away that would have cost a few hundred quid on last Christmas. surely a charity shop would be a more beneficial destination for some of the gear - or ebay/gumtree