Reducing Material Waste

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Energy-Miser

Energy-Miser

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Maryland
We all do our best to return and/or re-use what is left over in our jobs. But what about the wire clippings, and scrap metal etc. that sometimes get thrown away on the job site? Obviously copper is precious and even aluminum and scrap steel has a market. But how do you make it practical to recycle these items? The workers are tired by the end of the day, and the last thing on their mind is to collect and safeguard scrap wire! Does anyone have a serious recycling program, and if so how do you implement it? e/m.
 
Energy-Miser said:
The workers are tired by the end of the day, and the last thing on their mind is to collect and safeguard scrap wire!
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Split the proceeds with them.
 
LarryFine said:
Split the proceeds with them.
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I tried that. In fact I gave all of the proceed in one sale of scrap wire to the one worker who had contributed the most. It did not have the result I had expected, and after a while I felt guilty about pushing for it, because I just thought well you know at the end of the day everyone is just very tired, etc. So it is really my fault that we don't have a recycling program. That's why I am trying to explore ways that may have proven successful for others.
 
brian john said:
I push recycling, copper or aluminum...keeping product in the market instead of the land fill should help keep cost down.
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Absolutely, and it is the right thing to do. Copper prices are skyrocketting, and aluminum production (from ore) is so energy intensive, that it makes no sense to throw the stuff away and not recycle them. e/m.
 
we recycle our stuff but it is not cost effective we do it because of the amount of waste we generate..we got tired of seeing how much waste there was in packaging and old parts..we separate everything and once a year we spend all day cleaning up and hauling to the recycler..then we barbecue and fellowship it not about the cash its about us caring for what is left for our grandchildren..
 
Rest assured that even if you throw scrap wire or metal into a dumpster it will get recycled. All construction dumpsters around here don't simply go to the nearest landfill and dumped. They get taken to sorting facilities where every last bit of material that can be recycled gets taken out (and other stuff like tires and full cans of paint get backcharged to the person who rented the dumpster)

I imagine it's that way with construction debris everywhere else but it's a real issue here in New England where we are running out of space for landfills.
 
cschmid said:
we recycle our stuff but it is not cost effective we do it because of the amount of waste we generate..we got tired of seeing how much waste there was in packaging and old parts..we separate everything and once a year we spend all day cleaning up and hauling to the recycler..then we barbecue and fellowship it not about the cash its about us caring for what is left for our grandchildren..
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I like your attitude. With the cost of labor as high as they are, it may not be economical to rescue a pound of copper one ounce at a time, but it sure is the right thing to do. I had a large inventory of circuit breakers, and other odds and ends (mostly circuit breakers), and went to a local company that sells stuff on the Ebay for a commission. I got peanuts for most of it (it broke my heart to see that 2pole 100 amp breakers brought in five bucks for a set of 6 for example), but felt good that at least someone got to use them and they did not end up in the city dump. Took a pickup truck load of sheet metal scrap to the only place in miles that recycles those. Got about 5 cents to a pound for it, but got a lot more in satisfaction. e/m.
 
peter d said:
Rest assured that even if you throw scrap wire or metal into a dumpster it will get recycled. All construction dumpsters around here don't simply go to the nearest landfill and dumped. They get taken to sorting facilities where every last bit of material that can be recycled gets taken out (and other stuff like tires and full cans of paint get backcharged to the person who rented the dumpster)

I imagine it's that way with construction debris everywhere else but it's a real issue here in New England where we are running out of space for landfills.
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Hope that Maryland waste is just as recycled, I don't know however to what extent they do it here. If I know that that's the case then I won't worry about it too much in my operation, as long as it gets done by someone somewhere in the chain. e/m
 
I don't think scrap wire (copper) thrown into a dumpster these days even gets off site in the dumpster. See guys going in for it all the time.


BTW, welcome to the forum Energy-Miser. I think I interviewed for you a couple of months back. :wink:
 
Hopefully everyone has recycling in their area for more than copper and aluminum.


As for copper going into the dumpster I doubt it makes it past the edge of the can before it is grabbed.
 
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I spend a few minutes at the end of each picking up my scrap. I also do a lot of tearouts which generates alot of scrap. I found a guy in town that loves to scrap. He and his wife strip wire at night while they watch TV. He also tears apart anything I send him and seperates the metals. I just drop everything in his driveway about once a month and he takes from there. We split the money 50/50.

I'm sure about every town has somebody like this, this system has worked well for me over the past year or so.

Jeff
 
I recycle as much scrap copper as I can get my hands on. It's cash, why wouldn't you? At the end of the day when the site is getting cleaned up I grab any scrap copper and throw it into a pile, into the back of the truck and into the garage, I prob got about $500 waiting to be cashed in.
 
I once worked for an outfit that required field employees to return all scrap wire to the shop. It was then collected and sent in for recycling.

The funds raised from this effort went to the company Christmas party. It made the difference between having steak instead of chicken, or an open instead of a cash bar.
 
We use our scrap copper for a sky box at Orioles Camden Park for the employee's annual get together, any left over goes towards the fishing charter.
 
JohnJ0906 said:
I don't think scrap wire (copper) thrown into a dumpster these days even gets off site in the dumpster. See guys going in for it all the time.


BTW, welcome to the forum Energy-Miser. I think I interviewed for you a couple of months back. :wink:
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Thanks John. Now that you mention it, yes we did meet a while back at our shop. It's great to have ran into you again here, please stay in touch. Regarding copper getting recycled, even out of the dumpster, it's great to know that it is happening. I guess the old market forces are at work here, given the price of the cu. e/m.
 
nyerinfl said:
I recycle as much scrap copper as I can get my hands on. It's cash, why wouldn't you? At the end of the day when the site is getting cleaned up I grab any scrap copper and throw it into a pile, into the back of the truck and into the garage, I prob got about $500 waiting to be cashed in.
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Good for you. If the employer does not have a recycling program, then the employers should. e/m.
 
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