Best Find at the Dump?

[sjcprojects]

I worked my local dump – sorry 'Civic Amenity Site' – for one summer back when I was a student. I was often amazed at the things people threw away, although living in a relatively affluent area I shouldn't really have been surprised, I suppose. This was back when things were much more relaxed when it came to people buying stuff – in fact I'd say the site 'supervisor' spent 95% of his time keeping at eye out for stuff he could collect or flog. Needless to say I was paid cash in hand, and also got to keep a few things myself. I didn't get any bikes as unfortunately back then I wasn't that interested, but I still have and often use the nice Thorens turntable I took home, plus various records - this being before vinyl became desirable again, and people often just threw away their old record collections, having replaced them with CDs. How times change...

 

[legrandefromage]

Umm....

 

[LondonClassic]

A set of x4 used but intact velux windows with blinds. Early noughties I was living in a squat and making small amounts from skip diving and tip trips. Used to bung the fellas at the tip a few quid for the really nice stuff..like an IBM thinkpad in its case, unopened tins of trade emulsion, ikea lamps, all of it dropped off by the North London media elite.

Oh you meant bikes? Nothing really bar some v brakes and chainsets nabbed off the bike container. Someone smart has already got to the workers at my local tip. A while ago I asked them if they'd be up for tipping me off on any gems. The bloke went off and came back with a laminated sheet with pictures of frame badges (531, Columbus etc) and prices next to them and a phone number.

 

[Woz]

I think that's what they call a racket.

See a tiny bit of the same here, unlike while I was in Spain, with phone numbers to buddies collecting for the local flea market with a kick-back.

Here, seldom happens, but in the most part I see they just put the decent stuff out for the next opportunist. Some people will slap on a Post-It or attach a note to say if something is working. There's always a bit of banter from the workers asking the irregular and regular salvage agents "was it a good harvest?". I always have a tool kit in the van so if there is anything for strip / flip / keep I'm generally sorted.

In fairness, I am in one of the poorest areas in deep France and a nature reserve which alters thinking to something more social.

 

[MR OX]

The tips have been kind to me over the years, plenty of mountain bikes but since we're not in that section here's a couple for this section.

 

[BongoInTheCongo]

Weirdest thing ever was two boxes (24) of Sirop de Monin (posh flavoured Sirop for coffee and liqueurs). The boxes were bashed to hell but the plastic bottles were all good. It was expensive stuff God knows how it got there, but the seals were intact and it was in date. I had some tasty coffees for a year or so! They're about 11 quid a go now, so a good haul!

 

[Betsy]

For the sake of clarity.. if you have to crowbar a door or window to get in.. if there's an alarm going woop, woop ,woop.. if you're being chased down the steet with a Garrard turntable under your arm by an angry man in pyjamas.. this isn't the dump!

 

[BongoInTheCongo]

For the sake of clarity.. if you have to crowbar a door or window to get in.. if there's an alarm going woop, woop ,woop.. if you're being chased down the steet with a Garrard turntable under your arm by an angry man in pyjamas.. this isn't the dump!

You'll see a man in a stripey jumper, black gloves, answers to the name of 'Gus'. Get me a Linn Hifi while you're out.

 

[novocaine]

Nearly pulled a treadmill out the electrical bin on Sunday. Bloke came by at the wrong moment though.

 

[BongoInTheCongo]

We had a tech salvage place near us for a while, I think it's gone now. People who worked there were mostly voluntary or on 'schemes', the stuff that passed through the place was incredible : Dell Servers stuffed full of Xeons and masses of ram, HP plotters and large format printers, top end laptops. The guys mostly had no clue what they were handling. Be about 10 years ago I picked up a 16 Xeon server for 50 quid, stuck a good graphics card in it and my son set it up to play games... Probably cost 80k when it was new, glorified X Box now. Haha!