Hot Items for Thieves: Recyclables

Interesting article in the New York Times.

Scrap metal, like the bed frame taken by Mr. Bosque, can be sold for up to $250 a ton, five times the price of a decade ago, according to a widely recognized index of commodity prices published by Waste News, a trade publication. Bundled paper or cardboard, the most commonly stolen of New York’s recyclables, can bring in $90 to $120 a ton, more than double what the city receives under long-term contracts with its own brokers and processors.

Scrap The Steel

I turned in some cans this Friday and only got 55¢/lb. On the other hand, steel scrap was up to 4¢/lb. While it's not much, if you get a heavy piece of steel, it might be worth your while to drag it down to a scrapyard that accepts ferrous metals. Both the items above weighed almost 200 lbs!

Scrapping at the New Maxwell Street Market

This guy will yell at you if you try to take any of the abandoned fruit north of Roosevelt.



My scrapping mentor Tyner White in background while one of the locals examines some overripe fruit.



A couple of scrappers compare notes.



One of the regulars examines some abandoned plums.



Interested cyclist takes in the scene.



View of the market's aftermath looking south.



A well-equipped cyclist makes another pass.



Workers picking up rental tables.



The party's over. See you next week!

No Trash For You!

I always enjoy stopping by the baseball diamond at 18th & Wentworth. I can usually get at least a few cans and sometimes softballs, baseballs, and golf balls. However, it's sad to see people use so many wasteful plastic water bottles. I try to take as many as I can around the corner to the ward recycling facility, but it's a Sisyphean task. It's bad enough that the city doesn't have a recycling bin on the premises, but on Monday, they took away all the garbage cans!

Tyner White Video

Here's an interview I did with Tyner White of the old Maxwood Co-op that used to be located on Maxwell Street. His various inventions are mostly made from found materials.

Family Recycling Back in Business

Scrappers rejoiced at the grand reopening of Family Recycling following the City of Chicago shutting them down for a week. The only differences I could see were some new bins and shorter hours. I did my part by bringing in 30 lbs. of aluminum cans!

Blue Bag BS

Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago has a reputation as a "green" mayor, but it's really mostly for show. One example of this is the Blue Bag recycling program. While the city claims a yield of 25%, some critics contend that only 10% of material gets collected and I personally think that's an optimistic figure. chicagorecycling.org gives a pretty good overview of the process.

One way to attempt to get a better return on your recyclables is to take them directly to your local city recycling center.

Name	Address
Pershing Road	1424 W Pershing Rd
Near South	1758 S Clark St
Calumet Park Beach	9801 S Avenue G
Auburn Gresham	7811 S Racine Ave
Training Center	1150 N North Branch St
Green Technology	445 N Sacramento Blvd
North Lawndale	1817 S Pulaski Rd
West Pullman	11615 S Indiana Ave
Pasteur Park	5825 S Kostner Ave
Marquette Park	6734 S Kedzie Ave
Riis Park	6110 W Fullerton Ave
Portage Park	4243 N Neenah Ave
Kosciuszko Park	2732 N Avers Ave
Rainbow Park	3111 W 77th St
Far North Side	6441 N Ravenswood Ave

Even better, take your recyclables to one of the four Resource Center recycling locations where your items will be sorted properly for maximum return without contamination.

Name	Address
North Park Village	5801 N Pulaski Rd
Uptown Recycling Station	4716 N Sheridan Rd
Wrightwood Neighbors Recycling	2600 N Lincoln Ave
Railyard Buyback Center	1325 E 70th St