07/15/2024
Scrapping is hard work that a very select few are cut out for.
We operate in all sorts of weather just like the old postal slogan states -
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor the gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
Not only do we work in all sorts of weather conditions, but it is also a very physically demanding line of work as well as a something where you're going to get very dirty while you're out there taking care of business.
Most days, when I finally finish for the day, my clothes are as filthy as they are in the photo below, and I usually feel like I'm carrying around an extra 10lbs with me between the sweat and the grime I'm covered in.
Why do I keep scrapping you might ask well I do so because...
I'm helping my family, friends, neighbors, and my community to responsibly recycle back into the various material streams metal items that if just dumped take up tremendous amounts of space in our landfills and are permanently removed for all cost effective purposes from being reused and recycled.
I'm an environmentalist at
heart, I don't hate, look down on or want to denigrate our metal ore mining industries, metal refiners and manufacturers as we are entirely too dependent on items made from the ores they take from the ground and refine to make into the metal bearing products and items we use every day of our lives. I do however wish to do my part every day to reduce the amount of mining that must take place by recycling and reusing metals responsibly as ore mining operations are absolutely environmentally destructive operations even when the best practices and recovery methods available are put to use.
For every ton of steel recycled, 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone are conserved.
And finally, because I'm a tinker at heart who loves working with my hands. I love taking things apart and putting them back together again. Believe it or not I do actually try to repair items if it can be done without a huge chunk of time spent to repair and is cost effective to do so. Though more often than not, I only end up taking things apart as is evidenced by the fact I'm down at the yard 3 to 4 times a week dropping loads off.
Mike Rowes, a TV personality from the show Dirty Jobs has a quote I love and that I think sums up the hard work we scrappers do everyday (as well as all the other hardworking physically demanding professions out there that help keep this world running!)
“I can say the willingness to get dirty has always defined us as a nation, and it's a hallmark of hard work and a hallmark of fun, and dirt is not the enemy."
