Free Guide to Starting Up In Scrap Metal, Scrap Electronics, E-Scrap, Salvage and Recycling

Hi - I've just created a new resource especially for newbies (newb, newby, newbys, noob). I'll be updating it frequently and I'd love to hear from you if you have questions, comments or - anything at all. Check out the New Guide to Starting Up In the Home-Based Scrap Metal, Scrap Electronics, E-Scrap, Salvage and Recycling.

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

Is How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business right for you?

Every once in awhile. I get a request for a refund only hours (sometimes minutes) after someone has purchased the ebook. Usually the story goes something like - This is just your story and not... (fill in the blank). Well, this is true. How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business is my story. I wonder, "how could it be anything else?" All I know, all that has gotten me from reading that little surplus and salvage book in the early 1980s and saying "I can do that" to now is my story.

Many purchasers of the ebook have been inspired and are learning the business and are having varying degrees of success - some are doing very very well in a short period of time.

I try to be very clear on the sales page that the ebook is not a blue print, not a step-by-step plan to recycling and salvage riches or anything like that. Rather it is the story of my successes and failures over 30 years in the business. I don't profess to be a gigantic success. In fact, I'm still mostly a one person operation, but I have over the years made a lot of money, learned a lot and have ended up quite well.

My hope in writing the ebook was that you could learn from my failures, avoid them and capitalize on my successes getting up to speed much faster than I did.

I certainly don't make a ton of money off of the ebook. In fact my real payment is in the satisfaction I get when someone emails me and tells me about their successes. I also learn from folks who have really gone for it and succeeded in new areas.

So, to reiterate what is on the sales page:

If you are looking for:

• A blueprint that you can follow step by step with little or no creative action on your part.
  
• A business that takes little to no effort - a business made for lazy people.
  
• A business that will make you rich overnight.
  

Then this is not for you. All I can do is wish you good luck in finding something that fits. But, if you:

• Are not afraid of hard work.
  
• Can see my story as just that "my story" not a blueprint, not a step-by-step plan (unfortunately internet and get-rich schemes have convinced many that these something-for-almost-nothing schemes are real - come on!), but an opportunity to be inspired by my successes and learn from my mistakes.
  
• Are not afraid to ask me questions.
  
• And you are ready to get real and put all the get-rich-quick pie-in-the-sky make-a-million-with-no-work-and-an-investment-of=little-money behind you.
  

Then stick with me and read on... I also want to be very clear. The ebook is just the beginning. If you have questions I am always here to answer them as best I can. If I don't have the answer, I'll do my best to find one for you and I'll also ask your question to the growing number of previous purchasers of the ebook. To repeat... the ebook is not an end to itself, it is a beginning. The blog, website and emails to me will be useful to you as long as you need them to be. I hope to hear from you soon. Good luck in your endeavors, Mike

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

Says I Created a Recycling Monster!

Here's another inspiring email. I have to say too that it's very gratifying to get these emails from folks and know that I have helped them in some way. Mike B purchased How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business ebook in October of 2010. In just over a year, Mike has come a long way. Congrats Mike! Here's his email to me. - Mike Meuser

On Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 1:33 PM, Mike B wrote:
Hello Mike, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you,

I really enjoy all your articles and e-mails I've been getting all year. Thank you and keep up all the great work,
This past year I started my own business doing clean outs, junk removal, and alot of scrapping.

It all started with the scrapping metals, just goin' round town with my truck, on garbage nite, from street to street searching for metals.

I didn't care at first what type or kind of metal, but within time I've became a kinda of a pro, lol
separating my coppers, aluminums, brass, car batteries, p.c towers, air conditioners, etc....

I've learned to separate different metals, take apart appliances for their motors, gutting out air cond for their condensers and copper, circuit boards and other stuff from p.c towers.

Either it came from the street, craigslist, word of mouth, my work, or from friends and family. Learned alot from you Mike, and from other scrappers, and the guys at the recycling yard.

I make my own hours, quote my own prices for jobs, gain lots of useful knowledge, I also found alot of stuff I have resold or auctioned from my clean out jobs. My girl friend also got into it and we enjoy our time together.

You created a recycling monster Mike, and just wanted to say keep up the great work and thank you.

Michael B

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

$600 Worth of Saleable Items PLUS 80+ Quarts of New Motor Oil Free

Hi - I've been looking around for more 55 gallon steel oil drums. I use them to sort various metals and electronic scrap. I was looking this time for some that had recently had liquid in them and still had the tops and plugs because I had found a source for several hundred gallons of biodiesel and needed a good way to store it.

I checked Craigslist but there was no one near and the folks who had them in a (100 mile away) major metropolitan area wanted $20 each for them.

I called around to the local gas and oil companies and found one company that would give me two and another one who turned me on to a race car driver that would give me four.

Today I went to collect the two and the guy told me that he'd really like to hang onto them but he knew of another place in town, an auto shop, that had dozens of nearly new sealed drums. They bought oil for oil changes in bulk and the supplier would not take the empty drums back. I asked the fellow if he'd call ahead for me so that I was expected.

I drove a cross town (tiny town of 1500 folks) and found the shop. The owner showed me a large side yard with dozens of like new drums stacked on their sides so they wouldn't rust or get water inside.

I was able to load 8 in my Nissan pickup and another 8 on my little 4x8 trailer. Tomorrow I'll go back for more. Should be about 40 drums in all.

Unexpected bonus was that each one has 2 to 3 quarts of brand new oil in the bottom. Either 15w-50 or 5w-30 - Napa Premium brand. The pumps they use in the barrels don't quite reach the bottom. Fortunately, once they've pumped all they can they put the plug back in and store them on their side. That way none leaks out and no water gets in - Brand new motor oil for free!

Around here motor oil goes for anywhere from $4 to $6 per quart. I'm going to keep the oil. I figure at the low end, I've saved myself purchasing 80 quarts of oil for $320! Also, I'll sell off most of the drums for $10 to $20 - approximate total of $300 to $600. Not bad for 6 hours of work total and about $15 in gas.

BTW - I'll be sure to tell them to call me when they have more and I'll also check around town for more. The more I look at them, the more uses I can think of for them. When I pickup the last load tomorrow, I'll bring a couple of pizzas as a way of thanking the shop folks. I'll also go by the gas and oil place and bring them something as well or at least, ask them what I should keep my eye out for as I go about my salvage and recycling business.

There's always something new around every corner. Just gotta keep being out there and keep talking to folks and you'll find them. Some of the things may not be as glamorous as electronic recycling for gold, etc, but they pay as well.

Good Luck

Mike

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

Free and Cheap Wood Stove Recycling and Reuse

Hi - I should have told you about this a few months ago, but I've been so busy with my own salvage work I've been a bit slow on the posts. I'll try to post more frequently.

At any rate, it looks like it's going to be a long cold winter in many parts of the U.S. Heating fuel prices are very high. Around here heating oil is $1 a gallon more than it was last year - same with propane. Natural gas is higher as well.

At the same time, scrap iron prices are high. I've seen many loads waiting in lines at the scrap yards with wood stoves in them. Sure a 300 pound woodstove is worth $30 or $40 in scrap but it is worth so much more as a working wood stove.

Over the last months I've picked up 6 wood stoves. Two were free, one I paid $60 for and the other two I bought for scrap prices off of trucks on their way to the scrap yard. The free ones I picked up with a wanted listing in Craigslist. Seems that once someone remodels and changes heating modes or upgrades their wood stove the old one often ends up in the back yard or garage. They're too heavy for most folks to handle, but they can be handled quite easily by one person.

I can handle them and I'm 66 years old. Any stove that I've run into I can tip on its side onto a 4 wheel dolly. Then it's quite easy to roll it onto my Harbor Freight tilt bed trailer.

With heating costs so high, woodstoves are coming back in vogue and there's a ready market for them. The last free one I got is a really nice LOPI. It retails for $1800. This one was in a back yard and the door and air control were all frozen up and it was very rusty. Some soaking with WD-40 and some high heat paint was all it took to get it working properly. As I type this I'm looking across my living room at the flames through the glass door of this little LOPI gem.

The other 5 plus the one I replaced with the LOPI are sold or will be sold soon. Depending on the year and model I can get anywhere from $250 to $1000 for a wood stove and I haven't run into one that I couldn't refurbish for $25 or less. Just be sure to stick to the welded steel plate ones. Some of the older cast iron types leak and/or have cracks.

So, try running a wanted ad in your local Craigslist, tell people you deal with, keep an eye out for old stoves in yards. If you start looking for them, you'll find them.

I'm still hunting for more and will continue to do so all year as I believe good used wood stoves is a growing market.

Good Luck

Mike

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

HR 2284 The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act - The Right Thing To Do

H.R. 2284, The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act, would prevent the export of non-functional or shredded electronic scrap to developing countries. This is an important bill and one that I think should be passed. For starters, it would result in more U.S. based jobs and it would also mean less material containing toxics being sent to places that have lower environmental and labor protection standards than the U.S.

Back when I was doing a large scale electronic salvage project, I sold large amounts of scrap to a Taiwan based company. I was unaware at the time, the effect that material was having overseas. It wasn't until several years later that I read Bill Moyers' Global Dumping Ground: The International Traffic in Hazardous Waste that I realized what I had done. In fact, the fellow I sold my scrap to is mentioned in the book. I'm not sure if the environmental and human abuse overseas is as bad now as it was then, but I'm quite sure that conditions are below U.S. standards.

You might take a look at H.R. 2284 and if you feel like I do, urge your representative to vote for it.

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

Succeeding in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business: Techniques and Ideas - Old School and New School, Part 1

Recently a fellow contacted me and said that my eBook on salvage and recycling was a great autobiography but was not relevant. His example for me to follow was to check Craigslist and type in "junk" and "scrap" and I would see that everyone is in the salvage and recycling business. I responded telling him that the techniques I used for obtaining, working with, reusing and selling salvage are very relevant and that I use them most everyday. I also told him that I would appreciate any tips he could offer in the way of relevant ideas. Once I hear, I'll pass them on to you all.



Here's an example. Recently I blogged about a house that I am in the midst of deconstructing. I didn't get it by watching the craigslist listings and hoping that I was the first one to respond and then hoping that if I was, it would still be there when I got there. I have tried this method a few times and in my experience using craigslist and other online tools works at times, but also can be a real time waster.



In this case, I had done what I always do - hand out business cards, put flyers on bulletin boards and small ads in local papers. Several months ago I purchased some oak flooring from a fellow - he had seen my flyer at the local market. Later he told a friend about me, we connected and I am now tearing down this great old cabin. He said that he had been trying for months to find someone to give it to. Did he list on craigslist? No - he doesn't use a computer. I find that there are a whole lot of people out there that are still "old school" and depend on what they read and who they talk to for the information they need - they don't even think much about the internet. Also, some just don't want the hassle of strangers calling them, coming to their place...



I do think that craigslist can be a good way to sell material and I've done some of that successfully, but more often, word of mouth has worked for me and folks tell other folks about me and before long the material is sold - sometimes before I even have it torn down and available for sale.

I've included some photos of this project that I began on May 4, 2011. I only work it 10 or 12 hours per week. Early on I removed the aluminum roofing, wiring, brass... and found other recyclables around the property. I shopped this around at scrap metal yards and was able to sell the scrap for $409. More than enough to pay for a couple of runs to the dumps, gas, lunches etc.



Over time I'll go into the scrap metal part of it in more detail telling how I deal with dealers, find honest ones, sort my metals for the best price.

Also, in time, I'll discuss the tools and techniques I use in deconstruction, how I store my wood, how to price it and more.



This building is 20x25 feet. The inside walls, outside walls, roof and ceiling are all old growth ship lap lumber - much is premium 1/4 sawn. I figure, even at today's low prices for lumber, I'll net out at about $4,000 in what the same amount of wood would cost me at retail. If I were to sell, some of this would bring more than retail, some less. More about this later.

For now, enjoy the photos and remember to check out my eBook, How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business. It's full of tips and ideas that I use all the time to succeed in this business. Just one good idea is worth more than the price of the eBook.

Continued in Part 2.

www.RecyclingSecrets.com for Free Home Based Salvage and Recycling Information Including: Metals, Deconstruction and Used Building Materials, Gold and Precious Metals and E-Waste. Check out: How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

Getting into Home Based Salvage & Recycling with Little Cash, Promoting Your Businss...

Hi - Just a headsup. Wondering how to get started in salvage and recycling with little cash? How to promote your business? I've been working on an article over the weekend. Includes information about the above plus how a local website may help you. I'll post a message here when it is completed.

Best to you in your endeavors

Mike
Recycling Secrets
How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business

Download How to Make Money in the Salvage and Recycling Business Now

The revised eBook is available for download to all purchasers.

Click here and enter your username and password to download the revised 2011 eBook.

If you have not yet purchased How to Make Money in the Salvage and Recycling Business, you can learn more about it here.

Revised Home Based Salvage & Recycling Business Manual Available

Hello - If you previously purchased a copy of the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business Manual I'll be sending you a revised version by midnight tonight. If you do not receive it, please email me using the email address you entered when you purchased the ebook and I'll make sure you get it. A link will also be posted on the website.

Mike

Follow Recycling Secrets on Twitter

Recycling Secrets

Advice on Starting Small in the Salvage and Recycling Business

A recent message that I think is of interest.

Mike, I am very interested in the salvage business but I want to start small and put off getting involved in heavy metals, construction waste, and goods that are space and labor intensive. What do you recommend?

My response:

Hi ____ - One of the first things I did was go around to local businesses and see what sort of things they might be interested in. I found a rebuilder of valves - water, oil, gas, etc. - who would buy old valves from me right away.

Also in winter, keeping in touch with insurance agents helps. I've gotten tons of free aluminum from torn up awnings and mobile home porches. The aluminum is easily scrapped - no storage involved.

When I've done deconstruction I've almost always been able to sell the stuff before I took the building apart so no space required there and there are all sorts of sizes of buildings.

The electronics end is going to take space and time to sort, determine what's of value, etc. so probably not best to begin with if you don't have the space to work on stuff. Good winter time work though.

Every community is different. I'd just get your name out there as THE salvage guy and see what happens. I'd stay away from beccoming the hauling guy. That's a different deal and folks will look at you differently if you charge to haul stuff away. Put up flyers, cheap ads, and talk to folks and then pick and choose.

I've run into barrels full of valves at times that I could buy at pennies on the dollars that I would get and turn them over the same day.

Some really big things like a water tank on an 80 foot tower I got for free and resold in a few days and never ever touched it. you just never know.

More examples in the manual.

Good luck and keep me posted on your progress.

Mike
www.RecyclingSecrets.com

Home Based Salvage & Recycling Business Manual Feedback

Hi - I've received excellent feedback from folks who have purchased the eBook. I just want to remind all the purchasers that the eBook is just the beginning. Your purchase entitles you to a free one year membership to the members-only website. Over time I'll be publishing updates, news and resources there. Also, i'm always available to answer questions by email. If you haven't already done so, be sure to sign up for updates.

If you haven't purchased the eBook yet, Check it out.

Thanks to all

Mike

Reminder Electronic Gold and Recycling Tips

Good Morning - It's been awhile since I've posted these links and some things have changed so I thought I'd repost some old and new links in case you missed them the first time around.

Also, I've recently been adding to Mike's Tips from the Field: Learn to profit in the home based recycling and salvage business.

Additions include:

High profits come from turning over your recycled and salvage material as quickly and as often as possible.

Learn how to bootstrap your home-based recycling business.

Home-Based Recycling Business Profits: Sell Used Tech Gadgets for Cash.

Home Based Recycling and Salvage 101: Bootsrap Yourself out of the Recession.

Recycling for Renewable and Alternative Energy: The next new big thing in recycling and salvage?

Soon I'll be writing more about recycling and salvage for the renewable and alternative energy fields, expanding to self-reliant systems for heating, cooling and alternative building materials. This IS the future for the home-based small recycling and salvage business.

I'll also be continuing my series on my work in the recycling and salvage fields. Once I finish up with the electronics and computer scrap, I'll bactrack a bit to my experience with metals, rural and farm salvage, and building deconstruction.

I hope that you'll stay with me. Lots to tell :)

Thanks!

Home Based Recycling and Salvage 101: Bootsrap Yourself out of the Recession

I began in the recycling and salvage business in the early 1980s. Like today, but not as bad, there was a housing boom and bust that made making a living and maintaining a home difficult for many.

I was inspired to get into the recycling and salvage business after reading a little booklet titled, "Surplus and Salvage." I was amazed that everything I needed to improve my conditions and make a decent income were right in front of me - most everywhere I looked.

Without the insights in that little booklet I would have never dug myself out of the hole I was in. My hope is that this little article will help you see what is out there and how you might change your life for the better once you do.

Recycling and salvage is much more than collecting cans, cardboard, paper, etc. and taking them to a recycling center. This works, but to a very limited degree. For me, recycling and salvage takes some creativity.

In my mind, one of the reasons that our economy is failing is that "find a need and fill it" has become "create a need and fill it." Our economy is driven by greed and over-consumption instead of need. With enough money for advertising ANY need (e.g. desire) can be created. Recycling and salvage brings us back to a solid economic foundation based on need not greed.

In this work we are really operating at the ground level of needs and fulfillment. When I started out I first went from business to business and asked them, "what is it that you need?" Just a few days of doing this produced a long list of things that I should be on the lookout for. It included: old brass valves for rebuilding, auto parts for rebuilding, electric motors and generators for rebuilding, wooden shelving, steel shelving, desks, chairs, file cabinets, hand tools, power tools, plumbing supplies, glass ... The list went on and on.

So, now I had a list of things to keep my eye out for and ...

Read the entire article at RecyclingSecrets.com

Salvage Lumber Success in Petaluma: $700,000 in three years

Salvage Lumber Success in Petaluma: $700,000 in three years

12/17/2009 There's big money in salvage lumber. This fellows success reminds me of how well I did in the deconstruction business. I often found that when I tore down an old building or structure - that I usually got for free or was paid to tear down - I would have all or most of the material sold before it ever hit the ground. I'll be including more about my experience in deconstruction and building material salvage in upcoming realeases of my Gold from Electronic, Telecommunication & Computer Scrap: Experiences from the Field. Please check my Deconstruction, Recycling and Reusing Lumber and Building Materials pages for more articles and inspiration.

Read about making $700,000 in three years in the salvage lumber business

Free Guide For Setting Up an Electronics Recycling Business

Here's a free guide from the Northeast Recycling Council. Download the guide to setting up an electronics recycling business here.

Videos About Recovering Gold From Electronic and Computer Scrap

I've added several videos about recovering gold and silver from electronic and computer scrap. Click here to view the gold recovery videos.

Gold from Electronic, Telecommunication & Computer Scrap Part 2: Winning the Contract

Gold from Electronic, Telecommunication & Computer Scrap Part 2: Winning the Contract

07/05/2009
RecyclingSecrets.com
by Michael Meuser

This is the 2nd in an ongoing series of articles about my experience in the electronic salvage, recycling and gold recovery business. New installments, resources, how-to articles and news can be found at RecyclingSecrets.com

In my last post I began the story of how I got into the electronics, telecommunications and computer recycling / gold recovery business. I'll tell you a bit more about it here.

This seeming very small "tip" I got from the telecommunication workers turned out to be a virtual gold mine for me and my family.

Up until the time I met these guys, all of their scrap from upgrades and repairs to telecommunication microwave repeater stations in Nevada went into the local landfills. But, because of the upgrade across the state from tube type repeater radios to solid state, the amount of scrap was just too much to handle in this manner.

They told me that they thought the scrap was going up for bid and that I should contact the local office about it. I first, though, wanted to know what it was that I was bidding on. So, I went to the local office, told them of my intentions and they gave me a key to a repeater station and told me to take notes, samples, talk to workers - in short do whatever it took to make a reasonable bid that I could live with.

I headed to Nevada with my very used dodge van. I brought back samples of microwave tubing (beautiful pure copper rectangular tubing with brass flanges), large batteries for their backup power, gold plated attentuators, connectors and the like and many many photos of gigantic steel racks, radios racks of extruded aluminum, etc. etc.

Turns out that the company just wanted a flat per pound bid for everything but the batteries and then a separate bid for the batteries. Batteries at the time were very low in value and, in fact, becoming hard to find anyone who would take them for scrap at all. I asked if I could just bid on everything else and leave the batteries behind and was told no - it was all or nothing.

I was also told that I would probably be the only contractor to bid - they clearly were not interested in the revenue, they just wanted the stuff out of there.

I bid only 1 cent per pound on the batteries and just a few cents on the rest. I was awarded the contract. I still remember the local office guy saying, "are you sure you can handle this?" and me saying, "sure, no problem at all."

When I got into my van and drove back --- continued at recyclingsecrets.com

More to come. New articles will be listed at RecyclingSecrets.com (news, tools, and resources are also available here) and also at the Recycling Secrets Blog.