Neighborhood overrun with scrap collecting trucks parked outside their homes

[Liberal_in_LA]

Mike Sroufe, owner of Scrap Happy, picks up truckloads of curbside scrap in a North Hollywood neighborhood. He says he helps keep the streets free of junk that he collects and sells at a recycling yard. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times / July 14, 2010)

Trash and frustration increase in North Hollywood neighborhood

At first, Marc Handler ignored the pickup trucks loaded with scrap metal, machine components and other junk parked on the street outside his North Hollywood home. He hoped they would simply go away.

But the number of trucks only increased, from three to as many as 15. Sometimes the clanging and banging would stir Handler from his sleep in the wee hours.

"I feel that I am now living in a blighted area full of smashed-up vehicles and piles of scrap metal and junk — an industrial area of workmen and industrial materials, not a neighborhood," said Handler, who lives in a house he bought from his grandparents 20 years ago. "This is in my face every day."

The situation has pitted neighbor against neighbor. Some argue that the scrap haulers are turning the area into a dump; others insist that they are just trying to make a living during tough economic times — and do the community a service.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0726-scrap-metal-20100726,0,1648645.story

[msongs]

1. link to article? nt

[SoCalNative]

3. Here's the link

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0726-scrap-metal-20100726,0,1648645.story

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. Thanks

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. link added

[MineralMan]

2. Scrap Happy

Our motto: Turning your useless scrap into usable drugs since 1983! Just leave it on the curb!

[Fumesucker]

4. Yes, because anyone who doesn't wear a three piece suit to work is a druggie..

:sarcasm:

[MineralMan]

7. It's a joke. For pete's sake!

In reality, I've done what this man is doing, and actually made pretty good money at it. Many, many years ago. And, yes, some of the proceeds were used to keep me in weed. I quit smoking it in 1974, when I got more serious about things.

[Fumesucker]

9. I'm not in much of a joking mood these days..

Things are too damn tough, I've hauled quite a few tons of scrap metal to the recycler myself on my tandem axle trailer.

Now it's just gotten too competitive, scrap metal guys are having fistfights over who is going to haul off a junk car, I've seen it happen.

[MineralMan]

10. True enough. There are a lot of scrappers around these days,

due to the economy. Some are turning to theft to load their trucks, and that's not a good thing. What is a good thing is that putting scrap out on the curb these days leads to a quick pickup.

The Craigs List Free Stuff ads are full of ads that begin: Scrappers! Washing machine on curb at 555 55th Ave, and similar. When someone puts an ad like that on Craigs List a pickup within an hour or two is assured.

I actually had a small business going back in the early 1970s. I ran an ad in the local paper offering free garage cleanups. Folks would call and I'd clean out their garages. The trash went to the dump, the usable items went to the swap meet, and the scrap went to the junkyard. The most profitable was the swap meet stuff. My own garage became the sorting station. It was amazing how much usable stuff people wanted gone. One garage, my very favorite, belonged to an old guy who had once had a radio repair shop. The garage was full of antique radios and parts. I spent the next month repairing and refinishing cathedral-style and console radios. Then, I spent four Sundays one month selling the reconditioned things. It was great. Wish I could find another garage like that. The price of antique radios has gone way, way up.

I understand the scrappers. I was one.

[Statistical]

11. Thanks for the tip.

I got some stuff to "unload". Was going to drive it to the dump myself is someone is willing to grab it for me.... well I will let them. :)

[MineralMan]

12. Scrap metal only, really. Furniture and other junk doesn't interest

the scrappers. Metal junk does.

[Statistical]

13. I got an old washing machine, old lawnmower, and by end of month a busted hot water heater.

Have been letting it collect because it has been so damn hot and I don't feel like driving to the dump.

[MineralMan]

14. They're gone. Just post a Free ad on Craig's list and get 'em to the curb.

[Statistical]

16. Sweet. Thanks again for the tip. Never would have occured to me. n/t

[Fumesucker]

15. I got an antique surveyors transit in complete working condition cleaning out a basement..

After several rounds of horse trading I ended up with a fairly nice Toyota pickup out of the deal..

And I got paid for cleaning the basement as well.

[MineralMan]

18. Excellent! Every once in a while, a treasure turns up. Those help

make a hard, dirty job worthwhile, I think.

[kestrel91316]

8. The people who complain the loudest about the junk haulers are probably the ones

generating the most junk.

[NNN0LHI]

17. Scrap doesn't last an hour in front of my house

Been that way for the 20 years I have lived here.

Don

[AnArmyVeteran]

19. Same here. It's recycling. I'd rather someone pick it up than trash it.

[MineralMan]

20. Ain't it great?

In the East Side neighborhoods of Saint Paul, it's a tradition to put usable stuff you don't want at the curb. There may be a neighbor who can use it, or someone will be around soon to pick it up for whatever reason. Things don't last long here, either, especially if they're in usable or repairable condition.

It's a good tradition, and helps keep stuff out of landfills. I just picked up a nice redwood picnic table with two benches the other day on a neighbor's curb. They needed a little tightening, a coat of stain, and now I have them in my backyard. Much nicer than the crappy plastic tables and chairs I was using. At another neighbor's house, I bagged a perfectly good inflatable boat, complete with oars and a dual-voltage air pump. Not even a tiny leak. I traded it to a guy for a running outboard motor.

Reuse is good use!

[NNN0LHI]

21. Oh, man. They haul stuff away that the garbage man won't even pick up

I would have to hire someone to haul some of it away. And they are glad to take it.

Doesn't get any better that that.

Don

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. I put an old microwave oven in the dumpster that was gone in 2 minutes!

It still worked fine, just old and ugly. I was moving so tossed it to buy new one. Walked back to the dumpster to put out more stuff and it was gone just like that. whew! Glad someone could use it.

[WingDinger]

22. Look for harrassment soon. All items left on city property, is city property.

Watch for stakeouts on curb alerts. Read an article thattalked about a woman, old and disabled, that was put in jail, and fined three thou.

[earth mom]

24. I love it that stuff is getting recycled....

but I agree that it's not fair to run your business in front of someone else's home.

I have all the compassion in the world for those who are trying to make an honest living, but the scrappers need to be more thoughtful and sensitive to their neighbors and they are not.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

25. Resident Only Parking is your friend if you want to put in the effort

Another approach is to take up all the available parking by parking on the street by leaving lots of space between cars but still close enough to another car to insure a truck can not get in there.

There are other tools include code compliance they can use as well.