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Is this Legal? (Garbage Theft) — Brooklynian

Is this Legal? (Garbage Theft)

sirsterling
sirsterling
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights
For the past few weeks I have noticed various trucks removing scrap metal from the recycling which has been placed in front of various apartments on Butler Place. I just thought that they were the contractors who were removing debris from various construction projects.

This morning I realized that this truck drove up the block, stopped four times and collected anything and everything that was metal. This does not seem like it’s legal to me. I would assume that the city looses revenue that it could potentially make from selling this stuff.

Mod Note: I enhanced the subject to provide more detail as this thread is starting to get popular. Thanks for understanding, Vanilla.

Comments

  • sirsterling
    sirsterling
    Looks like this is illegal. I found the attached link on the DSNY website to file a report.

    http://www.nyc.gov/html/dsny/html/contact/rec_mat_form.shtml

    Muggings, apt thefts and now garbage thefts....
  • stacey
    stacey
    SirSterling wrote: garbage thefts....
    How can it be stealing if the original owner is throwing it away?
  • vanilla
    vanilla
    where is the harm, really? they were just taking the stuff put out as garbage?
  • bkchickie
    bkchickie
    This might explain where our old, metal air conditioner (left on the curb for freon removal before recycling last week) went.
  • sirsterling
    sirsterling
    It's a loss of revenue for the city. They city actually sells the scrap metal for a profit.

    Plus it's additonal traffic and horn honking because the trucks park in the middle of the street.
  • asil
    asil
    And I bet they didn't safely and legally remove and dispose of the freon from that a/c.
  • bkchickie
    bkchickie
    No, probably not. It was on the curb in the morning, and I noticed that it was gone by the time I returned home. I had wondered if (because of the risk of garbage thefts) if the city had taken the A/C away as soon as it took out the freon. But then, I also wondered if someone noticed the unit and took it for the scrap metal.

    It seems like it would be a small thing, but if people are taking recycling on a large scale, then the city is probably missing out on a lot of money.
  • mr. met
    mr. met
    this is what junkies do
  • lovetheheights
    lovetheheights
    Mr met- it reminds me of "the wire" if anyone watches that- an older season, Bubs would collect metal and sell it.
  • jaha127
    jaha127
    lol i was thinking the same thing too!! Last episode is this Sunday :(
  • sirsterling
    sirsterling
    The truck (rental) was probably 24 feet long.. filled with scrap metal. Wonder how much this guy will make?

    If these people could only learn to make money off the other garbage (dog pooh, chicken wing bones, chinese food containers and fast food wrappers) that litters our neighborhood.. our sidewalks would be so much cleaner!
  • mr. met
    mr. met
    ha, yea, i watch the wire. kind of obvious from my signature.
  • bricktop
    bricktop

    Subject: metal collectors

    These guys go around in a pickup, some others in a bigger truck, collecting metal left out all the time. When we moved awhile back and left out a ton of bulky metal refuse, like old filing cabinets, it was gone within a couple of hours. It's not junkies, it's an organized business.......(not to say they aren't junkies too, but it's not like the guys who open the glass and plastic recycling bags to see what they can take to turn in for the nickel deposits). I was impressed with the metal guys' industriousness, but now that you point out that it's effectively stealing from the city (which can use all the support for its recycling program that it can get), not so much....
  • bkhoosierfan
    bkhoosierfan

    Subject: Re: metal collectors

    its not organized business
    it is in fact organized crime

    http://www.greendaily.com/2007/09/26/recycling-is-big-business-and-so-is-stealing-recyclables/

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/nyregion/15recycle.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Hot+Items+for+Thieves%3A+Recyclables+&st=nyt&oref=slogin
  • dee snutz
    dee snutz
    Boo hoo! It's people making a living off of other people's waste. I know a guy who does this to feed his family. Is it so much better for bloomberg to profit off of this rather than him? Give me a goddamed break!
  • prospectus
    prospectus
    dee snutz wrote: Boo hoo! It's people making a living off of other people's waste. I know a guy who does this to feed his family. Is it so much better for bloomberg to profit off of this rather than him? Give me a goddamed break!
    If it's in the recycle pile, then it's not really waste. And if Bloomberg's found a way to for the city to make money off recycling, then we need all that stuff in the recycling pile. If the city's recycling program makes lots of money, that makes the program a model other cities will want to copy; it might be able to expand to handle more kinds of plastics; and the extra cash might pay for stuff like a raise for cops and teachers (wishful thinking).
  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior
    i don't have a problem with them stealing my garbage, alot of times the city forgets to pickup at my building seems like every other week. i say good for them.
  • sandcastler
    sandcastler

    Subject: Vehicle Type: shopping cart

    So the time-honored practice of taking useful stuff from trash is illegal?

    Meanwhile, the city gives million dollar tax breaks to billionaires.

    We the people?
  • bkchickie
    bkchickie
    Actually, you have a good point. What's up with the city failing to pick up recycling and trash that's left out on the curb? I noticed this at least a couple of times last month on Butler Pl. and Sterling. The stuff would be out for much of the week. And then sometimes I swear that the trash trucks would be on the street every morning.
  • arches
    arches
    armchair_warrior wrote: i don't have a problem with them stealing my garbage, alot of times the city forgets to pickup at my building seems like every other week. i say good for them.
    True, but that would only be useful if they took all the trash. Instead they pick up the stuff that's a revenue generator for the city, and leave behind the dirty diapers, banana peels and whatever other junk the city ends up paying to dispose of.
  • poppy13
    poppy13
    Let me ask this, whats wrong with instead of the person picking up the metal on their own they instead just get a job (or even contract) with the city to do it? I know that is a "corporate america" idea... but what if the person drops the a/c on their foot and can't work ... better that the union cover the person and get real medical attention to said foot. Oh and money for food for the family. Right?
  • stacey
    stacey
    poppy13 wrote: Let me ask this, whats wrong with instead of the person picking up the metal on their own they instead just get a job (or even contract) with the city to do it? I know that is a "corporate america" idea... but what if the person drops the a/c on their foot and can't work ... better that the union cover the person and get real medical attention to said foot. Oh and money for food for the family. Right?
    But the people that I see collecting the garbage (and presumably reselling) is a middle aged man who uses the extra money to help support his family and two older gentlemen who supplement their social security payments with the little bit they make selling scrap.

    I agree with you about the contracts - I would much rather see a small 2 man operation than say a big corporation get some contracts but the contract system is so corrupt its not what you know its who you know.

    For example - I get paid the City takes taxes out of my check. I use the remainder of that money to get some permits from the City to fix it up my home. I paid numerous fees to the City for that. I start my work and wanted to put some larger bulk garbage out and was told by the Sanitation Dept. (City agency that a portion of my property taxes go to) that I would have to pay a "private company" i.e., dumpster company to haul that garbage away. Now I put numerous scraps of metal, that I purchased and paid City sales tax on in this dumpster that this privatized company will be hauling away so my scraps are now going to some bigger corporation instead of some citizen who can make a little extra for their family or even themselves. I have no problem paying my taxes and fees for services and permits but forgive me if I don't feel sorry that City doesn't make a few more extra $ on my hard earned money.

    With that being said I think all of us can agree that this is the least of our problems in this neighborhood ;)
  • wirenut
    wirenut
    Under this recent law it's illegal to take any garbage once a person puts it out for collection. But as has been said it's the metal and cardboard that the city makes money on to offset the higher cost of collecting recyclables separatly

    However, there is nothing illegal about allowing scap collectors to take your metal privately before you put it out for collection. Many businesses do this. It just may not be practical for residents.

    If the city were to contract out this task of collecting the metal, all kinds of issues come up like primarily INSURANCE. If the scrap guy had to have liability and workers comp insurance, the whole business model would become unprofitable.
  • raw
    raw

    Subject: Re: Vehicle Type: shopping cart

    sandcastler wrote: So the time-honored practice of taking useful stuff from trash is illegal?

    Meanwhile, the city gives million dollar tax breaks to billionaires.

    We the people?
    Garbage robbers can get fined $2000. Now that I know that everyone wants my trash, I'm selling it.
  • brooklynboy3
    brooklynboy3

    Subject: Re: Is this Legal? (Garbage Theft)

    SirSterling wrote: For the past few weeks I have noticed various trucks removing scrap metal from the recycling which has been placed in front of various apartments on Butler Place. I just thought that they were the contractors who were removing debris from various construction projects.

    This morning I realized that this truck drove up the block, stopped four times and collected anything and everything that was metal. This does not seem like it’s legal to me. I would assume that the city looses revenue that it could potentially make from selling this stuff.

    Mod Note: I enhanced the subject to provide more detail as this thread is starting to get popular. Thanks for understanding, Vanilla.
    Who do I call to get them to steal my garbage?
  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior
    arches wrote: [quote=armchair_warrior]i don't have a problem with them stealing my garbage, alot of times the city forgets to pickup at my building seems like every other week. i say good for them.
    True, but that would only be useful if they took all the trash. Instead they pick up the stuff that's a revenue generator for the city, and leave behind the dirty diapers, banana peels and whatever other junk the city ends up paying to dispose of.

    funniest part is they forget the recycles :(, not the regular garbage.
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