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SCHENECTADY
Trash-pickers scrounging up city profi ts
Sellable materials being stripped from curbside items
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    At the one time when the city can actually make money on garbage, scavengers are snatching up the profits before trash collectors get to the curb, city offi cials say.
    Due to the skyrocketing price of metal, the city can sell its recyclables, mainly for the value of the copper in old electronics. But trach pickers can sell that metal, too, and they are now roving the streets in pickup trucks to grab waste as soon as it is hauled to the curb.
    “In Bellevue, we have two garbage collection days: the day the city collects it, and the day before, when the people with their pickup trucks come through,” said resident Joseph Pallotolo, who is also the vice president of administration at Colt Recycling. “They’re very bold.”
    An enterprising scavenger recently grabbed old televisions, took out all of the metal, put the frames back together and put the junk out on the curb — where city workers innocently picked up the televisions and then sent them to Colt Recycling.
    The company was left holding the bag on what should have been a valuable haul.
    The recycling company also was hurt when it picked up a collection of used TVs from Towne TV in Rotterdam — only to find that scavengers had gotten there fi rst.
    “They smashed the tube to get at the copper. These sets were all smashed. They left plastic all over the parking lot,” said Towne TV manager Paul De-Milio. “I have had people take the back of a TV off, but nothing like this.”
    Colt Recycling took the televisions anyway — the processing plant can also recycle the circuit boards and plastic — but when DeMilio called to ask for another pickup, he said the workers there were hesitant.
    “They weren’t too happy,” he said. “I assured them it wouldn’t happen again.”
    He taped messages to each TV in his new shipment, writing, “Smile! You’re on candid camera! If you do this again, you will be arrested, you will spend time in jail and I will press charges.”
    The TVs weren’t touched.
    But sending scavengers to jail isn’t as easy as it sounds. The City Council is wrestling with a proposed law that would make scavenging illegal and allow anyone, from trash collection supervisors to police, to cite scavengers.
    The trouble is that scavengers usually work in the middle of the night, and police, who are the likely to be the only ones to see it, must first determine whether the property owner is giving the items to the scavengers.
    Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo was skeptical.
    “I’m absolutely supporting it, but it seems very diffi cult to police,” she said.
    Councilman Carl Erikson argued that once trash is placed on the curb, in the city’s rightof-way, it is owned by the city. Police could safely assume that scavengers are stealing from the city, he said.
    Councilman Vince Riggi agreed, saying, “I know on my street there’s regulars who pick through the trash and sometimes leave it in disarray. Send a message: This is not allowed.”
    But Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett said his overworked police force can’t take on the job.
    “A cop certainly isn’t going to flag someone without checking with the homeowner,” he said. “This is almost unenforceable. I think you need to think about it.”
    Scavengers have always taken the most valuable recyclables, Commissioner of General Services Carl Olsen said. Once, that was newspaper. Now, it’s copper.
    When metal sold for very little, Olsen said, the city collected 750 to 800 tons a year. Now, it collects 100 tons because scavengers take the rest.
    “If people left it there, we could actually receive some revenue for it,” Olsen said. ..............................>>>>.............................>>>>.........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00100&AppName=1

I don't care what these people do as long as they don't leave a mess, at least they're working for their money. My friend does this and rakes in extra cash so he can survive on his own without the need of assistance, but like everything the city wants first grabs at it

Quoted from Henry

I don't care what these people do as long as they don't leave a mess, at least they're working for their money. My friend does this and rakes in extra cash so he can survive on his own without the need of assistance, but like everything the city wants first grabs at it

The city now wants to challenge the poor for first dibs on garbage.

I could always count on the trash pickers to take away the stuff the garbage men wouldn't............

The DEM pooper scoopers will hire more lobs to prevent this raid on City revenues. Right after they institute their unconstitutional dog tax. More taxes should improve everything- lol.

Quoted from Libertarian4life

The city now wants to challenge the poor for first dibs on garbage.

If there's a penny to be made you can guarantee the city will stop at nothing to grab it.

Quoted from Henry

If there's a penny to be made you can guarantee the city will stop at nothing to grab it.

EXACTLY! But the DEMS care a lot about the poor. Just read the DEM junk mail from the Labor Temple. Attention all City sheeple! Make sure you get your DEM City permit for garage sale and large dogs. The DEM implosion continues!

I like it when I put something out that I no longer can use but someone else can. I used to save up my bottles and a guy would come by a couple of times a month  to pick them up, he walked all over the city, haven't seen him in a couple of years hope he's ok. He was very polite and sweet.

Also alot of people go around looking for empty bottles in parks etc. Next the city will want them too  

As long as people are respectful when "picking" and don't leave a mess the city should stay out of it. It's a free country ...... well it's supposed to be.

I also put things and bottles out if I have them in hopes someone less fortunate can benefit.

I just can't believe this city, it's effing ridiculous and such a waste of time and money just talking about it. How much would the city stand to gain??? Can't be much I bet. If they want to do anything, they should ticket those pickers who are caught leaving
things a mess for littering or something.

They should spend their freakin' time fixing the deficit. Not nickle and diming. Sheesh.

but it's part of the retirement package....

Quoted from rpforpres

I like it when I put something out that I no longer can use but someone else can. I used to save up my bottles and a guy would come by a couple of times a month  to pick them up, he walked all over the city, haven't seen him in a couple of years hope he's ok. He was very polite and sweet.

Also alot of people go around looking for empty bottles in parks etc. Next the city will want them too  

As long as people are respectful when "picking" and don't leave a mess the city should stay out of it. It's a free country ...... well it's supposed to be.

The guy with the electronic voice box used to come around regularly and I always saved my bottles for him. He used to live on top of Broadway Hill next to Sunmark. I haven't seen him in quite a while.

As far as allowing people to pick through your trash, make sure all your junk mail and other papers are shredded.

If someone in the neighborhood put up a sign on their property asking for bottles and cans, I would gladly drop them off to help them.

I just can't do a half hour at the bottle return machines to get $1.35.

Raise the deposit to a quarter and every bottle and can will make it back.

I would definitely stand at the bottle munching machine for $6.75 for the same 27 bottles.

I just saw a TV across from the Mt Pleasant post office on Schuyler  if someone want to go raid it.

Quoted from Ididntdoit

I also put things and bottles out if I have them in hopes someone less fortunate can benefit.

I just can't believe this city, it's effing ridiculous and such a waste of time and money just talking about it. How much would the city stand to gain?...

Anyone who has any items of value that they no longer need can post the items on Freecycle and people will come and pick up the items.

I have seen boats, cars, lawn mowers, TV's computers, furniture, etc and have in fact went and picked up items being donated.

I showed up to pick up some really nice scaffolding, but it was being loaded into someone else's truck when I arrived.

If you are looking for certain items you can post the items under "wanted."

http://groups.freecycle.org/AlbanyFreecycle/posts/all

http://groups.freecycle.org/SchenectadyNYFreecycle/posts/all

Many people are in need of children's items and they are requested regularly.

Many of the Schoharie flood victims used the Schoharie freecycle site to lend each other a hand.

Libertarian4life  Thanks for the info    My daughter wants to donate alot of baby clothes etc when my new grandson outgrows them and I'll give her the link.

Every time I thought wie hit a new low in Schenectady, something like this comes out.  How pathetic.

Quoted from Libertarian4life

The guy with the electronic voice box used to come around regularly and I always saved my bottles for him. He used to live on top of Broadway Hill next to Sunmark. I haven't seen him in quite a while.

I heard he 'passed'....that's if its the same guy.