ABSOLUTE FREE SERVICE - what's the catch?

baronflyguy

Got a leaflet through my door today.

FREE COLLECTION OF NON-USABLE HOUSEHOLD ELECTRONICS EVERY TUESDAY AFTER 9am
Then lists various electronic items.
"If the condition is beyond reused we will still deliver it to WEE depot for FREE
Remember to text you address to us before next tuesdays collection"
Then it gives a 087 number.

What's the catch?
How does someone make a living from it?
Diesel/Petrol use alone from collecting items is across a city can be costly.
If it is someone trying to recycle and take spare parts out why doesn't the flyer emphasis it.

I suppose I'm curious about anything that is offered for free and how someone makes a profit from it. Normally freebies are used for advertising and marketing purposes but there is nothing on the flyer to identify any company or why they want to offer service for free.

- BFG

ToxicPaddy

All items like this are disposed of buy breaking them up and the sending various parts like metal, plastics etc to various different countries for recycling. I seriously doubt they just hand them over to the WEEE recycling centres for free.

Circuit boards on electrical items contain precious metals such as gold and this can be extracted from them.

You'd be surprised what people can make money off these days.

Tox

baronflyguy

oh right so this guy just basically wants to do the break up before someone else and try make the money from the materials.

Thanks, one less thing to be curious about

gscully

ToxicPaddy wrote: »

All items like this are disposed of buy breaking them up and the sending various parts like metal, plastics etc to various different countries for recycling. I seriously doubt they just hand them over to the WEEE recycling centres for free.

Circuit boards on electrical items contain precious metals such as gold and this can be extracted from them.

You'd be surprised what people can make money off these days.

Tox

You would indeed. A few weeks ago, I read about a guy in London who noticed, while using Google Earth, that a church in central London had lead roof tiles, so he used to scale the building every so often and take them. Apparently they were quite valuable and he had no problem selling them. After making about €250,000, he was caught.

Cabaal

Council offered something like this in Kilkenny few months back, there's no catch

ToxicPaddy

As far as I know KK still do it but they do it to reduce the amount of electrical waste thats being dumped in their landfills..

ToxicPaddy

gscully wrote: »

You would indeed. A few weeks ago, I read about a guy in London who noticed, while using Google Earth, that a church in central London had lead roof tiles, so he used to scale the building every so often and take them. Apparently they were quite valuable and he had no problem selling them. After making about €250,000, he was caught.

Yeah lead is very expensive alright and up until recently steel and iron was in big demand mainly from China so ship loads of scrap was being sent there from all over the world.. Its dropped a little and the price has plummeted also..

That charity, the Jack n Jill foundation do that with mobile phones, definitely worthwhile..

Tox

mike65

Whats the number?

Dilbert75

Is it not the case that you are responsible for your waste until it is disposed of by a licensed person/company? So if this crowd pick up your stuff and promptly dump the stuff they don't want in a ditch, then its still you who's liable...

baronflyguy

Dilbert75 wrote: »

Is it not the case that you are responsible for your waste until it is disposed of by a licensed person/company? So if this crowd pick up your stuff and promptly dump the stuff they don't want in a ditch, then its still you who's liable...

I guess it would be hard to define what is waste if it came up in court.
You could say I gave it to him, no good to me anymore.

I think it is more a case of last person in possession and how they get rid of it would be responsible.
Like if someone robs stuff, it is the person in possession who is in trouble not necessarily the person who robbed it.

Mike65, I sent you a PM with the mobile number on the leaflet.