Disposal of old panels

[gnubler]

Is doing this pretty much a given, or do you give the customer the option on the quote? I recently bid on (and got) a job without factoring in old panel disposal, just didn't think of it. If the customer asks us to dispose of it how should I handle it? Probably have to eat it on this one. It's a 10 ft panel of ACM - do you just saw them down into smaller pieces and take to the dump? (We're in a rural area)

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Put it in the trash

 

[gnubler]

No dumpster at our shop, it's u-haul to the dump around here.

 

[Val47]

Get creative and upcycle it. Make yourself a beer pong table.

 

[gnubler]

I like your idea but I'm already getting in "trouble" for stockpiling old panels beside my building. It's not hoarding if I know what's there in my collection, right?

 

[Gino]

We have several itemized line items which describe how we will remove and dispose of the various substrates in a legal manner. Ya don't throw any of it into a landfill. I'm no tree hugger, but that is just wrong and downright negligent. If ya can't do it correctly, don't offer it. Be responsible and have this kinda stuff figured out beforehand.

 

[gnubler]

That's why I'm asking, and why I've been stockpiling old stuff at my shop. Limited recycling around here, and if I call the county more than likely they'll tell me to just take it to the dump along with all the other construction crap getting hauled there.

 

[Val47]

Try pacific steel. Not sure if they take ACM but they take just about everything thing else. According to their website. They have a location in Sandpoint

 

[CanuckSigns]

How much are dump fees there?! Over here that would fall under the minimum charge of $8 for up to 100kg of trash

 

[Z SIGNS]

We saw it up and put it on the curb for pick up. If its wood we burn it for heat

 

[Moze]

One man's junk.....

Throw it on Craigslist, OfferUp, etc. Someone would probably love to have it.

 

[zspace]

Put it on Craigslist as siding for a deer blind

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Trash disposal should be included in your overhead. Oversized trash should be included in the quote. You either cut it up and stuff it in your dumpster or you have a rolloff and split the cost with the jobs.
Trash disposal isn't expensive, I think we pay 200 plus dump fees for a can. Our 3yd dumpster is 125/month and is picked up weekly. It's a cost of doing business.

 

[ProSignTN]

I like the way zspace is thinking. The creative mind can come up with a myriad of uses for old ACM. If you can't, someone in your rural area will think of something. The water hose caddie on the back of my house is made from ACM. Painted to match the siding; Looks real nice. Half a dozen small shelves at strategic locations around the shop. I've sold or given away numerous sheets of ACM & Coraplast/Corex for use as critter & snake cage floors & walls. Built a toy box for my kid, and a signman can really decorate a toy box.

Same for old flat acrylic. Think backsplash in the shop bathroom, skylight for the kids treehouse. But when you have to deal with old embossed acrylic or poly faces, ask Gino, or have a plan!

 

[Classique Signs]

Check with your local metal recycle yards. We take in 3 to 4 pallets of scrap a year and they give us six cents a pound. The larger pieces are used for deer and duck blinds. Beats throwing it in the dumpster

 

[gnubler]

I didn't think ACM was easily recycleable. Good to know, as I'd rather not dump things if I don't have to. Like I said, we're pretty rural and have limited options, which is why I've been stockpiling old sheets.

 

[Gino]

Guess you'll just hafta make a trip to the big city once in a while.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

fluorescents get boxed for hazardous disposal

A friend of mine got gigged by the DEP for not doing this and he is just a fab shop. It's super cheap here, we just got rid of around 100 bulbs and cost 20 bucks. Same goes with batteries, we got a battery bucket from safety kleen that we will never fill but if the question is brought up, there's they are. Keep the receipts

 

[Billct2]

Unless it's an unusual item it's included. Aluminum is recycled. Steel is left out for the scrappers. Everything else (including ACM which isn't recyclable here) is cut up and tossed in dumpster

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Wow. I brought a bunch of old lamps collected from serviced signs to the dump expecting a big fee, and the guy manning the bins said to just throw them overboard with the rest of the trash.