Does e-waste have any vintage audio in it?

[RogerKulp]

Goodwill also acts as an e-waste collector.I live where there is a Goodwill Clearance Center,where I buy 99% of my stuff.They are not allowed to sell computers,because they might have personal data on them.Anything else usually ends up in the clearance.The TVs are a dollar,big screens included.After a day or two,electronics are taken away to another part of the Goodwill complex,where they are taken apart,for scrap that can be resold.I understand they even recycle some of the plastic.

Only once did I ever find something where the cord was deliberately cut.It was one of those upscale models of AKAI eight track players.My city has an e-waste yard,but have yet to go out there.I have heard workers there keep good stuff for themselves.

 

[atarione]

it is sad all the usable stuff that has been doubtlessly destroyed in these ewaste /dump kinda places.


but I can totally see any number of reasons why the e-waste places won't let people dig

a. insurance (some gets cut digging out a receiver from a pile and sues...etc) for that matter this older stuff has god knows what hazardous materials in it.. or i take old thing home plug it in don't watch it (was actually faulty) and it burns my damn house down.


b. people could be mad if they found their e-waste was resold / returned to market



c. if you are dealing with a big volume of stuff it would be hard to have people trying to sort out the nuggets from the see of bpc? and old yellowing pc's and printers..



hopefully what is left now people will be more aware that it might be worth saving / selling to someone that will fix.


and of course all the stuff that has been wrecked will just make the vintage stuff we have worth all the more down the road


but yeah ... the best option is probably just to try to keep the vintage gear out of the waste stream if at all possible...rather than try to save it once it ends up there.

 

[toxcrusadr]

I suspect b. is a major factor for these recyclers. They wouldn't necessarily want people to know some of it is valuable. OTOH, anyone who knows about the recycling industry understands its margins are thin. These guys are not getting rich. Any revenue from that stream is filling in a hole somewhere else.

 

[45rpm]

I recycled a crappy 5-disc CDP at one of my township's recycling days. It's mostly computer stuff, but I'm certain that audio equipment filters in too.

 

[Daunia 70]

Around 18 months back i spotted a Mazda pick up truck parked on the side of the road,mostly it had broken computers,washing machines,microwaves,some cheap modern hi-fi bits & pieces etc thrown in the back,but luckily i did notice a small 70's Sony amp.
I then hastily asked the driver if anything was for sale,he replied 'yes,help yourself' so i came away with it after offering £5.I also asked if he had anymore old hi-fi anywhere,he replied 'no,not at the moment but i've had loads in the past,he took my phone number and said that he would let me know if he gets anymore,but sadly i never heard from him again.
The amp worked absolutely fine,just the balance slider control had come loose and one side of the wood panel was chipped at the corner.
I felt so pleased with myself that i had saved this little Sony from the crusher,it's criminal what gets thrown away for recycling!

 

[Tubeage]

You'd be hard-pressed to come away with anything cool from our "transfer station" these days. There's a large area for metal and scrap electronics. As recent as say, 5-6 years ago it was possible to walk away with some very nice scores. Now, the town bureaucrats have passed an ordinance by which everything must be crushed with a bucket loader or offloaded to place inaccessible to the residents. The metal scrap guys fill their little pickups with as much scrap metal as they can find, but good luck finding any electronics worth having

 

[rnorton]

You mean, formatting it, then physically putting it into a powerful shredder, grinding it into powder, putting it into a concrete mix and make a wall out of it?

I have found a 10 lb sledge hammer to be more than sufficient. Cutting torches are good, too.