It's amazing how some resources only appear worthwhile when they're right in front of you.

Been clearing out the old workshop, and decanting the gear to the new place. On a 'dumping run' to the Recycling Centre, I came across a heap of usable stuff there. It's quite remarkable the things other people chuck away.

Managed to get a whole pile of ply and plasterboard, shelves, brackets, hooks and cabinets from the tip (all in good nick) which have since been installed. If I had bought this stuff it would have set me back a few quid no doubt, and being the miserable git that I am I now feel rather pleased.

The money saved will go towards the Friday Nights Fund - a very worthwhile cause IMO.

My Girlfriends dad came back from the tip with 50m 2.5mm ring main cable and 100m of 1.5mm lighting circuit cable which had been thrown away. Even for scrap they were worth £20 and about £50 retail. Why do people throw stuff like that away when there is freecycle?

It's because the general public are a)thick as pig muck and, more likely b)don't feel comfortable weighing in scrap, in your case jozeffo.

Dont know about you lot but near me is a 'cattle market'. every sat morning there's an auction for everything from bgs of old screws to sofa's. Livestock/pets/electrical s - everything and its dead cheap!!!

Both my kids have wanted rabbits for a while, went to local pet shop they wanted £25each!!! last sat picked up two young un's for £8 and a trio of hens for my flock for less than a fiver. Love it!

It's also an opportunity to take a step back from work and watch the world go by from the comfort of the cafe on site.

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You mean you did not take your own flask?

you would be lucky to get anything from my local tip as soon as you pull up the tip monkeys are all over it like a rash telling you where to put it and what you cant dump also got massive signs up saying once it is on the site it has to be dumped no trading allowed. once nearly come to blows with one of them as he tried to clam that my new shovel i had bought a couple of hours before was there's and he would have me the old bill on me for trying to nick it. lucky i am a big lad so when i rared up he changed his mind even more so when i pull out the receipt for it

I may be as tight but not that tight

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Lot of scottish posters, not being sterotypical here or anything,

The Guardians of our Local Tip have elevated officiousness to an art form and won't let you take anything. CCTV cameras in case you try, the lot. I suppose they get more money the more stuff they re-cycle, but it does seem ridiculous. The reason they always give is the Elf of Safety. 'No, sorry, luv, you can't have that cardboard box. You might injure yourself on it'.

You are only allowed to take 13 bags of rubble per household per calendar month, as well. Tomorrow is Rubble Day!

In the tip at Byker (Newcastle) they'll sell you anything (more or less!) that you fancy - they have a little stall specifically for the purpose. You just make them an offer.

Wait for bouncing elephant man to tell about his grandfather who used to add paint to his water ;-)

Are you a Byker lass? where is splashofcolour(s)? We'll have a party.

One of the places in Dundee, if you put any copper in the metal skip, the staff jump into the skip to get it out.

There's always more emulsion in the tap.

No, I'm from Yorkshire, but love Newcastle as well and I'm often up there (taking things to the tip!!). A party sounds good though!

I was doing two runs down to my local tip once, remember it well.....

Run One

Got there with bags of hedge clippings, general rubbish, etc. The scrap monkeys came and looked in the car for anything of value and sat back to watch me lug it all over to the right skips, shouting at me from the comfort of their reclaimed chairs.

I wasn't sure which one a skip something went in and said "excuse me mate, do you..." and was abrubptly cut off mid sentence to "I'm not your mate, I'm a woman!!"

Spoke to me like sh*t, so I said "I'm sorry, you look like a bloke....which skip does this go in...." and she walked off and didn't answer (oddly....).

Not dettered, I went home to get the rest.

Visit number two

Had a load of computer stuff to take down, had a load of LCD screens (not functional, but cosmetically sound). Also took a lump hammer too.

Got there and was met with the same people who came over to my car for a look. Saw it was full of flatscreens and without hessitation offered help. I said "I was here 20 minutes ago and no one offered help with my other stuff" to which they replied "we were busy, so couldn't help - so sorry".

I said "don't worry, I'll chuck it in the skips myself"
Them: "no really, we don't mind moving it all for you......"
Me: "one second then......"
SMASH WHACK SMASH WHACK SMASH - each screen got a whack. The look on their faces was worth a million quid each!!!!!
Me: "Right, grab away......"
Them: "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!!??"
Me: "because you were all going to put them aside and sell them. After the way you spoke to me 20 minutes ago, I decided you was getting NOTHING out of me".

Would do it again.

BG

Don't know about tip but my parents have a lovely block paved pathway after I liberated some 80 mil blocks from a skip. Took me 4 months of saturdays, never done block paving before, lovely job though.
I was only 17 at the time as well, just getting into DIY properly

And why not? You are being socially responsible, aren't you, as most of it would otherwise end up in landfill sites. I liberate things from skips on a regular basis -mainly wood for my wood-burner. If it's local, I tend to wear a balaclava though, so people don't recognise me and start referring to me as 'that weird decorator woman that rummages through skips'.