Bicycle Mechanics - does anyone recycle old parts?

Steel, titanium, and aluminum. are very valuable resouses. I see alot of people/bikeshops throw out old parts.

Most of the steel is classified as "light steel" and is worthless if you try to sell at a scrapyard. Ti and Al are so light, you'd need a dumpster full to make any money, and you'd need to keep them separated. In most shops these scrape metals don't accumulate fast enough to make it worthwhile.

No, my shop throws it out because its not worth the time to take the parts off. Plus we already have a ton of parts, so those parts arent as important.

I save tons of parts. I literally have bins and steel cabinets full of parts. When my family, friends, or I have a mechanical problem or needs a part, they can almost always count on me being able to fix their bikes for free using old/recycled parts.

As for recycling for metal, we have several people who cruise the city streets at night looking for scrap metal on garbage nights. When I put old frames out on the curb, they are usually picked up before the garbage trucks arrive.

The scale on which bicycle parts contribute to metal recycling is just not significant to consider.
One automotive brake rotor, has more metal than 5 bikes completely disassembled for that reason. And dozens of those rotors are being thrown away daily. That's where real TONS of metal acumulating over several weeks and makes it worth picking up.

In Alhambras recycling center, 55$ are offered for 1 ton of steel.
Recycling old parts from bicycles is not far from recycling parts of used hand watches...

This are my http://members.aol.com/rivrswan/2centsin.gif

Originally posted by Inoplanetyanin
One automotive brake rotor, has more metal than 5 bikes completely disassembled for that reason.

Really? How did you come up with that information?

Originally posted by MediaCreations
Really? How did you come up with that information? He just makes stuff up as he goes along. You should know that by now.

Originally posted by Inoplanetyanin
The scale on which bicycle parts contribute to metal recycling is just not significant to consider.
One automotive brake rotor, has more metal than 5 bikes completely disassembled for that reason. And dozens of those rotors are being thrown away daily. That's where real TONS of metal acumulating over several weeks and makes it worth picking up.

In Alhambras recycling center, 55$ are offered for 1 ton of steel.
Recycling old parts from bicycles is not far from recycling parts of used hand watches...

This are my http://members.aol.com/rivrswan/2centsin.gif

Its not about getting a few extra dollars in your pocket, it more about preserving are natural resoures! One aluminum bike has the same amount of metal as a 500 cans of COLA. people still recycle COLA cans!!!! and those cans onlt wight 1 oz.!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by ljbike
Most of the steel is classified as "light steel" and is worthless if you try to sell at a scrapyard. Ti and Al are so light, you'd need a dumpster full to make any money, and you'd need to keep them separated. In most shops these scrape metals don't accumulate fast enough to make it worthwhile.

What about people who recylce old Soda pop cans?!!!!! Those only wiegh 1 oz. yet people still return them!!!!

There should be a deposit on all bikes, this way people would recycle them when they're threw with them.

Think about, if you have everyone recycling aluminum, because of supply and demand, the price of aluminum would drop and makes bikes more affordable!

I am in the process of moving today. I counted the wheels that I am moving.

I have 70 good wheels. The are all good useable wheels that I took of bikes that I parted out. The non-worthy wheels (an additional 20 wheels) will be taken apart for old spokes, hubs, skeweers, and other parts.

When family, friends, neighbors, or kids need their bike fixed free and fast, I can usually get them on the road quick.

To me, this is recycling at it's finest. ALL the resources that went into making the part (not just the metal) get put to good use.

Originally posted by Raiyn
He just makes stuff up as he goes along. You should know that by now.

Twenty-five years ago in Los Angeles, I recall seeing a scrap metal dealer cruising the neighborhood looking for metallic castoffs.

Once per year, the City of Encinitas and EDCO Waste & Recycling sponsor a community cleanup day, in which metal items are collected separately from other items. We have weekly curbside recycling of cans, bottles, and mixed paper, but not for other materials.

hey smelly-the guys yo see picken up soda cans do it cause of the nickle deposit on it. ain't you lived in ny long?

Originally posted by L Lortami
hey smelly-the guys yo see picken up soda cans do it cause of the nickle deposit on it. ain't you lived in ny long?

I was born in New York State, I'll prolly die in New York State!

Here in England they recycle old bikes. You take 'em down the municipal dump and they put them on one side. They are collected by a charity called inside out. they take them to a local prison (Risley is the one for us, I hear) and they are fettled and then go to Nigeria, I believe.