Wow, you are all making me very glad to live in the UK. While our refuse services are contracted out to private companies, the govt insists that re-usable or more valuable items are resold back to the public instead of being mashed up in skips with all the other junk.

Every bike I've bought in the last 2 years (bar one) has been from one of my local tips, and they've all either been fully functional bar one minor issue like a siezed cable or shifter or rusty chain or just general cosmetic unpleasantness. Also, they have a big shed full of furniture, toys, some antiques, records, books and everything else there, usually dirt cheap.

The caveat is that once an item ends up in the skip, it can't be retrieved (liability/ insurance) and they won't sell electrical items. But they're entirely responsible for my irresponsible bike buying. Americans, you have my sympathies on this occasion.

Went for more mulch today and while tarping the load was mere steps from the scrap metal area and could not resist looking, although it always breaks my heart to see decent stuff being scrapped.

Headshok Cannondale
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0c3b691051.jpg

Adams Trail-A-Bike
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4512e851db.jpg

GT Timberline and some no name road thing branded Dodge Viper, probably a showroom premium like the Jeep bikes.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6696e677a4.jpg

My advice to anyone who sees something nice at the dump is to just take it. Don't ask permission, don't draw attention to yourself, just pick it up and leave.

I moved to a different town a couple years ago. Trash removal is contracted out to a private company. This company has a "transfer station", or what we used to call a "dump". The first time I went there, I noticed an area where discarded bike were deposited. I inquired about the bikes; someone already beat me to it. Turns out a friend of the owner of the trash removal company already had dibs on any/all bikes deposited there. Dead-end for me.

Someone once told me: "its easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission....".....something along those lines.

I guess I'm lucky, as I can't remember how many good bikes I've brought home from the dump.

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I'm surprised that some people can even scavenge bikes from any dump as you woul think that once a bike goes through the dump's front doors, it is automatically considered as scrap metal and doomed for crushing and recycling. Due to liability issues, I would not think that they will let a bike be taken back out of the dump by the public or the dump's employees.

Our dump has a disclaimer next to the bikes for sale saying that they're for spares and repair only (no liability accepted) but I think it makes good business sense. You get much more per kg selling them individually than destroying and recycling the raw materials.

Well, there was a guy on the ground looking right at me at the perimeter wall ten feet from the bike. He'd been running the loader, squashing all the stuff into a larger pile and had climbed down to get a closer look at his work. In fact, he'd probably just finished packing everything around that Cannondale tighter than it was when I arrived. If it had not taken me so long to load the mulch I might have gotten to it before impact.

The Northern New England mind-set is to keep thinks working. My dump has provided repair parts for washing machines, dryers, ovens, gas and charcoal grills, snowblowers, at least two complete Weber kettles, and I don't know how many bikes and bike parts. Official policy is no scrounging, but actual practice (and interaction with the attendants) is otherwise. Those guys have their own problems at home.....

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This old Schwinn World was fighting the pile today but is essentially doomed. There were several other junkers, some already smashed, but also a yellow Varsity that could have been saved. Employees keep a pretty close eye on that area so grabbing something would likely lead to trouble. I did take a 5 LED light that was strapped to the bars, mostly as a protest.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6604a42505.jpg