mine it

Run to the scrap yard today: 200 pounds of tin, 25 pounds of aluminum, 25 pounds of copper.

Much of the tin and the aluminum came from a big roll-off that's been parked for a couple of months on the street in front of a high-end home remodeling project. At various times over that two months I've scrounged from this single roll-off enough beautiful cut sandstone to border my garden, hundreds of board feet of aged lumber, and two or three truck loads of tin, aluminum, copper, and brass. Today in fact, after the scarp yard run, I bicycled by and plucked out more: two heavy brass/copper faucet assemblies, some lengths of brass pipe, and an electric motor.

In the empire of scrounge you stake a claim, mine it till it runs dry, and then watch for the next one to come along.