If you missed my last post showing 5 items weighing 177 pounds sold for $1,910 cash, check it out after this one! Share some positivity and feedback to help keep me as motivated as possible to do more.
As for this post, this was a big haul you won't see every day...
I saved thousands of dollars worth of fertility lab equipment from an office that shamefully tossed it all in the recycling and trash. This was an exciting and unique find, but it was partially soured by someone I'll elaborate on below.
This was all from the same pile, found just as it started raining. Right time, right place, right cause. I was able to move the bags to a covered area to keep them dry, which was critical since many had holes.
One maintenance worker came out to warn about sharp needles and tell me that it all came from a fertility office that had just closed. He said that it all worked and that I was good to take what I wanted. Nice.
A second maintenance worker came out later and deliberately lobbed full bags by my face and over my shoulder onto the pile I was in front of. I ignored it. He came out again and complained. I told him it was absurd to throw things at me to risk my safety, and he slyly said that "I was in his way." He also accused me of lying when I told him that prior staff gave me the green light. I told him that I must've been speaking with a ghost and he stormed off.
Incidents like this do rattle, but I refocus on the opportunity to help the environment. While he judged me, I kept my composure and focused on the positives, such as just one working device being worth $3,500 used alone. Everything seems to work, but I can't fully test everything. Sometimes items get damaged when the bags are thrown around^^, but I think they survived.
I also went back the next week and found a few stragglers, including a nice Nikon microscope objective worth about $125 and another specialized device worth about $75.
Time for the sales!
This device was a micro-grinder that spun around at a very high rate. You can see that it came from the haul above.
I sold it for $614. Boom.
Salvaged weight with recycled packaging of 7 pounds.
—————-
This older microscope with a heating element was sold for $670. BOOM. Since I couldn't test everything, I sold it for parts/repair for a "discount." If it was fully verified, I'd probably have sought $1,000 and gotten it over time.
When someone bought the first item while I was away camping, I immediately thought to upsell since I hadn't listed much from the lab haul yet. Once I had reception, I asked if he might need anything else from this era of equipment, and he responded needing EXACTLY what I had. I listed it the morning I got home and he bought it within a few hours. I know he's a nice guy, which gives me comfort when selling more sensitive and valuable items online. Shipping was economical since he lives nearby.
Salvaged weight with recycled packaging of 13 pounds 8 ounces.
—————-
This LG portable air conditioner was found 2 blocks from my apartment. I sold it for $140 cash. I initially took it to offer to my baseball teammates for their apartments, but after they passed, it moved quickly.
It weighed 57 pounds and the buyer recently messaged me asking if I had more AC's, which was a nice gesture to try to give me more business.
These road bike wheels were sold for $150 cash. I found them one block from my apartment, and they were in fine shape without any issues. Bike wheels are often tossed because of cracks or wobble, but these were fine. I wanted more money, but the buyer clearly was reaching to afford these, so I caved. He literally paid with some singles, so I felt better about giving him what he needed than the $50 extra bucks.
These weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces.
I found a pair of these art deco George Kovacs Robert Sonneman "Feather" Floor Lamps together. I sold this one for $400 cash. The other had a slight issue I couldn't repair (likely from being thrown on the curb). The one I sold was worth more, but someone else randomly had another posted on Craigslist that the buyer used as leverage to get my price down $100 to compete. He admitted to only wanting mine after, but oh well. Oh, and I can easily get a few hundred for the working parts of the other lamp. Only the connection in the boom arm was damaged, as the current conducts through the metal frame and pins, without wires.
It weighed 8 pounds 6 ounces.
Stats:
- 5 Items Sold For $1,974 = $394.80 average per item
- 35% received as cash
- 92.5 pounds saved
- Repair Costs: $0
- Other Costs: 1 taxi ride with the laboratory equipment
**Thousands upon thousands of pounds saved over the years. Please let this motivate you to save a few pounds today.
If you're seeing my recycling post for the first time, the “value” in it isn't in the entertainment from the handful of items I show as saved/sold. It's from the passion and hustle I consistently exhibit offline to produce items for posts, and my goal of motivating others to address our global waste problem.
I'm personally diverting all of this from our waste processing centers and landfills.
Thanks as always for your interest and support.
Please reuse, repurpose and recycle. If you aren't able, then donate them to shelters, churches, or thrift stores.
**Please follow my new account on Instagram. Enough of my friends pushed me to join and I can use the boost.
