Own up - who looks in skips? !!

Thrifty tips, ideas, news & experiences on anything around the home to shopping to re-cycling etc.
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lancashire lass
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Post by lancashire lass »

This week I have been prowling the streets round where I live like a territorial scavenger, desperate for lengths of wood to make raised beds on my allotment (its a tad boggy at the moment!). I kept going by one skip where I spied skirting board and in the end I decided to brave it, stop and ask! The man was ever so nice, insisting I was careful of the nails. When I lifted up the skirting board, it was like plundering a gold mine - more wood, off-cuts for wood burner (for my friend who was too "shy" to pick over the skip contents!) AND a wheelbarrow! Of course it wasn't going to be 100% perfect and the gap in the barrow where the wheel had worn through did not put me off - it would be fine for the allotment. Alas, only when I got it to the plot did I notice it was an inflatable wheel that was no longer inflatable. What I need now is a wheel to replace it!
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lancashire lass
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Post by lancashire lass »

I can update the wheelbarrow scenario - my friend was given a wheelbarrow for the allotment which he gratefully took. Only afterwards did he realise that it was only the rust keeping it together. Well, the bottom finally dropped out, and I now have a wheel for my skip rescued barrow!
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spudley
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Post by spudley »

I was looking for another old thread that i posted in about librarys, and books that had been recommended to read but found this instead. so BUMP....

That kirsty watsit who is doing a home made house (well getting others to do her home made for her i didnt see her humping her aga about or mixing plaster or with one paint brush in her hand)
However and the point is coming she went skipping, and got a mirror.

Mine and Mr Spuds first ever sofa came out of a skip (it had just been put in) we had it for 5 years then a freind had it after us for another 5, it had plenty of life in it. Mr Spud has a real problem passing a skip with wood in it (its free heating cooking) There is nothing wrong with skipping.

its great. (still havent found the thread that i was looking for though. Hey ho.
5 dogs, 15 chickens (6 ex batts) 1 cockerel, and very limited tech skills
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crystalj
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Post by crystalj »

My son is a cleaner for the local offices, he was putting some rubbish in the bin when he came across an old computer box inside was a laptop the only thing wrong with it was the battery it didn't hold it's charge but it had the electric cable with it. It fired up beautifully it had windows 98 se on it. I put XP on it and it's still going strong.
Hubby always has his head in a skip he's got me at it now, I use to think it was desperate people looking in skips for rubbish, not any more I love it now.
Love Joan.X
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flipflopper
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Post by flipflopper »

I once found a joke in a skip

but it was rubbish

)th(
Nellie
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Post by Nellie »

I must admit to walking very s-l-o-w-l-y past a skip, and then back again, looking for anything useful.

One skip, and I came away with: THREE matching Victorian cast-iron fireplaces, wood to build the coop, a terracotta roof ridge tile (a cool hidey place for frogs and toads in the garden), and a roll of black weed prevention material.
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Chicken on the Hill
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Post by Chicken on the Hill »

I always check skips, but haven't found a great deal other than a few old pallets-as I don't live in town most of the good stuff has usually gone. Where I live we used to have a refuse collection service which took absolutely anything. So on bin day those of use who were the village gyppos would trawl the streets in search of bargains. My favourite was a tile topped kitchen trolley on wheels, very clean and no damage. I've also had bedside cabinets, coffee tables,tv unit and shelves. And lots of wood for burning. It's different now we have bins, but I still get occaisional bargains from fly tippers on the airfield-block pavers, bits of slabs, some limestone for a rockery and some spring hyacinths!
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carterali
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skips

Post by carterali »

Got an old wooden trough to put my potato' gro bag in, it made me feel good, and a little bit cheeky too-what a feeling. My Grandad was a great one for raiding skips, scrumping. He used to pick up fruit from under the market stalls at the end of the day. What a character, he's an inspiration to me. Happy Days. :razz:
silky
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Post by silky »

Just a word of warning.

When I was in uniform (Lincolnshire Police) I was patrolling the streets (Shows you how long ago this was) I came upon an irate skip man who wanted me to arrest a person who was removing items from the skip. As the law stands, once items are placed into the skip, they no longer belong to the person dumping them, but belong to the skip man.

However, don’t let this put you off, as I told the skip man that as the skip was hire, in reality it belonged to the man who had hired it for that time period, therefore if he gave permission for the items to be removed then it was okay.

So if possible ask before removing.
liskeardjane
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Re: Own up - who looks in skips? !!

Post by liskeardjane »

We look for firewood! saw up pallets, odds of wood and keep us warm for nothing, the local builder's merchant is happy for us to empty their skip as it saves them money and keeps us warm!
Trying to live a simpler life.
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taff
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Re: Own up - who looks in skips? !!

Post by taff »

Richard wrote:I do!
How many others and what have been your star finds?
:?:


If the skip wasn't nailed down I'd take that too!!
Pressure washer, belfast sink, 2 dysons, loads of wood, rocking chair, shelving, bookcase, kids bikes...the list goes on and on.
Have to say though, skips where I'm from in Aberdare are a lot more interesting than ones where I live now. They're mostly rubble, not very inspiring....
to err is human..to moo, bovine...
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Bok bok bok
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Re: Own up - who looks in skips? !!

Post by Bok bok bok »

I do!!

The house next door to us flooded a few months ago, the skip arrived.... and the entire house went into it!

I salvaged all the wood and Mr. Bok built me a shop with it!

There were some funny looks from teh buildres when they came back to find half the contents missing!

lol!
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blackie_fen
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Re: Own up - who looks in skips? !!

Post by blackie_fen »

I noticed yesterday that a neighbour had put a child's bed out - very nice, solid pine bedframe with a headboard and footboard.

That's the roof and floor of the new nesting box sorted then :-D
If you lend someone £20 and never see them again, it was probably £20 well spent...
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ma larkin
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Re: Own up - who looks in skips? !!

Post by ma larkin »

When I had my own business as a woodworker, I would retrieve alot of scrap wood from skips. I was always at my most creative working with reclaimed and odd bits of wood.

My OH rescued a 1940's TV from a skip! Apart from a little re veneering it is in perfect condition!
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teddymouse
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Re: Own up - who looks in skips? !!

Post by teddymouse »

Image
the chooks out ,enjoying the sunshine.the whole cost of coop and run,£6.99p that was the covered wire from wilkos.
angie
angie
why is it these days that common sense and common decency aren't that common?????
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