Scrap collector
A scrap collector , outpatient junk dealer or junk dealer earns his living collecting scrap and waste materials made of metal, which can be reused as raw materials and recyclables in production after they have been sold . Trading in junk goods is also known as dawdling .
history
Historically, it is an activity that continues collecting waste materials from the pre-industrial era. The rag or bone trader of the early modern period disposed of the residues that accumulated mainly in the rural population and could not be further used by them and gave cheap household items ( earthenware , haberdashery ). In the paper or bone mill he received money for his collected goods, with which he paid for the goods bought on commission from the manufacturers of his barter goods: a circular and at the same time niche economy that offered the socially and economically marginalized an opportunity to exist. It forced permanent migration, because once a village had expired and the demand had been exhausted, the next place had to be headed for. In addition to trading in old materials in exchange or for money, there were always collectors who collected waste from garbage pits or the like and were particularly marginalized, such as the Strotter in Vienna, who fished fat and bones from sewage in the sewer system and sold it as raw material . With industrialization, rags for paper manufacture lost their role due to the transition to other raw materials, while the recycling of old metal materials became considerably more important. Wherever people lived from recycling old materials, they changed the subject of their activity. It is not surprising in this context that in the continuation of traditional acquisition modes until today many Roma and Yenish , as they say, "shot-stuffs". In connection with this activity is the antique trade , which is also traditionally carried out by these groups , in which old everyday objects were also collected and sold that had no material value (such as furniture ) but could be sold to interested parties as collectibles. Mobility also played a role here, for example by buying farmhouse furniture in the country and selling it to collectors or other dealers in cities.
Social exclusion
The social marginalization of waste collectors, which continues to this day, is reflected in the swear word Haderlump , derived from rags for rags . The linen scraps in particular were in great demand as secondary material for the production of high-quality paper ( rag paper ). The risks of this activity are reflected in the term had disease for anthrax . The disease was due to constant and close contact with infected rags. In the present, the high prices for scrap metal lead to frequent metal theft , which is why serious scrap metal collectors are often viewed with suspicion.
present
In advanced industrialized countries, individual livelihood activity has largely ceased to exist as recycling is carried out by industrial companies. Scrap collectors tend to occupy a niche because they take on smaller amounts of scrap from private households, the collection of which is not worthwhile for large companies, but which cannot be brought to the recycling company by the owner himself due to the lack of a suitable vehicle or the necessary time. In addition, scrap collectors are often faster than public garbage disposal, which has to be requested with a certain lead time or only takes place on a specified date, and it is often chargeable or limited in the amount of items to be collected.
As before, there are so -called Klüngelskerle in some German cities (primarily in the Ruhr area ), called "Schrotteler" or "Schrottis" in other regions, who use a delivery truck and loud flute music played from the tape, often the so-called "scrap dealer melody" , whose composer is unknown, drive Christmas tunes or even music from the SNES game Super Mario World (formerly with piccolo) through the streets to collect scrap metal. The more traditional ringing of a bell , either by hand or with an electrically operated device, often self-made, is still common. The informed residents of the street call the Klüngelskerl loudly to draw attention to themselves so that he can collect and take away their scrap free of charge. Some scrap collectors are therefore well known in their field of activity and are considered originals .
In developing countries with a strong informal sector, the collection and processing of used and residual materials is still important as a livelihood for people on a broad social fringe. In the public arena of the Federal Republic of Germany and other developed industrial nations, deposit bottle collectors are active on the fringes of mass events as well as in regular searches of paper baskets and garbage cans for deposit items.
Some details on past and present everyday practice
The scrap collectors with regionally different names (in West Germany about Klüngel (s) kerl , Klüngelspit or simply Pitter ), in Switzerland also Güselsammler (today derogatory, since Güsel = waste, but the origin is likely to come from Kessel → Kesselflicker ) drove horse carts or handcarts, later with cars in the form of flatbed trucks, and called for the delivery of scrap metal of all kinds. Their reputation as "rags, scrap iron, paper" shows that the collection repertoire basically went beyond that. This call, accompanied by the ringing of handbells or a short melody on a tin flute while driving, had an effect on the presence in the district. Children then accompanied the tin flute melody with a mocking song (“Rags, iron, bones and paper - we collect failed teeth”). During National Socialism , at the latest for the year 1937, a modification of the text (as a collective song) with political content is documented:
We collect rags, iron, silver and paper, and teeth that have been knocked out.
Uncle Hermann needs the stuff
for the four-year plan .
Against the background of the general scarcity of metallic raw materials, “scrapping” has once again gained in importance. Today's collectors use loudspeakers to draw attention to themselves as ever with a melody. In recent times, with the increased demand for metal, even more extensive advertising can be observed, in which the collection of scrap is offered, for example, through car lettering, distribution of handouts or even newspaper advertisements.
Problems and conflicts
Even if the collection of scrap and other old materials contributes to the recycling rate and is therefore welcome from an environmental point of view, there are also negative aspects, even beyond the misconduct of only individual people. In some cases, for example, it can be observed that scrap collectors try to take advantage of public waste disposal for themselves by removing metal parts from bulky waste provided at the roadside . This is not welcomed by municipal waste disposal companies, as it means that they lose the income from the sale of recyclable materials. In addition, the disposal of non-recyclable residues (e.g. coolants from refrigerators; plastic housings, insulating material, etc.) by the scrap collector is not always done properly.
Not least against this background, various regulations were issued from 2012: For example, the acceptance of electrical devices by scrap collectors is now generally prohibited, in many cities and regions scrap collectors have to register their activity with the responsible environmental authority and have their expertise and reliability checked. In the event of misconduct, they can be prohibited from collecting.
Scrap daily price
Scrap dealers or scrap collectors also buy larger quantities of scrap from companies / private households at a daily scrap price. The scrap price depends on the purity of the collected goods and the current market price. This price follows the movements of the markets for secondary raw materials with a short delay and can change daily.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Horst Adler: Schweidnitz in the years 1934–1939. Materials on a city history. Collected song on page 14 (PDF; 387 kB), accessed on February 28, 2013.
- ↑ https://www.hna.de/lokales/korbach-waldeck/kreis-waldeck-frankenberg-ort306259/sperrmuell-begehrt-schrottsammlern-nicht-alle-arbeiten-legal-6746667.html
- ↑ https://www.minden-luebbecke.de/Startseite/Aktuelles/Neue-Regelungen-für-Schrotthlassung-und-Sammler.php?object=tx,2832.14.1&ModID=7&FID=1891.1572.1&NavID=2832.538&La=1