On this most notable day, we remember and thank all our military past and present.  For putting themselves in harm's way to serve and protect, these brave men and women deserve much respect from the American people.

My father served along with many other members of my family in the past as well as the present.  I don't think that there is an American family that hasn't been connected to someone in service in the history of our great country. On this day here at the scrapyard, we will honor all the members of the United States Military at 11 am with a moment of silence. It is only a token of what they deserve for offering their all in protecting that which we hold dear.  Freedom comes at a price, always has, always will.

They shall
not grow old as we who are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor
the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We
will remember them...

For more information about the history of this Armistice Day we are proud to provide this link.

See ya around the scrapyard.

We at AwcA have sat through many a hurricane and tropical storm right here on the coast.  This enables us to be up and running as the skies begin to clear.  Rest assured, as Ida makes her way through our area, we will be ready and waiting to receive your scrap metals as you clean up.  Should it come to that.  As always our thoughts and prayers are for our and our neighboring communities to be spared as much damage as possible.  We hope you are all prepared and ready for a wind/rain event, and look forward to seeing you after this November storm has passed!

Hope you are having a blessed day in Northwest Florida or wherever you are :)

Had to share this cartoon with you, Recycle Bill you are a hoot!

Cartoon...

If the link doesn't work for ya, copy & paste this into your browser, it's worth it!

http://recyclebills.squarespace.com/recycleblog/recycletoons-15.html?lastPage=true#comment6058914


See ya around the scrapyard!

Finally, summer's back is broken!  I'm not saying it won't get hot again, I'm saying Fall is finally here!  With a heat index of only 77 degrees right now, I am enjoying the true beauty of Northwest Florida!  Yes, I am on a scrapyard, yes it is dirty and there's tons of work to do, but a day this beautiful, sunshine and temps, is to be appreciated wherever you are!

Happy Autumn for real y'all!

When I was a child, trespassing by cutting across the corner of your neighbor's yard to get home would've brought a disciplinary showdown when your parents found out.  It was considered rude and disrespectful.

There must have been some kids whose parents didn't care so they didn't learn this wisdom of polite society.  They, in turn grew up to have kids that they never taught and so on. 

But harmless as this actual crime appears, trespass can harm many with none coming to the trespasser.  Take the recent case of someone being charged with trespass at one of the junkyards in another town to my east.  The owner was contacted by a friend who told him there was a man on the premises of the yard while the business was closed.  The owner called the police with this information and the plate number his friend had jotted down.  The business had a large 'No Trespassing' sign on the gate and the owner had not given prior permission to anyone for entry to the yard after hours.

The man in question must have been so surprised to be contacted by the police when they ran his plate!  Why, he was just looking to see if that junk yard had a Ford so he could come back and buy parts from later.  Yeah, well, he knew the place was closed, but should such an innocent errand raise so much fuss?

I don't want to appear unwelcoming to my community, but if it is after hours and for whatever reason you couldn't get to my business before closing, you have no business there and I will also have you arrested.  I make an extra day of work for myself to come in on Saturday for the convenience of those of you that work M-F and can't make it to me in time during the week.  I enjoy my Saturdays for the most part, because I get more metal to recycle but also because I get to see friends and neighbors that I don't get to see often enough.  I am happy to support the recycling efforts of my community in this way and it's a bonus when I can help someone fix their car on the weekend so they can get to work Monday morning. Believe me, there are many other places I could be on a Saturday, photographing equines at a weekend show, out on the water or cleaning my house and yard!  But in the last year I have given most every weekend to those of you that need another chance during the week to get here.

Now, even if you are not seen and reported (and I have lived in this community long enough that many people know to call me) you will be seen by someone else that later thinks "I need to see if AcwA has such-and-such, drats they're closed but there was that guy that was there last week when they were closed..."  They will then 'stop by' the yard thinkng it'll only take a minute for them to see if the vehicle or part is there.  While on my yard, they do get seen and my local police resourses are wasted checking them out and making misdemeanor trespassing arrests when their time could be spent getting a dangerous driver off the road or something.  Or he is one of those guys that never read my blog to know not to wear flipflops on a metal scrapyard and cuts his foot wide open out back and calls his girlfriend for help cause he can't walk.  Girlfriend shows up (she's drunk) and she tries to help him but falls down, hurting herself in the process...see where this is going, don't you?  Ambulances are called, lawsuits are initiated, bad mouthing is going on all over the community about the poor sap that got hurt at that recycling facility, never mind that he was there after hours in the first place.

So, to protect myself and our business, I must arrest and take more time from my week to prosecute because someone thought that since there are openings to my yard that you can walk through (after all, it's only a junkyard, right?) they can just 'grab a peek real quick'.  I know that I wish I could be there to assist them, help the real people find what they need, but I can't.  Heck, I didn't even know they needed anything because they never contacted me during office hours!  Please understand that I have to do what I have to do, even if it means having a good person arrested. Not everything in my job gives me pleasure...

However, if I am driving by my place of business and it's closed, I will be stopping myself after calling the police to let them know I am there and what's going on.  Whatever happens in the few minutes between that call and the police arriving may just be one of the other unavoidable requirements of my job (checking out trespassing on my facility, keeping myself and my business healthy) that I really don't mind. 

I welcome y'all when I do see you Monday through Friday 8-4pm, and Saturday 8-12pm.  If there's something that comes up when I am closed, I strongly advise you to remember lessons learned about living in a civilized society...call me tomorrow!

I have been awaiting this day all year!  I love the fall. Spring and summer are fine but the fall is the season I enjoy the most.  While it doesn't feel like fall, hot and muggy and entirely too much rain lately, I know that the crisp, cooler breezes will be coming soon. 

The wildflowers (read;weeds) are finally in bloom and the insects that feed on them are coming out to find their favorite plants.  With the coming of the fall butterflies, moths and other insects, the mosquito population will decrease somewhat.  This alone is enough to cause celebration on the yard and at my home, watching nature's natural cycle of preparing for the winter.  The busy activity should serve to remind us humans that we should be finishing our work outdoors, putting gardens to bed or planting winter crops. 

For us at AwcA, hopefully the fall will bring an increase in material coming in to recycle and the ability to get more done on our yard regarding the improvements coming to this property.  As it has been almost one year now since "World Economic Meltdown" we get frustrated at the projects put on hold for lack of funding.  But with the Grace of God and hard work in the cooler autumn weather, we hope to move forward in creating a clean, attractive and efficient recycling center for you, our community.

Enjoy the new season and bring us your metals whether they be cans, lawnmowers, that old kitchen faucet you replaced...together, we can make the Gulf Coast a beautiful place to be!

Another soggy, soaked Saturday on the yard!  Just when we thought the puddles were drying up out back we come in to find small lakes all through the yard!  Rain or no, I am proud to have been here to help a young military family get their necessary scale ticket for their PCS.  See, anything we can do to help our military is appreciated and I just wish there was more we could do.

As you spend your weekend doing whatever it is that you do, please take a moment to send good thoughts or prayers out to our men and women in uniform.  I might be working in the rain to do what I do, but they do so much more for us all. 

See 'ya next week!

Today is Constitution Day, a celebration of the birthday of our nation's government.  To learn more about the what, where and when see http://www.constitutionday.com/ and spread the truth about what our country was founded upon.

Last year I heard all about change.  I agree that change is needed, but not necessarily the change we have been and are seeing.  The threats to our Constitution are very real and the current thinking seems to be that if we change the Constitution all our troubles will be fixed.  But messing around with a document that we built, in part, from the Magna Carta originally issued in 1215, is not the answer. 

So if you think that as we (or anything else that we value) needs to be revamped as it ages, run call the plastic surgeon or your representatives in Washington and throw more money and power at them.  If you believe that our troubles were not caused by this document containing wisdom and foresight for running a manageable government, contact those same representatives and demand they protect and serve the document they were sworn to uphold.  Or soon we will alll be running around looking like Barbie.

Back out onto the yard, celebrating who we are as Americans, I wish you a good day!

I know there are good people in Washington, but...

I tried this years ago but not enough Americans were as disgusted as I the way things were going.  I realize that we are going out on a political limb that I'd rather not do on a business website but consider the recycling symbol.  It seems a sign to me that not all things should be reused before being recycled!

Awaiting the backlash *go ahead, I'm tougher than you know* on the yard, think I'll go do my taxes so I can pay Uncle Sam for the right to do my business in America instead of a foreign country.

Have a great short-week y'all!

Finally a government innovation that helps the people of our great state...

I recently received a call from the sheriff about my daughter's house being broken into and robbed.  My daughter is deployed so they couldn't reach her. They knew how to find me because I had just signed us up for the TIFF database - "To Inform Families First" over the internet.  This is a registry of emergency contact numbers tagged to a drivers license in the State of Florida.  It is the fastest, most accurate way for officials to find you in case something happens to your loved ones. 

The sheriff's dispatcher told me she was glad to find that this worked so well up here in our NW Florida home.  She had just placed her mother's info on the site and can now rest easy knowing that if something happened to either of them, the other would find out toot-sweet.

Please go check this out and register you and your loved ones.  I don't want a tragedy to happen to any of you, but I do want you all to have the same assurances that we have, knowing that in case of emergency, you will be contacted asap.

http://www.toinformfamiliesfirst.org/

A beautiful Saturday on the scrapyard, I hope you will go register before I can get my work done! Take care y'all!

For those of you who witnessed the crazy lady at the scrapyard wiggling around out in the driveway yesterday; I was doing the Happy Dance!  Workin' hard and the state showed up to test my scales, I was happy as can be that we passed with flyin' colors!  There was 0 errors throughout the entire test, and that set of scales too are now certified yet again!  Please see the neat images of this process on the 'Building a Business' page of this website.

To those of you that my happy dance made you smile; try one yourself sometime.  I'm glad I made you smile, pass it on!

Back to work

The Obama administration will end the popular $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program on Monday.  Popular?  Sure, whenever someone in gov't. starts handing out taxpayer money, it's a popular action! 

I have huffed and I have puffed about this program, my main focus being that this is not a green program like it was touted. But it has spurred the automakers (who were also bailed out with our tax money) to rehire Americans and put them back to work.  Yet when these 60K or so new autos finally roll out onto the showroom floor, how many people will be buying without the cash cow from Uncle Sam?  What happens to those jobs then? 

And the auto dealers that thankfully wrote up so many deals on wheels...they have until Monday night at 8pm Eastern to apply to the Dept. of Transportation for reimbursement of all those deals.  What will happen to them when the flood of backed-up paperwork overwhelms the processors of the reimbursements?  Will they all get paid? Dealers have complained of delays in getting reimbursed and backlogs of vehicle paperwork getting processed in the program. The government's online reimbursement system was flooded with requests shortly after the program began in late July, overwhelming the computer system and staff set up to process the deals. The Transportation Department did not have enough people to process the paperwork but said DOT was ramping up staff. In the meantime, Chrysler & General (Gov't.) Motors has pledged to begin providing cash advances to the dealerships for completed sales.  I thought they were so in need of money that we bailed them out and took them over?  Where is their pot of gold that they are drawing from? And if they have a pot of gold, why did we bail them out to begin with?

So, the program isn't green, it will cost more in energy producing new parts and vehicles since the old ones will be destroyed, it was planned to start July 1st and end Nov. 1st yet delays started it late and running out of money ended it early, the more than 457,000 vehicle sales have put Americans deeper into debt and we all have a larger tax burden to bear from the gov't. spending on this program.  Looks to me like Mr. Obama and his administration are trying to put the best spin possible on an inadequately thought-out plan to help certain Americans.  Not the environment, not the economy as a whole, and certainly not you and me.

But I am doing the happy dance because the madness does have a determined date for ending.  Lord forgive me, but I never did tolerate stupid very well.  My favorite quote on this issue comes from Matthew Bandy writing for U.S. News & World Report.  "...Just because economic activity is happening does not mean that the government was right to create that activity. To argue otherwise is like arguing that we should all pick up rocks and break windows in order to create jobs for glaziers."

Back to trying to find more vehicles that aren't seized up so you can fix the wheels you drive each day.  See ya around the scrapyard! 

Coming back onto the yard from being ill.  I'm better now, but have missed alot that I have to catch up on.

I'd like to direct your attention to the 'Recycle This' page of this website. It contains a new entry about a young man named Zachariah and what he does with old leaf springs. I am happy to see the younger generation taking measures to learn and build skills that are as old as time.  Thank you Zachariah for sharing with us what you do with the materials you scrounge from our yard!

Back out into the heat to play catch up...next time I'm sick, y'all remind me why I need to come to the scrapyard anyway!

Happy Scrappin'!

Our hats are off to a few car manufacturers for their listings in the annual Cars.com American-Made Index.  According to this list vehicles are ranked according to where they are made, how popular they are with American buyers and most importantly to us, the percentage of component parts that are made domestically.  In order to be considered for this list, a vehicle must have at least 75% domestic parts content.

Our parents will be pleased to see that their Toyota Camrys shot to the top of the list this year, finally beating my F-150 out of the top spot.  Along with several other models, Toyota has become the manufacturer with the largest number of cars on the list.  If my daddy could see Toyota now...

Built in my birthplace of Alabama, U.S.A., the Honda Odyssey increased it's ranking to the number 4 spot with up to 80% domestic parts content.  Selling like hotcakes even in this economy, we have friends that have bought this vehicle and they are surprised and pleased to learn of the American men & women that have jobs because of their purchases!

The #1 vehicle on the list in terms of domestic parts content is that good old standby, the Ford Taurus.  While not my favorite car, Ford introduced this model years ago and has tweaked and redesigned it into a good family sedan that uses 90% domestic parts in each vehicle!  More than any other manufacturer, maybe Ford is still about "Made in the U.S.A."

As you know, we do not like the federal Cash for Clunkers program here at AwcA.  But if you are in the position and necessity of needing a new vehicle and are going to take advantage of the program, please research the amount of American labor and American business involved in the production of your choice of vehicle.  This info can be easily found on the window of your prospective purchase thanks to the American Automobile Labeling Act of 1994.  This act mandates that most every new car display the percentage, by cost, of its parts that originated in North America right on the window sticker.

We have produced more than 500,000 pounds of remelt aluminum every year for 12 years.  We didn't get rich selling to China and India, but we were comfortable because our material went to American companies with American workers in Kentucky, New York, Tennessee, Georgia and Arkansas.  We are Americans and feel no shame at having always had pride in being American.  If our pride shows, well, it not a crime...yet!

Have a great weekend y'all!  

I have been heartened by several people that recycle with me.  The world may be topsy-turvey and I understand that some people use their money to help pay bills or buy food.  But I have recently had a man that has recycled for many years, helping the environment and spurring the economy all the while reserving something for the future.  He saves all the cans over a year period and with the proceeds of his annual trip to the scrapyard buys savings bonds for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  A remarkable man, my hat is off to him for every reason he recycles! 

One of my regulars is a retired military man that uses the cash to help military families that have a member overseas or families where their servicemember has come home and is unable to work due to injuries received in the line of duty.  At 88 years of age, he works tirelessly advocating these needs, including driving a 45 mile round-trip to bring me his UBC material.  Even in his hectic, full life, he thinks of us and brings us lunch everytime!

What do you use your recycle cash for?  You are already helping your environment and community everytime you recycle.  Write and tell me what your cash goes for, you may inspire others with your reasons!

Gotta go get tires for the heavy equipment so I can get back to work.  See 'ya!

Y'all all know I am not in support of this ridiculous program, here's how someone else phrased it...the video is longish, but worth the watch;

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/08/01/just-a-reminder-cash-for-clunkers-requires-destroying-perfectly-usable-cars/

What they are doing is pouring an engine seizure fluid (liquid glass labeled as CARS - Cash for Clunkers fluid, wonder who gets the $$$ from this liquid?) into the motor and revving it up until the motor locks up.  Thereafter, the motor and transmission are useless for repair and scrapped.  This is all done under the auspices of 'Greening' our environment, but at what cost?

Bloggers oftentimes uphold their ethics, even though one can't trust that the media does anymore. But I am impressed with the Times video on this subject.

As of this morning, the continuation of this program is up to the Senate, who already has their hands full figuring out how to tax the middle-class to pay for the administration's idea of Health Care.  What great wisdom I have seen in government, is not to be forthcoming on this issue either.

See 'ya around the scrapyard!
(as long as CARS is really a temporary fiasco)

We all know our communities are surrounded by military installations.  Many of the servicemembers are family, friends and/or neighbors of ours.  In the grocery stores, the parks and at the beaches and rivers, we nod and ask how they are doing.  We seek ways to help our military families because they are part of the fabric of our community for however long they are here.

In doing so, we directly affect our military and their effectiveness.  They can do their job, knowing we are watching out for their families while they cannot.  The following excerpts from an article I read last night made me feel good knowing the U.S.A. has not forgotten our servicemembers in this long, drawn-out time of war...

Gen. Craig R. McKinley - The chief of the National Guard Bureau...joined 3 members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the Military Child Education Coalition’s 11th annual conference. “This is about raising future generations of citizens of this nation.”
MCEC is a non-profit organization working on behalf of military children.
McKinley told fellow panelists and the audience that he sees no drop in support for the troops. Pointing toward his vast field of vision due to the dispersal of his Soldiers and Airmen across the country, the general praised all of the communities that host Guard and Reserve units.

“It’s one of the things that really does make it easier on our soldiers and Airmen,” said McKinley. “Knowing how much their neighbors support what they are doing, how they are sacrificing, it helps a lot.”

To our community, I thank you.  To communities all over the country, keep up the good work.  Our military deserves the best we can possibly give them and where others fail in this, local military communities shine!

A lifetime of recycling is hard; you make the efforts, storing different things that are easier thrown in the can.  You search out the recycling centers, drive sometimes miles extra looking for the place.  You had to load them in your vehicle carefully, some recyclables are dirty or smelly or sharp.  You waited in line in the hot sun for your turn at the scales or the bins of your material. Then you have to unload what you have collected and transported. All so you could spend your gas, sign your name, give a complete stranger your name, addy, phone number, tag number, photograph, driver's license number.  To finish your time recycling, you have to make your mark (thumbprint).  For whatever amount of money the cashier hands you, you have worked hard to see that your materials are being recycled, not thrown in the landfill or dumped in a wooded lot nor left on the side of the road.  For this I thank you, and hope that this small token is taken in the spirit in which it is given...for this is the beauty of our community, our home.

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The following is an article from my Recycling Superhero, Recycle Bill.  Many of you know him as Billy the Blogging Poet, one of the most widely read bloggers in the world.  Recycle Bill has an insight for us all I would like to share...

"Making Green Ends Meet

A lot of otherwise green people scoff at the notion that people should be paid to recycle. They insist that people should recycle because recycling is the right thing to do. And while RecycleBill doesn't disagree, what about the disabled old man who tows his recyclables to the local recycling center while driving his wheelchair-- does he not deserve to get paid a few extra dollars a week for his post consumer recyclables?

The man whose picture I linked to is one of two disabled men who tow trailers behind their wheelchairs and for those who may not realize the facts, a monthly disability check is not a large sum of money. And these two men are only two of dozens of disabled people I see every week. That's why I think it important that we make the effort to keep building a search engine (located top right of this page) that only lists local recycling centers who pay the public for post consumer recyclables.

You see, there are no rich people who collect, scavenge and sell recyclables at my recycling center and I suspect most every recycling center is pretty much the same in that regard. Yes, I do have the occasional well-to-do, green citizen who donates his or her own post-consumer recyclables and for those people we're very thankful. Your charity to the business I help manage will be repaid by giving what myself and my boss can afford to give to those in need.

And for those of you who would like to help us help America's poor it's as simple as informing us as to who your local buyers of post consumer recyclables are by using this handy form so that we can more quickly complete our task. And it wouldn't hurt if you'd help to spread the word."

Thanks Bill for letting Americans know how they can help some of us in the recycling industry to assist fellow citizens in need.  I believe there are only two things left in this world for us to do: Life your life like you know you are supposed to and help others when you can.  That's it.  Simple really and Recycle Bill makes it even simpler for you to help others.  Isn't that living like you are supposed to?

From this humble recycling center to yours Recycle Bill, we thank you!

It seems to me that this should go without saying, but I find I actually have to say it.  No one will be allowed onto our yard either barefoot or in flip-flops.  I cannot understand the reasoning behind those people that try to stand and argue with me about this rule.  It is our yard and we do keep it open in part, for you to find what you need.  However, it is our yard and we have to set rules in order to observe due diligence in our responsibilities.  The rule about proper footwear should be common sense.  If you know that you are planning a trip to a facility where sharp pieces of metal are located on the ground, throw a pair of shoes in the car or truck.  You can change back into your flip-flops when you leave.
Pretend you are walking around a scrapyard looking for a part; you lose your balance and slide off your trusty flip-flop.  Your heel lands on a piece of sharp tin, slicing down to the bone.  The dirt enters the cut and festers, causing infection.  While your nasty cuts becomes inflamed and yucky pus bubbles out, you begin to get lockjaw...is all this worth not bothering with shoes?
My daughter is in the Army.  She wears combat boots all day and when not in uniform, she lives in flip-flops.  But if she wants to go out on the yard to check for a part, even she has to change into shoes!  Grumbling, but she changes.
I am sorry the teachings of common sense from our grandparents and great-grands have fallen from the collective minds of society.  But we value your feet almost as much as keeping our insurance premiums down (down? ha!).  After all, if you slice your foot open or your toes off, how will you be able to come back onto our yard for future treasure seeking expeditions?

Have fun on the beach y'all!

Today is Market Day.  Mr. Boss has loaded the truck (with the un-acknowledged assistance of Mrs. Boss) and headed into town to go to the mill.  I always have a feeling of accomplishment on Market Day, seeing the Gaylord boxes and UBC trailer full to bursting with materials we have purchased from the community and prepared.  As soon as Mr. Boss got underway, the sun came out from behind the clouds, if that isn't a sign we are doing the right thing...

I ran the reports this morning and was thrilled with the fact that we have, with the help of our environmentally concerned community, recycled more than 16,000 lbs. of aluminum cans in the last 6 months!  Yeah!  When I told Mr. Wonderful how much we had recycled so far, he gave me a blank stare. "What are you excited about?" he asked me.  "We used to ship an average of 42,000 lbs. every six weeks."  Well I didn't let that dampen my spirits, in the metal industry that's like comparing apples to oranges.  Different grades of aluminum altogether.  Seeing my blissful smile, he left the office, shaking his head at the smallest things that make me happy.

I hope that y'all have something that gives you a reason to smile today.  Even the tiniest inward smile makes your heart beat stronger, healthier and happier.  A wise man once said, take your happiness where it comes, and in today's world it has never been more necessary!

Enjoy your summer y'all!
 

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I am saddened by the loss of so many...aside from one of my favorite music artists, RIP Michael Jackson, and an actress of note, RIP Farrah, we lost our old doberman last weekend to cancer.  Rest In Peace, Navarre's Fair Isabella, Maman loves her little Cocoa Bear.

This morning, another loss...The Boston Mounted Police Unit.  The oldest existing mounted unit in the country, the Boston unit dated back to 1873, proudly serving the United States in crowd control at well known events both large and small.  I knew this was coming, but one can never prepare enough for a loss that it doesn't hurt.  My prayers go out to all who are dealing with loss as we await the healing balm of time.

With the actual temps in the triple digits and heat indexes even higher, I have gone as far as I care to go.  Instead of just having heat rash, we had heat blisters!  For Father's Day I finally concurred with my local electric company that some form of air conditioning was required both at work and at home.  A small, energy-efficient window ac unit was put in each building, and set to a chilly 78 degrees last weekend.  I spent every moment Sunday and every night thereafter (except when tending to the canines' fan, feed, daily water baths or playtime) in my closed bedroom, enjoying the cooler air pumped across my chaise lounge.  Here at the yard, I cannot close up the office, so the air is keeping the canine area of the office cool and I am utilizing a small fan to redirect some of the air to the front desk.
I figured I'd better do something as drastic as cranking up the power bill when I realized my prayers for making me a kinder, more compassionate being were said more than ever on a daily basis.  I can surely now see why heat waves in Chicago and elsewhere cause crime to go up!
Now that there is some relief in our physical existence, I am heartened to announce that the market price for UBC material (aluminum cans) has gone up slightly, so I am paying more to you, the community of people that recycle them!  In this heat, everyone is drinking more, so gather up those cans and bring them on down.  It won't return to you the cost of the soda, but will make a nice dent in the replacement cost for you and the energy savings for our wonderfully warm planet!

Y'all stay cool now!

Heat index right now says it's 105...sure and I'm Mary Poppins! 

I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman this morning that creates and maintains the machinery that makes plastic water bottles.  Of course I find out that's who he is after a 3 minute soapbox sermon by me about plastic being the one thing this world should stop making in it's present form!  Well-mannered gentleman that he is, he told me then who he was and what he did for a living.  He then informed me that his company is in testing right now, of a water bottle that is made from 100% corn fiber!  Hooray!  But not so fast...

Seems the totally recyclable, earth-friendly bottle isn't clear like today's plastic bottle.  It is a somewhat frosted looking bottle, you can't see clearly through it.  So in testing going on right now, humans look at bottle #1 (clear plastic) and bottle #2 (not-clear recyclable) and guess which bottle they pick time after time?  You guessed it, humans choose to drink their water from clear bottles.  Never mind the environment, we like our perceptions more.

Wonderful man, he assured me that the industry is continuing to try to get the recyclable bottle more clear.  Thank you.  But I think that if we educated the public in changing their minds about what a thing should look like, we could all start drinking water out of frosted- looking bottles that will break down and be recycled easily from now until forever. And when society says no?  Treat them like you would any troublesome toddler: tell them take it or leave it. Then outlaw clear plastic water bottle manufacturing. *ducking hate mail from the plastics industry* It wouldn't fix all of our plastic pollution problems, but it's a start; and an end to any new water bottle pollution on the planet!

Just the thoughts of a heat-melted mind...

Several times a day, I stop whatever I am doing and untangle our American flag where it has flipped over in the wind.  I have even made customers wait for the 30 seconds it takes me to perform this duty!  Thank you to the great customers that understand my actions in doing so...

I am wondering if the people that run our country have had their brains flipped.  I have seen some really stupid ideas being considered by Congress recently.  I believe that health care needs reform, yes, but to create a gov't. owned health insurance is not, in my opinion, a feasible solution.  Especially one that will impose a financial fine for those Americans without health insurance that decline to purchase it!  How about I charge the gov't. a fee for giving them free publicity every time I type gov't.?  Miss Hillary appears to be all for this new legislation that is being quickly thrown together for Mr. Obama's approval, now that he is back from his vacation with the fam in Europe.  Don't get me started...

And now that General Motors is, for all intents and purposes, Gov't. Motors, the politicians are trying to protect their (our) investment in the automotive industry, but once again someone isn't looking at all the aspects of what they are proposing.  There are two vehicle retirement bills that have been introduced in the Congress.  Similar to a bill they tried to pass many years ago, this legislation, if passed, would take away the public's ability to purchase used auto parts to fix their vehicles with.  Unlike the previous bill many years ago that called for the destroying of all autos 15 years old and older, the "Cash for Clunkers" bills are rewarding the destruction of vehicles as current as 8 years old.  The major components of these vehicles that Congress wants destroyed are the engines and the transmissions.  Now, I know that everytime my old car wouldn't get me to work, it wasn't that I needed a new fender or front seat.  It was a part from one of these two components, the engine or tranny, that I needed.  If these bills pass as they are, with no thought to the ramifications of their execution upon the American public that can't afford new parts, what will become of us as a nation dependant on our vehicles?  Even if you do not participate in turning in your old vehicle to get the incentive for purchasing a new vehicle, down the road when your car or truck needs a replacement part that doesn't cost much, you won't be able to find one.  Where will you turn?  To the dealership that has to charge you for all the energy required to make a new part?  Reuse parts are more than a cost-saving benefit to you...they are a huge cost-saving to the environment. 

Where will we go from here?  How soon until our wonderful country becomes, as my friend said, a socialist country?  Is it just me, or does it appear to be happening faster and faster?

Like our flag in front of the office, our country's policymakers are flipping our lives into something that isn't representative any longer of the 'Land of the Free' and 'The Home of the Brave'.  I pray I am wrong and that the common sense of the American citizen will pull us back from the brink.

Back to work on the scrapyard...

Today I missed out on half the day in the heat because I was freezing inside the courthouse!  I was called up for jury duty and as most of you in my county know, our courthouse is so old that there are only two settings on the air conditioner; off and on.  Thank goodness I keep a leather shirt/jacket in my trunk, but I could've used a pair of mittens also!  Since the temp was 93 degrees when I was released from duty, I may still end up sick, but I sure hope not!

When I first went in this morning, it was a joke between my husband and I about how I was reporting just so I could sit in AC for awhile (we don't have the ac on yet at home or work).  But after being called 3 times before and not having time to serve or not being selected for the other trials, I felt it my duty to at least make myself available if they needed me.  Next to me was a lovely young lady who was almost jumpy with the desire to be excused.  When I asked her why she wanted so badly to get out of jury duty she told me that she just turned 18 and that while she wanted to serve her civic duty, tonight is her graduation from Navarre High School!  I told her that that was great, and that it wasn't a bad thing to be excused for a reason like that.  She was happy to be finally leaving high school and getting on with the grownup life of college, hehehee.  My kudos to her, she wants to be a teacher or a doctor.  Finally, she was called up to be told her request for excusal was granted.  Off she went, smiling, to get herself together and prepare for the most important ceremony of her life to this point.  Just goes to show that not everyone that wants to be excused from duty is a vagabond, lazy creature or worse.  Sometimes in life, civic responsibility conflicts with life's milestones that are not to be missed!

After the jury was selected the judge thanked us all for coming and for helping make the process go smoothly.  Jury duty, the judge said, is almost as important as military duty in the service of our country.  And to me, a woman that holds a legal degree but feels the judicial system is as out-of-whack as the rest of the governmental processes in my country, what he said gave me pause.  To be tried by a jury of one's peers is one of our constitutional rights that is still available to us.  Although I wasn't picked to sit on the jury of this particular case, I will once again answer the call when they mail me the summons.  For to me doing one's duty, however large or small in the service of our country, is an important faucet in keeping our country true to it's heritage. 

Y'all take care now, ya hear?

Monday marks the beginning of hurricane season down here on the Gulf of Mexico.  Are you ready? 
Storms will come and go, but proper preparation will always see you through, mitigating your damage and making you more comfortable while you wait out the storm wherever you are. Cleaning up the yard and garage (many a garage door has blown away scattering contents to the wind!) will make you and your neighbors sleep better knowing you have made the attempt to keep your tools from crashing through a window or wall.  This is not to say that you can stop all damage, but you will have tried.  That's all we can ask of ourselves and our fellow man.
Having the proper supplies to hold you over until the power comes back on is another prep you can do for yourself and your family.  My children and I have ridden out many storms while munching on cold roast beef and crackers, and tuna will give you much needed energy for the cleanup after the storm.
Check on your elderly neighbors before the storm.  Do they need help in getting ready?  Are they planning to evac or stay?  Our society owes it to our seniors to offer assistance where we can and even the grumpiest old coot will be thankful to know that he has someone that cares.
I told someone once that we live or die by our storms.  I wasn't being dramatic, just realistic.  Hurricanes aren't something we can control.  So be realistic about preparing for them, or move somewhere else.  Just remember, natural disasters of all sorts are everywhere you go.  If you can prepare for whatever you could face, you will be working in concert with Mother Nature to remain solid and strong as steward of your land.

Til next time y'all!

My husband and I do not see eye to eye on many issues.  I guess the old saying opposites attract has some validity, hmm?

This weekend is a flash point for us.  Almost every year we find a topic of discussion (read: argument) about our differing opinions regarding Old Glory.  He believes that people have the freedom to burn the flag if they desire.  He doesn't agree with flag-burning, but thinks others have the right to do so. He asks to be quoted here..."I strongly disagree with the burning of the Flag, but I am not willing to give up anyone's freedom of speech/protest based upon my beliefs; our rights as citizens of this great nation are more important than my personal beliefs."   Dictation complete, he is happy now.  On the other hand, I am of the "Burn my flag and get my boot up yours" variety American.  We are quite spirited in our separate beliefs and neither side has given way in 20 years. We have small cheaply made American flags that we put out at the scrapyard daily, but they are still representative of our country's flag and we take care in showing them the respect the flag deserves. This morning our 'discussion' will be a certain nearby city where they put out American flags along the median through town.  A major public roadway as well as a federal highway that stretches from east coast to west, this display shows my area's pride in being American and reminds us this Memorial Day weekend of all of the sacrifices made for the ideals we used to hold.

I say used to because our wonderful melting pot has lost sight of the fact that for all of our celebrated differences, respect for the founding principles of this country is falling by the wayside.  Example: in this certain city the flags were put up some time ago.  Due to our warm climate the grass has grown since the flags were put up.  In mowing the grass this morning, the mowers pulled up all the flags, dumping them on the ground until the job is complete.  Now, I am the primary landscaper in our family, so I understand the need to move the display for ease of mowing.  But to allow the American Flag to touch the ground?  I am livid!  Are the workers from the city and do they hold American citizenship status?  Or is it a private company whose owners are from another country?  Why do they have no respect for the flag that our forefathers died for?  You can bet your bottom dollar that I was on the phone to the City Manager toot-sweet!  The lovely young lady assured me she would inform the Manager and that was that.  I can only hope that she is of the same mind as I and trustworthy enough so that she will actually pass on my concern. 

I love where I live; the surrounding cities and towns are wonderful places.  I can only hope that whatever religion or nationality our citizens are, they will have some respect for something so dear to myself and others.  I know that this Memorial Day weekend has come to signify to many only the start of the summer season.  But to me and many, many of you, those flags and this holiday have a much deeper sacred meaning. 

Have a safe and memorable Memorial Day y'all!

Things are rolling right along at the scrapyard.  We have a larger section cleaned up and are working hard to continue the process throughout the facility.  Material is coming in to be recycled and we've met some wonderful people that care as much about the earth as we do!

Since we took over the yard, we are rebuilding trust and fairness in the eyes of the community.  Many are hesitant about coming back on the yard until after they meet us.  I am sure that once these people understand that dealing with us is a win-win-win transaction, they will associate our yard with nothing but good things!

As to the issue of trust, I have a question for the void: how do you trust a lunatic?  You all know I love & believe in my husband Randy with all my heart.  However, what makes the man do the things he does?  Case in point:

As we were locking up to leave the yard yesterday afternoon, I left Randy locking the highway gates as I walked toward the path to the east of our facility where I could see Onyx, the only black cat in our feral colony lying in the middle of the path.  Just lying there, intently watching something in the tall grass on the south side of the path.  This path is a 3 foot wide mown section of the lot between our yard and the Hill Conveinence (sp?) store next door.  Onyx was tense as a spring, so I slowed my steps as not to startle him and make him(her?) take his eyes off whatever he was watching.  I didn't think this prey he was after was a mouse or lizard, the cat was being extremely careful.  Instantly the coral snake of a few weeks ago came to mind and I stopped where I was.

Randy came walking up behind me to see what was keeping me from getting back in the car and heading home after a long, hot day.  I asked him to please not scare the cat as I was fairly sure he was onto something dangerous.  Why does that word always break out the interest in a man?  Ignoring my request (as usual) my wonderful husband proceeds straight toward the cat, who, startled, turns for one split second to look at my hubby approaching, looks back at his prey, jumps and runs for his life.  Hubby walks right up to the spot the cat was in and peers into the tall grass at the edge of the path and freezes.  Then he calls to me: "mumble, mumble, mumble"  I can't hear what he's saying because of the rush-hour traffic on Hwy 98 right next to us!  What?  What are you asking for?

"A shovel", he yells finally.  OMGosh, a shovel means poisonous!  A shovel, hmm.  Where on 8 acres of yard did the last person to use it put the shovel? Being an intellectual, I want to buy time to think of where I might find the shovel. I asked what it (the creature in the weeds) was.  "Rattlesnake" he yells back. "Get the shovel" "The gun"  I yelled back.  "Wouldn't you rather I get you the .40 cal?" I want this over with.  Hubby is now coiled up in his own striking mode, ready to do battle with a viper and the poor man can't even get his trusted wife to get him a shovel!  I ran.

Under the interior gates I went, more at a quick shuffle-hop than an actual run.  Scanning the immediate intake area around the non-ferrous scales, I see only one shovel.  But it's a snow shovel, lightweight, too short and no sharp blade.  Frantically I run-shuffle over to the vehicle prep area an acre away.  No real shovel there so I run back to the snow shovel, snatch it up and get it back to Randy as fast as my legs will take me.

He raises the snow shovel and brings it down upon the snake, but I only see a 3 ft. snow shovel buried in tall grass. No one moves.  My knight-in-shining-armor looks at me and says "Got him pinned.  Get me a stick."  A stick?  Is he planning on playing with the snake like my daddy used to do?  What the hay...?  Back under the gates I go...

In the prep area I find a super stick for snake-handling, 4 ft. long metal with a hook at the end.  Great!  I have no idea what it's used for, but won't he be happy that I have brought him exactly what he asked for?  As I turn to go back to him, two steps into full run (which is a chore for me) my shin catches a broom someone has left in the way, propped up between tables!  Flat on my face on the concrete, stick-hook in hand I wonder what stopped my forward progress.  Note to self: new policy in prep areas. Beat whoever leaves tools out where they shouldn't be.

As my funny-looking run is even worse now that my knee is busted open, I get back out front to give hubby my snake-handling stick.  But all I see is the back of Mr. Wonderful walking up the path to the store.  In his hand is an Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake that hangs down to Randy's knees.  I can see a gash in the middle of the creature, must be from the snow shovel, but the snake is by no means dead.  Why is he headed to the store with it?

I scan the parking lot up on the hill and see many vehicles.  Whipping out my cell phone, I quickly call the store's number.  As I listen to the ringing an adult with 3 kids in tow is walking into the store from the pumps.  Lord, please don't let those children be scared of the idiot with the snake!  The clerk answers the phone and I tell him to have someone meet Randy in the parking lot with a knife.  "Why is Randy coming toward the store with a snake?".  You can ask him I said and hung up.  My duty done, I put the snow shovel and snake-stick inside the fence and sit on my car awaiting my husband's return.

When he comes back with the snake, dead finally, I ask what he was thinking, taking a live poisonous snake up into a store with people everywhere.  "I thought (the owner of the store) might want to see it."  *sigh* I just do not 'get' a man's way of thinking about things.

Pictures of this snake are at the bottom of the Kids Page on this website, under the heading "Wildlife".  When I asked this morning why he hadn't skinned it and hung it to dry, he gave me the only thoughtful answer I have heard since yesterday afternoon: "I'm afraid that with my luck I'll prick my finger on his fangs as I skin it and have to go to the hospital!"

Watch where you're walking y'all!

...at least not until July.  But it is getting very, very warm down here!  Spring, where did you go?  The heat and humidity are supposed to help you shed pounds, right?  Help me folks, I'm looking for the beneficial part of being hot!

Scrap purchases around our area are picking up.  It's funny how after the first few weekends at the beach, people start cleaning up around the house and yard again...for all you women out there, the guys just keep telling me that they wanted to get that clutter gone to make you happy! *wink*  Now, could one of you get my husband to do the same for me? Seriously.

I am home now and finishing off my 3rd glass of sweet iced tea.  It may be several more hours before I finally cool down, but I will be at the scrapyard again in the morning.  Because I want to be certain that when you need us to be there to accept your scrap metal, we will be.  If I am sweaty and cranky, please forgive me.  It is taking this old gal time to adjust to the heat of the year 2009.  I promise you, we appreciate you making the time to help us recycle!

Y'all take care!

Pictures on the kids' page!

I really enjoyed speaking to the girls for Earth Day!  To all of you, Girl Scout Troop 70, you are the greatest!  The future of our planet is going to be better and knowing that you girls are going to be taking care of it makes me feel better!  Thank you for coming to AwcA!

Redundant regulations in our industry are strangling me!  I am doing my level best to work with them, but sometimes feel as though I am fighting a losing battle.  I am sure that I will not always feel this way, but this week has been tough...

Tomorrow I leave the yard again in the capable? hands of my hubby.  I will be at the Escambia County Equestrian Center shooting the spring dressage event for Blue Angel Dressage.  Two days in the covered arena capturing training tests that are the foundation of advanced riding of all equine disciplines should make next week easier.  Beauty is where you find it in this world and I wish beauty for y'all this weekend!

I get to show Daisy Scouts about recycling tomorrow!  Mr. Party-Pooper has deprived me of my #1 visual presentation, my 3,000 lbs. of crushed aluminum cans in my can trailer. *Grr*  I understand his reasoning, we need to get that trailer to market and recoup our expense in purchasing all those cans, but... Little minds are impressionable, and these girls would have remembered far better all those cans in a trailer that was 5 times their height!  Now I have to try to come up with something 'wow-able' to children before tomorrow!
In any event, I have looked forward to teaching kids (other than mine) about recycling and it's value to our planet.  I hope they enjoy themselves and take away a deep desire to recycle as much as possible throughout their lives.  If I can do that for at least some of them, I will rise in status in my quest to become a "Recycle SuperHero" like my hero Recycle Bill.  A true Southern Gentleman, Recycle Bill has a large following in the recycle world as well as the world wide web.  For those of you with interest in bloggers, he is also known as Billy the Blogging Poet and has more than 80,000 readers a month.  You can find his thoughts on recycling at http://recyclebills.squarespace.com/ or his thoughts on everything else at http://bloggingpoet.squarespace.com/

Wish me luck!

Springtime in NW Florida is truly here!  Enjoy the couple of weeks we will have before the hot summer sun begins it's bleaching heat!

My local county emergency response team is the greatest!  This morning I made sure we were in their system for their Reverse 911 service.  This service monitors emergency situations and notifies residents and businesses in harm's way via telephone.  My number was brought into the system and I can continue my work as hurricane season approaches, secure in the knowledge that if disaster is headed my way, my telephone will alert me!  Thank you Santa Rosa County Division of Emergency Management, keep up the good work!

The yard is slowly drying out from all the rain we have had.  Unlike many, while I am tired of being waterlogged, I am glad for the precipitation.  Pastures will grow, plants are greening up and the south is not in as dire drought as we were.  Lake Lanier in Georgia is still 8 foot under where it should be, but there is some relief.  Another reason to give Thanks!

I hope that wherever you are, you can get outside into the sunshine for a little while today. It would be a waste for both of us to be cooped up inside during this short, special spring weather!

Last week hubby mentioned to me that some of the cats had disappeared.  For those of you unfamiliar with our facility, we have a feral colony of cats living there.  I am not a fan of felines, although I had come to think of these missing cats by names.  Strictly for identification purposes, of course.

As I walked a customer around the dumpster to the non-ferrous scales, I vaulted over a snake on the ground.  Saw it at the last minute!  After taking care of the man, I went back to the site and checked out the snake.  A poisonous Coral Snake, rather large for our area!  Randy picked up the remains, torn and scratched into tatters.  Beautifully marked, with a black nose that was untouched, he was obviously pulled apart by the colony.  We aren't sure, the security cameras don't show what happened there, but we think the cats did him in even as he bit them.

I am saddened by the loss of these animals and even a little bit for the snake.  The snake was a fine specimen of a rather poisonous snake in NW FL and could have better spent his final days in some exhibit, teaching children (and adults!) all about "Red and Black, friend of Jack: Red and Yella, hurt a Fella". Manys the time a person mistook one of these serpents for a scarlet kingsnake or vice versa but the black nose is a 'dead' giveaway. The cats, while fed daily (sometimes multiple times daily!) accepted us as the new caretakers of their domain and brought into the office or onto the steps of the office, gifts to me daily...lizards, birds, mice and snakes.  Two of them had learned and obeyed the American Sign Language sign for 'Go' meaning they had to depart the open door of the office...Fluffy and Smokey Bones #1. I will miss these felines and prefer to think that they died in their duty to keep the yard free from predators.  Truth probably is though, that the snake was just passin' through and those cats were the predators.

I will see the missing cats again one day in heaven.  And when I do, I can say thank you.  As many times as I have walked that yard without looking down, who knows if I may have stepped on that coral?

Til' we meet again...

The collapse of steel pricing last Friday has me angry, knowing that billions are going to be spent setting up steel work for companies from other countries!  I don't recall voting to give American tax dollars in stimulus money to non-American steel workers.  I have nothing against them, you understand, just that I believe America can only help others after She takes care of Herself 1st!

The collapse in pricing is so bad that my local mills are no longer delivering roll-offs and landbarges to put my material in.  The only way they can accept material for the present time is if we haul it in.  What happens to all those truck drivers that brought us containers?  I was paying a more than fair price for that service, now they are in the breadline too?

We are working hard to run 3 American companies just to keep 1 open!  I watched many of my husband's peers make crazy money these last few years, selling to overseas markets, while we toodled along just fine on our American contracts.  Now our government is saying it wouldn't be fair to our NAFTA partners to not allow them into the windfall for change...

Jon Stossel said it for me..."Give Me A Break"!!!

The streets have been cleaned, the party people have nursed their hangovers and I am back in the scrapyard.  The office still stands although now that my Mardi Gras decorations are down, it seems somewhat cold and lonely.

I shot many, many images and now have thousands of proofs to process in between helping customers on the yard.  Some of the intended uploads are in the que and I have been working nights to get post production processing underway.  I hope to have a wonderful gallery of images for display in the next couple of weeks.

The metals market has fluctuated again, not much, but still enough that we don't have much of a margin to work from.  I can only hope that it gets better and hold on til it does.

To all of you that are giving something up for Lent, I wish you the best.  In this economy, there are going to be many that give up something, Lent or not. 

Nay

 

Even as I post this, I am on my way out of town.  Ahh, the magic of the internet! The rain

will be past and the interstate clear for me.  I have to abandon my post at the scrapyard

for a few days because my services are needed in the birthplace of Mardi Gras, Mobile,

Alabama!

As an Alabama-born girl, I love Mardi Gras.  The best part for me is to get my fill of

equines and their two-legged partners performing the teamwork of police enforcement, from

behind my cameras.  I hope to do them honor (the 4-leggeds) and show the dedication,

commitment and art that the modern-day mounted units around the country give us.

From Boston to Atlanta, Mobile to California, mounted on horses that can calmly walk

through crowds like the Democratic National Covention, the Olympics, World Series & Super Bowl celebrations, mounted police help you stay safe wherever you go.  The mounted units have a serious

job to do and they train very hard to do it well. The fact that their partner is a large

prey animal that makes a huge target in the wild...well, my hat's off to those officers and

deputies (and Mounties!) around the world!

As I leave the hubby in charge (the office still standing as I drove by it at 10 pm last

night), I can't help but worry.  The economy, the rollercoaster of metals pricing, the work

we still have to continue getting the yard in-hand and cleaned up...these are all valid

concerns.  Especially if you have worked with my husband for years!  Just kidding honey, I

know you will continue the good work done so far, and that my desk will be only slightly

buried under paperwork! But I must admit, in my annual trek on this 200+ miles a day

journey, I will feel free. No worries while I am behind the camera, just beauty and art

combined with precision and power.  And after all, isn't that why I like heavy equipment on

the yard?  Too bad a Kobelco can't be trained to nicker...


I will do my best to honor these civil servants (both four-legged & 2) that have been doing

the same type of job in America, and around the world, for centuries.  You honor them also

when you see them out on the streets, hear?

Attachments:

AwcA is proud to announce a special chance for you to get more cash for your aluminum cans.  It's not much, 'cause we all know Renee' isn't much of a sweetheart, but the boss ok'd squeezing out a little more from our bank account.

From now through February 14th, if you bring in 100 pounds or better of aluminum cans to our facility, we will pay you an extra penny a pound!  That's another dollar to you folks.  We know it won't buy a cup of coffee anymore, but in this economy every greenback counts!

So gather up those cans left all over your yard from the Superbowl party your neighbor threw, walk the highways (responsibly of course!) and ask your pastor for the cans from his church.  Bring those cans in and earn back a small percentage of the money that cans used to go for.  And maybe, since you did your good deed for the environment where you live, your true sweetheart may think you are the greatest, even if you forget the card & flowers!

...for awhile anyway!

The low pricing of metals has somewhat stabilized for the moment.  They aren't really going up, but there haven't been any large drops either.  I am looking at the next several weeks of these prices but keeping fingers crossed for an upward trend in metals prices this quarter.

We at AwcA are happy to serve you and wish that you were making more for your recyclable metals.  We thank you for bringing in metal so that Mother Earth doesn't have to be mined to create new material.  Keeping our eyes on the true prize, the responsible use of all of our resources, will see us all surrounded by a cleaner world. And isn't that the goal after all?

Why is it smaller than before AwcA (also known as
A&A Salvaging) began operations under new
management?

Answer- Industry cycles and World Economic Meltdown.

When I told you that that its going to get worse
before it gets better, that meant the metals
recycling market (that game people played on the
internet) could go up or down that day. But AwcA
wasn't playing a game.  Inventory bought and sold in
real-time did devalue, depleting capitol
reserves across this nation. There were price
fluctuations last fall making AwcA have to change
prices paid more than once an hour.  Much was lost
in the industry by scrap processors. Yet instead of
your local scrap recycler going to Washington to
stand in line for a bail out, we are right here, in
your neighborhood, giving what we can to our
communities.  If we can all get through these times
together, when the world
recovers from the situation we are in, and prices
stabilize in an 'upwardly-mobile' position, we will
all be paidout accordingly.  And to the wonderful
people that are just cleaning up your environment,
who only care that the material be recycled, not just
thrown in a landfill... we appreciate your trust and
look forward to serving you in all the days ahead,
good and bad.

AwcA is committed to doing our part, as a local
business, in keeping the Gulf Coast an enjoyable
place to live and work!

1/13/2009 12:46:12 AM - 001036468313
The ability to take your own recycle materials to a scrapyard, and be paid for them is an American legacy.  America has an industry that has always been freely available to everyone, everywhere.  You have usually gotten money in return for your efforts in cleaning out the shed, hurricane-related seasonal cleanup and helped nature to recover or grow in the paradise we all call home.

I've never believed that it possible *cough-cough* that that we Americans would be able to have service to our homes.  Nor that the state, county or municiple gov't. would mandate a certain pick up service.  That we would have to pay.  Gladly, we pay, believing that the large waste disposal company would recycle all the materials properly. 

I read in the news about a certain said company, telling the city fathers that there just wasn't enough cash flow in the recycling stream market to make recycling worthwhile.  They entertained, as one of the solutions to the problem, suspending operations in recycling some of the material and just sending some unknown amount to the landfill for the present time.  I have no idea right now what the determination will be, but it really bothers me.  As an American, a mother, a wife and voter, I am ashamed that this has ever been considered. 

My name is Mrs. S. Renee' Mayne; my husband Randy and I are proud to honor our community's need for scrap metal recycling, done in an honest and friendly manner.  Our mission at WCAlloys has always been to serve our beautiful Southeast paradise in it's regional metals recycling needs.  We have a vision of the future in Santa Rosa County because we appreciate the beauty where we live & play.  I urge you to help us at AwcA in keeping Santa Rosa County along with neighboring Escambia and Okaloosa, as pristine as it should be.  And, as we have for the past 12 years in the recycling industry, doing our part to help other Americans and our beautiful planet.