Swisses: where do you find discarded equipment? Where are the good dumpsters??

[ogulpal]

I watch Play With Junk on YT and I'm very jealous of his "dumpster finds". We're both in Switzerland, but I don't know of any such miraculous dumpsters in my area.

I keep looking at Ricardo and Tutti but there isn't all that much and it's usually very expensive for things that are in unknown condition/not working without repairs.

So, Swiss people: how to find the good dumpsters full of scopes, working computers, and other equipment? Can you show up at a "recycling" center and take or buy their trash?

[tooki]

Following, because I’ve wondered the same thing.

On rare occasion I’ve found some minor goodies at work (I work at UZH) but nothing like what shows up on PWJ.

I have been known to just nab something from the bin behind the large Fust that’s nearby…

[ogulpal]

> Fust

Lucky you, mine uses a compactor

[jonpaul]

Bonjour:

Flomarkts...Zurich Kanzler Platz, Burkli Platz

Ham Radio Mkt Friedr. Germany June

ENTER.CH several antique/vintage electronics and parts each year.

Bon Chance


Jon

[thm_w]

So, Swiss people: how to find the good dumpsters full of scopes, working computers, and other equipment? Can you show up at a "recycling" center and take or buy their trash?

We just had a thread about this: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/whats-the-situation-with-e-waste-in-your-country-can-you-pick-up-for-repair/

Scopes and working computers will be hard to find unless you live in an office building or university and have access to their recycling. Generic consumer electronics you can probably watch out on Marketplace for people giving away free stuff. Maybe ask any of your friends if they work anywhere relevant that you can give them a few $$ for stuff they scrap, just don't get them in trouble.

[ogulpal]

It’s really discouraging to think we trash all this stuff as a society.

I’ve bought quite a few things from the classifieds from people who bothered selling them as defective and was always able to repair them with minimal effort.

At one of my former jobs, every time I went to the electronics dumping bin, I’d get back with 5–10 *fully working* 3–6 years old laptops and accessories that I’d either donate or sell. I don’t have access anymore since I don’t work there anymore and it all goes to the “recycler”, whatever they do with it. Absolutely maddening to think about the waste.

[Andy Chee]

Society has more than just material waste to answer for.

For example, how much should an e-waste dismantler/recycler be paid to recover and test re-usable components? 

It is much cheaper to throw away than recycle!

The car wrecking yard is a good example of this.  A wrecker may buy a crashed vehicle from auction for cheap.  But the wrecker only needs to sell a few good parts to recover the auction cost.