In all our time providing dumpster rental service to the North Shore, we can’t say we’ve ever seen anything like this. Hal Bergman was driving around Los Angeles looking to shoot some photo and video when he came across dumpsters in a dead-end alley filled to the top with fortune cookies! Check out the rest of the photos on his flickr photoset. Maybe we should start documenting weird finds in our dumpsters and roll-off containers.

Source: Boing Boing

It looks like an old Sylvania building is being converted into a “Green Dorm” for the students of Salem State College. 525 students will live within the building, said to be one the more eco-friendly dormitories in Massachusetts. Students will also be excited to know they can eat in their own dining hall - Salem State’s first in a dorm. So what makes this new student dorm “green”?

• Roofs will either have soil and ground covers to absorb rain or white thermoplastic membranes to reflect the heat
• Carpets made of recycled fibers
• Furniture made of recycled plastic and steel
• They hope to erect solar panels soon! An alternate Salem State building is slated to receive solar panels this summer.

Good job to the buildings’ designers - Dimella Shaffer

We recently wrote about how to keep junk removal costs low. One point we made had to do with donating or giving away items on Craigslist. Sometimes junk isn’t “junk” at all…take a look at how some people have creatively taken out both the “junk” and “removal” out of junk removal.

Reusing speakers to hold records

Seeing old speakers on the side of the road is a constant. It seems like every week when we drive on the north shore, speakers are getting tossed. Check out this article on converting Technics SB-2560 into media holders for records. Excellent idea. These speakers are far from junk now.

Quench your Christmas Tree with a plastic cup

Another one from the the Good Rubbish blog - use a plastic cup to water your Holiday trees and branches. Check out more rubbish projects at The Good Rubbish blog.

Fuse grocery plastic bags to create handbags, wallets, and more

Using plastic bags, an iron, and parchment paper, plastic bags can be used to create all sorts of cool things. About 6-7 plastic layers fused together can make waterproof lining for a beach bag among other things. Sometimes you can even leverage the plastic bag’s design into patterns.

Some places gather junk together for your reuse

In Pittsburgh PA, Construction Junction is a non-profit building that houses reusable building materials. They’ve got recycling services for freon appliances, non-freon appliances, scrap metal, e-waste, and bicycles for you to reuse. You can drop off your junk and pick up some more for personal or commercial use. It’s similar to a junk yard for car parts, but for building materials.

Do you have any good “trash to treasure” stories?

We stopped by the Transfer Station and Recycling Center in Marblehead recently. The facility is located in Marblehead, MA. The transfer station takes care of all disposal and recycling needs for the town of Marblehead. Here’s a video of the trash compactor! More Eric Z videos!

Summer is pretty much here and this is the best time to get rid of any extra junklying around. Each year, people ask us the best way to keep costs down while getting rid of their junk. We’ve been hearing it a bit more with the economy in its slump, so here’s three ways to help keep money in your pocket:

1) Gather junk in one spot

Many homes and businesses we serve around Massachusetts have junk in many different areas. Junk removers won’t mind gathering it up (we don’t!) but it takes a bit more time, and in turn, more money to fetch it all. Some of our customers have been gathering their junk into one area, some even in their driveways. This allows us to pull up, load it in, and haul it away! Less time, and less money.

2) Waste fees are based on weight - can you lighten your load?

Waste fees only seem to be rising. Maybe a dresser or desk can be chopped into firewood. Can you host a yard sale? Maybe people in your community could take it off your hands - Craigslist’s free section is a great resource to unload unwanted items. Lightening the load is a great way to lower costs.

3) Make sure you know what can go

Sometimes we make more than one trip as some junk is “hidden”. Try to be as thorough as you can when looking around your property, you may have more junk than you think! Let it all go in one shot rather than needing more than one service!

Gather that junk together!