To all those junk collectors

[Flo]

Reported shortage of building materials

If you have been keeping "it because it might come in useful" it could be that you can get on with your projects despite the alleged shortage/higher costs of new parts.

[Green Aura]

Has London run out of clay?

[Flo]

Nah it's all been built over.

[Weedo]

similar here, tradies are reporting material shortages everywhere - possibly because we are in a building, mainly renovation, boom as a result of Covid. Seems that with travel, dining out restrictions folks actually have money to spend on their homes.

[Viper254]

Yeah, there's a hell of a shortage. I've struggled for wood, concrete, aggregates. Thankfully nothing I can't delay. Last year we really struggled for plaster

[ina]

I think part of the problem is a lack of transport... Lots of reports on not enough drivers etc.

[Flo]

Or the lack of containers to transport things. We don't seem to build using local "stuff" or reclaimed "stuff" any more.

[ina]

My niece has just about finished building a straw house. But even that needs some external materials...

[Flo]

I'm sure that there's an awful lot of junk collected in allotment sheds that could be useful.

[ina]

I'm sure there is. But then it comes down to the time/cost factor of collecting it in suitable quantities, and getting it to where it's needed.

[Flo]

If someone has been told to clear their allotment of junk, they'll be flogging what's useful to the local area rather than being charged for having it taken away in a skip

[Weedo]

I probably did the wrong thing on the farm but I got sick of the accumulated junk from the previous owners (3 generation of hoarders) and called in the professionals. Six 40 foot container loads of scrap metal out the gate.

[ina]

That's a lot. But the problem with living in a place with lots of space for junk - it seems to breed junk. I see that on a friend's farm... All those more or less derelict buildings stuffed full of things that might come in useful one day!

[Weedo]

one of the issues for us is the cost and time involved in getting rid of bulky junk - we don't have a rubbish collection service of any kind so we must take it to the facility (30 mins away) and then pay to dump it. We can get rid of household type stuff locally (again we pay each time) but not anything that won't fit in a wheelie bin.

[ina]

It's getting more and more difficult to dispose of any rubbish if you don't have a car. The recycling places won't even let you on unless you are in a car - allegedly, it's too dangerous if you are walking? So how am I supposed to get rid of stuff? I used to take things like small electrical items (kettle, toaster etc) on the bus for recycling. Not any more. Have to buy a car (i.e. be bad for the environment) in order to recycle (i.e. try and do your bit to be good for the environment).

Saying that, yesterday my very old - well, as old as me - mechanical kitchen clock broke. Sounds and felt like a broken spring when I was winding it up. Don't think there's any chance of having it repaired. I'm really sad about it. One of those constants in life has gone.