People throw away the strangest of things. To the point where you wonder ‘did they really mean to throw that in the skip?’ As a specialist waste and recycling firm we like to think we’ve seen it all – but maybe we haven’t quite.
We’ve never had to deal with live ammunition, for example. Unlike the case of a live hand grenade that turned up at a recycling centre in the midlands. It’s lucky that responsible waste handlers like ours sort through everything so carefully.
Money is something you’d think nobody would throw away in this day and age. But the cliché of someone hiding their savings in a mattress actually happens. Rapid house clearances after a bereavement can mean that cash goes in the skip at the same time as unwanted furnishings.
Just Junk, or Worth Something?
They say that one person’s junk is another person’s collectible item. All sorts of valuables have turned up in skips, either by mistake or just through somebody not realising what they were worth. Coin collections, rare books and jewellery have all been known to surface.
But not everything strange is valuable. Sometimes it’s just bizarre. False limbs, wigs and false teeth are far from complete strangers to the waste and recycling trade. It’s reasonable to assume that none of these grew back naturally to render the false versions surplus to requirements.
Other unusual finds include urns full of ashes, empty coffins and a skip full of discarded mannequins from a shop refurbishment. Maybe the prize for the strangest find of all goes to the painting of a naked Albert Einstein – a relatively odd item to turn up anywhere.
If You Spot Something Valuable in a Skip, Can You Take it?
The fact that valuables sometimes find their way into skips might tempt you to ask ‘is it OK to remove something from somebody else’s skip?’ Short answer: no! Particularly if it involves going onto their property without permission. The contents of the skip are the hirer’s property until we take it away.
If you’d like to know what you can legitimately put in a skip and how much one will cost to hire, contact Wellington Waste by calling 01823 664628, or email enquiries@wellingtonwaste.co.uk.
