Disposing of reloading waste

[Epicurean]

This morning I noticed our garbage truck stopped at our curb with one of the guys on a phone. I didn't think much of it. When I leashed my dog for our morning walk, one of the guys hollered at me, "you can't put live ammunition in the trash!" They apparently heard some heavy metal when they dumped my can and started pilfering through my garbage. What they found were some cases where I had over adjusted seating depth when setting up my press. I explained to the uninitiated what it was, showed him there was no primer and tried to explain that it was not live ammo. He then asked me about the fist full of spent primers they found. Turns out they were on the phone with their supervisor who had told them that I couldn't put reloading components in the trash.

Fine. Now I can't just chunk the junk. So, what is the proper disposal method for spent primers, split brass, etc?

 

[edwardware]

In my professional opinion, as a Civil Engineer (we design landfills and compliance programs). . . Balderdash.

You need a pickle jar in a kitchen trash bag, new trash guys, or a recycle brass bucket to take to a scrap yard.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Stuff all your waste in a small cardboard box and put something in there like old bubblewrap or balled up news print, and pack the box so nothing moves. Put in one of your trash bags so they can't see it and send it on it's way.
Or you can just save it up and take it to a scrap yard like I do and get paid a little bit for it.
I have a 5 gallon bucket of it that I can't hardly lift, full of copper and brass scrap. It's heading to the scrap yard when I get back from Wisconsin.

It has about 4" of spent primers in the bottom because is sits under the hose on my LNL-AP

 

[whughett]

LOL. Under the dog poop in a plastic bag. Spent primers. Brass occasionally.

 

[lordpaxman]

Around here, if it’s in a black plastic contractor garbage bag, it isn’t questioned. But in general, I put all the metal in a 5 gallon pail and dump it in the metal recycle bin. Makes a heck of a noise!

 

[George P]

This morning I noticed our garbage truck stopped at our curb with one of the guys on a phone. I didn't think much of it. When I leashed my dog for our morning walk, one of the guys hollered at me, "you can't put live ammunition in the trash!" They apparently heard some heavy metal when they dumped my can and started pilfering through my garbage. What they found were some cases where I had over adjusted seating depth when setting up my press. I explained to the uninitiated what it was, showed him there was no primer and tried to explain that it was not live ammo. He then asked me about the fist full of spent primers they found. Turns out they were on the phone with their supervisor who had told them that I couldn't put reloading components in the trash.

Fine. Now I can't just chunk the junk. So, what is the proper disposal method for spent primers, split brass, etc?

Put the stuff in your kitchen garbage with some nasty trash - they'll leave it alone.

Or better yet, put it the same bag as the dog and cat poop/litter

 

[Walkalong]

I sell the brass/primers when they build up enough. Toss other stuff.

 

[whughett]

I don’t like to advertise guns on premises. Guns are discreetly as possible carried from house to car. Trash remains in a compactor bag until placed at curbside.

 

[Texas10mm]

Spent primers and unreloadable brass go in a bucket which I take to the metal yard once in a while. There's money in that stuff. I've got almost a gallon of spent primers right now.

 

[ericuda]

Jeez guys not hard to dispose of properly. Take the brass and recycle it. Myself I do not throw in trash. My last batch of old primers ended up mixed with a bit of quikrete in a stepping stone.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

OK...

Now you've gotta start screwing with them.

Coffee/juice/veggie cans full of rocks or small metallic scrap screws and the like.

Black trash bags stuffed and tied up to look like bodies inside.

Keep your nastiest garbage in five gallon buckets to ferment for several extra days or weeks before putting it in your curbside trash.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Stuff all your waste in a small cardboard box

Just make sure the box doesn't have any labels on it. They can come get you if they want.

I do agree on getting a different hauler. And take measures that don't put them on alert.

 

[ReloaderFred]

It's all recyclable and worth money. The last haul I made to the recycler with brass casings netted me over $800.00, and included spent primers. (I do a lot of reloading)

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[LiveLife]

So, what is the proper disposal method for spent primers, split brass, etc?

Proper exchange for money!

All my damaged/culled brass and spent primers go into a can and taken to the recycler when I take my cans and bottles for recycling/deposit redemption.

I sell the brass/primers when they build up enough.

Spent primers and unreloadable brass go in a bucket which I take to the metal yard once in a while.

There's money in that stuff. I've got almost a gallon of spent primers right now.

It's all recyclable and worth money. The last haul I made to the recycler with brass casings netted me over $800.00, and included spent primers. (I do a lot of reloading)

 

[Waterboy3313]

This is kind of interesting I usually dump the spent primer tube directly into the trash can along with some old unusable brass cases. I do not throw anything away that would be considered live ammo or primers. I'm going to have to start a brass bucket for scrap. I reload about 400-500 cases a month I could see that bucket filling up rather quickly.

 

[George P]

It's all recyclable and worth money. The last haul I made to the recycler with brass casings netted me over $800.00, and included spent primers. (I do a lot of reloading)

Hope this helps.

Fred

Considering the hazmat potential of spent primers, I won't waste my time with them; into the trash they go.

 

[splattergun]

During the Obama gun scare and component shortage, all the brass commonly left behind at the BLM and Nat'l Forest shooting areas suddenly disappeared. There were, and still are, a lot of people picking up all the empty brass left behind by shooters. even today, when I go to a common shooting area in the desert there is virtually no brass to be had. Only cheap shotshell hulls and .22 brass. Why? Because brass is valuable enough to drive out and pick up. Sell your scrap brass and primers.

 

[Waterboy3313]

During the Obama gun scare and component shortage, all the brass commonly left behind at the BLM and Nat'l Forest shooting areas suddenly disappeared. There were, and still are, a lot of people picking up all the empty brass left behind by shooters. even today, when I go to a common shooting area in the desert there is virtually no brass to be had. Only cheap shotshell hulls and .22 brass. Why? Because brass is valuable enough to drive out and pick up. Sell your scrap brass and primers.

That's all I find at my local shooting spot. I walk around and look for anything I reload. Other than shot gun hulls and 22lr I occasionally find a few 9mm. People seem to swoop in and clean house.

 

[FROGO207]

I make sure that all ammo is dissasembled into components and no live primers are present. Then it is just scrap cartridge brass to the recyclers. They pay good money for it. A medium flat rate box of .22 brass and crushed brass cases was about $28 last time. Also a gallon Jug of spent primers was $14. Never could see throwing good metal (money)away.

 

[mdi]

My father was in the rubbish collection business for 25+ years. I worked on the route during high school summers and for 3 years after high school. I never had the time to dig through anyone's trash (we emptied 50 gal drums into a front loader). And beside that I have found a bunch of assorted cartridges (mebbe 40) that someone tossed out (cleaning out the garage). In So. CA, LA County, there was no "law" pertaining to what goes in the trash...

 

[1KPerDay]

You got nosy trash guys. Our trash collectors and recyclers use trucks with hydraulic lifter/dumper arms and have no idea what goes into the bin as far as I know.
Mashed primers, found mystery range ammo, mangled cartridges, reloading mistakes that can’t easily be disassembled, setbacks, etc go into the trash. Split cases, mangled cases, worn out cases go into a bucket to be taken to the scrap/metal dealer when I get a minute. I have several large flat rate boxes of spent .22 brass saved up over the last 10 years. I haven’t heard good things about the prices people get from local scrap dealers but it’s better than nothing.

 

[rfwobbly]

Considering the hazmat potential of spent primers, I won't waste my time with them; into the trash they go.

What HazMat potential is that ? The spent primers tumble down the tube into a sealed container. When the sealed container is full, you put a cap on it. Once a year you take your spent primers and split brass to the metal recycler.

If spent primers are a HazMat issue trying to get them to the recycler, then they are 10X that sitting in an open trash can in your reloading area.

 

[reddog81]

Considering the hazmat potential of spent primers, I won't waste my time with them; into the trash they go.

If they were a hazmat problem wouldn't that mean you should take special precautions and dispose of them properly?

 

[kidneyboy]

We have had the same garbage guy for 5 or 6 years. He gets a pretty good tip from us, and many of the neighbors, every year just before Christmas. He also likes home made chocolate chip cookies.

 

[George P]

If they were a hazmat problem wouldn't that mean you should take special precautions and dispose of them properly?

Yes, you should. The lead styphnate in the priming mixture is what I am referring to.