Is scavenging for scrap metal a bad thing?

[Trillo]

15. When I was younger, the little teensy tiny filing cabinets

sold cheap at many markets back in the 1980s proved to not have enough storage space, and the drawers, while about 1 foot deep, only opened about 6", meaning they were not very useful. But they were inexpensive.

I saw a used filing cabinet on a residential street curb, with a sign that said, $5.00. I bought it. It was a crappy used filing cabinet, slightly rusty, with dents, but with two long drawers of about 3'-4' of length that had roller bearings and opened smoothly, and opened far enough you could access what was in the drawers. We used this filing cabinet for years. Eventually, it proved to not be big enough.

We went to a used furniture dealer, and bought a bunch of 4 drawer filing cabinets. These, while used, were in better shape, but they were far too expensive, even used.

Looking back on this, I find myself asking why we needed to save so much "paper" and "records". I guess it's because we live in a fear based society, or its because our memories are less than perfect, or its because we need to prove to government agencies certain things, and these things need to have "records" attached to them.

Just because someone puts out a metal filing cabinet on the street marked "free", doesn't mean it's going to be recycled for scrap metal. Sometimes, that filing cabinet will make some poor folk's day a brighter one.

our local recycling center charges to dispose of stuff like that. They pay money for items with deposits, like aluminum cans, they take plastic bottles, cardboard, and broken electronics for free, but everything else has a disposal fee, and is deemed "garbage" even though it isn't called kitchen waste.

So, where are these magic recycling places that take garbage for free?