Old Players Are a Real Liability

Hi All,  I had a rude awakening this morning when I went to the dumps
to get rid of an old derelict player that had come to the end of its
usable life.  Most simply stated, they said, "We can't take that!"

I ended up talking to the assistant director of the public works
department, who explained the situation in great detail, and it makes
perfect sense.

These days 'garbage' disposal is expensive, and the only way a township
or city can keep the costs down is by having a recycling program.  With
regards to 'trash', the story is much the same.  That's why there are
various 'bins' at your local dump (now called a "recycling center").
As it was explained to me, public works sells the recyclables to pay
for the disposal of trash, such as furniture, junk, etc.

After some 'negotiation', the director and I finally arrived at an
agreeable compromise.  If I will remove the plate and the strings and
put them in the 'Metal' bin, he'll allow me to dispose of the rest of
the piano parts in the 'Trash' bin.

I'm still trying to figure out what a normal person ends up having to
do when they're faced with the need to get rid of a piano that no one
wants.  I guess you could say it's fairly obvious by the number of
'free' pianos at Craigslist that many people have already discovered
the costs involved in disposing of 'that old piano'.

It makes me think back to Robbie's recent comment about 'throwing the
piano away being a threat or a promise'.  Now I kind of laugh because
I've found out that 'throwing' the piano away is anything but "free".

One has to wonder if a new business might emerge from this glut of
pianos that no one wants.  I remember the days when there was a company
that would pay me a flat $75 for any upright piano that was in one
piece, and $125 for any grand in one piece.

I just called the largest piano store in the area and found that they
charge a flat $250 to pick up and dispose of an old piano!  So, I called
the local landfill.  They charge $0.04 per pound for disposal, _but_
I have to be able to throw all the pieces 'up and into' the 30 yard
bin.  Figuring that the average piano weights 500-700 pounds, that's
about $20-$30 per piano plus the time to break it up into pieces.

So, it seems that no matter which 'method' you choose, the piano still
has to be broken up into pieces before disposal.  That takes time!

Any thoughts on this subject?

Musically,
John A Tuttle
Player-Care.com
Brick, New Jersey, USA