Dave Krall wrote recently about seeking an upright piano in very good
condition.  My advice would be to look around thoroughly for someone who
wants to part with an old upright piano and then have it evaluated for
its condition.  It could keep another piano from ending up in the dump.

At the same time, please keep in mind the kind of pianos are being
taken to the dump.  Many of them could be older spinets and consoles
that were generally consumer grade pianos at the time of manufacture
and many of these pianos have reached the end of their service life.

Keep in mind that many of these pianos were not satisfactory to begin
with.  Also many older entry level grand pianos have reached the end of
their service life and are no longer worth repairing and they are ready
for the dump.

Sadly, some good quality pianos that are worth repairing are being
taken to the dump.  Try not to let this happen.  If one has a good
quality piano that they need to part with, try to at least donate it
rather than to dump it.  This way, a perfect good or repairable piano
can be saved.

Jeff Alterman