I knew it was going to be a bad evening when I came home and saw this. Someone has been stealing the copper out of people's heat pump and air conditioning systems. It's been pretty cool so people probably don't need them and it's not like anyone can afford to run their systems very long anyway. There's a metalworks plant here that has been in business for as long as the town's been here, but they're hurting. The cost of their supplies is skyrocketing. Including copper. I know they're paying top dollar for the materials they need, but I can't believe they'd be buying it if they knew it had been stolen. How can you tell the difference between scrap today and someone's -- my! -- heat pump yesterday?



http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=6450063

So it used to be we collected aluminum for recycling because it was the environmentally correct thing to do. My friend Paul tells me he's made a deal with the owner to barter the aluminum for gas. Actually, I'm surprised Paul was willing to leave "his stash" in the bed of his truck.

I think I need to drink less wine and buy more beer! I could do this!

Tags: air conditioning, aluminum, barter, copper, economics, strategic metal, supply, theft
Current Location: Sitting behind my locked gate
Current Mood: angry