Got a small walking treadmill, that now became a fire hazard, rhe motor is sparking, but replacing it seems not feasible as i cannot get a replacement part (the company stopped existing a while ago and doesn’t seem like a main manufacturer). And it seems a slightly more permanent installation than not.
So looking to scrap it, but how to scrap it in London without a car? Council bulk pickup seems not to mention anything about fitness equipment and neither does the “not so local” recycling centre, tried calling it but the number goes nowhere. Its a fair trip on a taxi if i wanted to bring it to the centre and not a straightforward walk either.
So the question is, how to scrap it? Contacted a random “local” company that mentioned picking up gym equipment but they quoted £200, which is more than the bloody thing cost!
Going to email the council, but anything else i can try?
I’m not in London but there’s presumably a decent amount of metal in it and I usually put such things outside with a note on it to please take and a rag and bone man makes it disappear within a day or two. I now have a rag and bone man’s mobile number, but haven’t had to use it.
I saw a documentary a while back about guys cruising around grabbing any scrap metal they find, the main issue seemed to be they’d be a bit fast and loose with what they considered to be “abandoned”.
In theory if it can be tracked down to who dumped it, you would get fined in London. Also i don’t really want to “shit where i live” as it were. (Its development of several flats wigh cctv). We have enough people out of borough coming here and dumping their shit as it is :(
I’m not saying you should dump it, I’m saying there are people who make their living collecting scrap metal who’d be happy to take it away. There are a few round here and one guy who still drives round shouting “any old rags?” I’m not the only one. I’d imagine if you asked in your local Facebook group someone will know a guy. I got rid of a cooker and fridge by just leaving them on my path with a note scribbled on them in Sharpie. Anything with a decent weight if metal in should get snatched up. My old sofa had to go via the council’s large item collection.
Is the motor sparking is places it shouldn’t. If it’s the type of motor I think is likely to be there (brushed universal motor) it will spark where the brushes are. So your problem might just be normal operation of the motor. Could also be fucked, difficult to know without more detail
The sparking is new, it was working as normal, then made a new sound and started sparking. So it shouldn’t be happening. The motor itself had no model name at all, no identification at all, i was surprised as its from Germany. Thought it should have had model name and other things but yeah i am pretty sure its fucked.
Sounds it, could take it apart and put bits that can be recycled in the normal recycling bin over a few weeks?
When Gary and Tony had this problem with a stolen fibreglass fish, they used a number of weather balloons to dispose of it.
You can try listing it for free on gumtree/Facebook/whatever.
If nobody is interested, it’s harder to dispose of.
You can contact your council and see if you can book a large item disposal pickup.
Or you can take it to a local dump (borrow a car or van. If you have to hire, make sure you get paperwork from the hire company stating it’s a private hire, otherwise the dump will try and charge you per KG of waste).
If you can’t take it to a local dump, there are companies that charge for disposal.
You tell them how much stuff you want to get rid of, book a time, pay them, and they will turn up and remove it from your house/flat.
Useful if you have a bunch of furniture to get rid of as well.If that’s all too expensive, or doesn’t work out or whatever.
Then dismantle it, chop it up, make it into smaller bits that fit in your binsIt’s called you throw it in the trash, theirs nothing worth anything in a treadmill, cheap grade metals and plastics, let alone it’s a fire hazard. No idea that may repurpose gym eq wants something with negative value.
Unfortunately not in London, it will not fit into trash area and you are not supposed to just leave it there, it won’t be picked up by refuse collectors here as they use a proprietary bin mechanism (Sulu think they are called, awful company). But yes i want to get rid of it, just need to find where to.
If you’re handy with a screwdriver and a hacksaw + hammer you could disassemble it and put the smaller pieces in the bin one by one.
