empty wire spools

[mr fab]

I have been winding for a few years now and have accumulated a large collection of empty 5kg spools (10lb for American folk)

its time for a clean out and wondering what you all do with the empty spools.... it kinda seems a shame to just put them in the recycling bin

I am sure I am not the only one with a collection of empty spools

any ideas or uses for them?

fab

[John_H]

I put them in the recycling bin.

[J M Fahey]

Not really.
Same here, have a lot and feel it's a pity to let them go but never found a real use for them.

[big_teee]

I put some extra guitar cable on one of them.
Then when you need a little guitar cable take it off the spool.
Beats it laying in a knot.
T

[Lollar Jason]

I have been sending spools back to the manufacturer for a long time, call whoever made the wire and see if they want them.

[tedmich]

Plastic recycling is (mostly) a scam, there's no market for used plastic. Send back to Mfg. sounds good if possible.

Or maybe Hippy doll house furniture?

[Jazz P Bass]

Beg to differ on the statement "there's no market for used plastic".

Have you seen the 'wood' that fixers are using for porches & decks?

It's a preformed plastic with interleaved wood filler.

The 'market' is huge.

Plastic boards from 100% recycled plastic. We ship USA.

Just sayin'.

[Richard]

I agree although I think most recycled plastic is "downcycled", soda bottles become carpet, etc.

[eschertron]

Last year, my wife got for me a patio chair made from recycled milk jugs. I'm thinking it's more the snob appeal of having used recycled material, although if it's still in good shape (No paint! No repairs!) in 15 or 20 years I may see it differently. It certainly was expensive enough to qualify for snob appeal.

[Jazz P Bass]

They are also using shredded up plastic for the 'filler' in those fluffy arm rests on chairs & coaches.

[tedmich]

Recycling plastics takes 2-4 times more energy ($) than making them anew, there is no business that can absorb those kind of losses. Added to the thousands of types of incompatible plastic types and most of what you have is ultra low tech shredded plastic "recycling" which has very few applications. Padding? Insulation? Mulch?

One of the main uses of mixed shredded plastic is burning to recoup some of the energy used in its manufacture; its a very inefficient process. Probably best to REDUCE>>>reuse/recycle

[Richard]

I wasn't aware of the energy calculation, I wonder how much of that is the truck coming around to pick stuff up. Anybody still remember deposits on glass bottles?

[Leo_Gnardo]

I wasn't aware of the energy calculation, I wonder how much of that is the truck coming around to pick stuff up. Anybody still remember deposits on glass bottles?

We still pay 5 cent bottle/can deposits in NY. When that started late 70's I noticed roadside litter of soda & beer containers went to almost nothing overnight. Littering's resumed since then, not many folks value a nickel. OTOH we now have some recycling vagrants that pick thru folks' garbage to raise a little cash.

We've had recycling trucks on garbage day for at least 10-15 years now. Up until a couple years ago it was a clear scam: everything went to the same county incinerator, paper, cardboard, glass (!) and metal (!!). Since about 5 years ago the "incinerate everything" practice has ceased, I'm sure they bring some money with aluminum & steel/iron. And I hope the plastic is finding its way into indestructible - more or less - decking and park bench slats. No splinters and no more "wet paint" signs. A couple years ago it was common to see barges packed with paper bales floating down the Hudson, on their way to China to be converted into cardboard boxes, to package all the wonderful things they make for us there. Don't see paper so much anymore, but barges loaded with scrap steel still head down the river.

[The Dude]

If you could only figure out how to melt them into pickup covers.....

[copperheadroads]

Something that I've thought about for a couple of years now that possibly should be a sticky .
Having the empty weight of all the common size spools documented here in a sticky , that way if someone needs to figure out if they have enough wire on a certain spool to squeeze one more pickup or maybe more .