We are in the process of buying a 200 acre place in south Texas. The place is great with about 80% native brush but the only downside is the area around the existing homestead. There is quite a bit of old stuff that is mostly all metal. It's things like broken/old farm implements, old washing machines, fencing materials, etc. So my question is, what's the best way to dispose of this stuff?

Rent a dumpster and invite 2-3 friends for a work weekend and provide all the beer for them. Your cheapest and best option unless you rent a dozer, dig a hole and just bury it all.

giddings_ag_06 said:

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Rent a dumpster and invite 2-3 friends for a work weekend and provide all the beer for them. Your cheapest and best option unless you rent a dozer, dig a hole and just bury it all.

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This is your answer.

Find a metal recycling place near you and call them. If it works out, they will bring and haul off the dumpster for you and reduce the rental,cost. It usually takes at least 1/4 of a 20 yard to break even on cost, after that you get whatever the going rate is for scrap metal.

All depends on distance, availability, etc. Of it is not an option, haul off on a trailer to the dump or recycle,center, or,dig a big hole and bury.

Newell Salvage

1. Throw metal on trailer.

2. Drive to salvage yard.

3. Profit

Dig a hole.
Throw junk in hole.
Bury.

schmellba99 said:

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Find a metal recycling place near you and call them. If it works out, they will bring and haul off the dumpster for you and reduce the rental,cost. It usually takes at least 1/4 of a 20 yard to break even on cost, after that you get whatever the going rate is for scrap metal.

All depends on distance, availability, etc. Of it is not an option, haul off on a trailer to the dump or recycle,center, or,dig a big hole and bury.

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Im thinking more like 40yd type container. I think anything metal they ever touched went into these piles.

You would be best to rent a dozer and dig a hole. While you are at it it would not hurt to clean some roads up if necessary. Nothing like some south Texas brush. Make sure you keep tire plugs in your vehicle. I can't count the number of flats I've gotten.

HCHunter said:

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schmellba99 said:

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Find a metal recycling place near you and call them. If it works out, they will bring and haul off the dumpster for you and reduce the rental,cost. It usually takes at least 1/4 of a 20 yard to break even on cost, after that you get whatever the going rate is for scrap metal.

All depends on distance, availability, etc. Of it is not an option, haul off on a trailer to the dump or recycle,center, or,dig a big hole and bury.

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Im thinking more like 40yd type container. I think anything metal they ever touched went into these piles.

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Wont hurt to call and see the availability. We always end up with scrap on my projects, usually make a decent amount of extra cash off of 6-10 haul offs. I think we made about $9k on this project off of about 10 dumpsters.

The real best way to dispose of that stuff is with a cutting torch, a welder, and some basic tools. Every time something breaks you use those tools and your pile to fix it. Because what you have isn't a trash pile it's a scrap pile

From an environmental professional: if you every intend to sell the property, you will most likely be asked to divulge whether or not there has been a "dump" on the property. If you dig a hole and dump your trash in there, your answers should be yes to that question. Satellite photography will likely provide evidence that you had a dump, so lying about it is up to your discretion. In order to sell, you may be asked to remediate the dump.

Use this information as you see fit.

the metal is easy. In most south Texas towns there is typically a guy with either an S10 pickup or a 1970s 1/2 ton and a flatbed trailer that will haul it off for free

There is always a guy that will pick it up for free in south Texas just like stated above. I have one that goes everywhere if you need help

rather be fishing said:

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From an environmental professional: if you every intend to sell the property, you will most likely be asked to divulge whether or not there has been a "dump" on the property. If you dig a hole and dump your trash in there, your answers should be yes to that question. Satellite photography will likely provide evidence that you had a dump, so lying about it is up to your discretion. In order to sell, you may be asked to remediate the dump.

Use this information as you see fit.

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This. You would be surprised the number of times I've had to go back to a landowner and knock $300-$500K off the purchase price because we found an old "trash pile". It always starts with, "just some old junk around the house" and then we find batteries, barrels, household garage, etc. After having to delay closing to do a Phase 2 ESI, we then have to calculatethe overall size of the dump and then pay to have it excavated, sorted and taken to specified landfills. The tab alway goes back to the original land owner in the form of a haircut.

1. Leave it there

2. Invite me to come find snakes under said trash next spring and every spring after

3. Post on annual Snake Thread

4. Profit

Is there a Mennonite Church nearby? Our local "pick up scrap and sell it" guy is Mennonite.

And I agree, don't bury metal. Or anything else, if you can help it.

On the other hand, an old trench silo at my folks place may have treasure, such as square coke bottles. They filled it when they bought the farm in 1952.

Put it on the curb. It'll be gone in the morning.

Or, tannerite.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Is there a Mennonite Church nearby? Our local "pick up scrap and sell it" guy is Mennonite.

And I agree, don't bury metal. Or anything else, if you can help it.


On the other hand, an old trench silo at my folks place may have treasure, such as square coke bottles. They filled it when they bought the farm in 1952.

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Metals really aren't the issue. It's the leachate from household trash, excrement, lead leachate from old glass, pesticides/insecticides/petroleum products that end up in these pits.

Lord knows every oil change pan ends up poured into the dump.

rather be fishing said:

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From an environmental professional: if you every intend to sell the property, you will most likely be asked to divulge whether or not there has been a "dump" on the property. If you dig a hole and dump your trash in there, your answers should be yes to that question. Satellite photography will likely provide evidence that you had a dump, so lying about it is up to your discretion. In order to sell, you may be asked to remediate the dump.

Use this information as you see fit.

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This man speaks the truth. Had a relative who let a "friend" bury some construction debris on his place. Shortly thereafter the relative died. It came to light that debris had been buried there, leaving the executor of the estate (my uncle) with the fun job of remediating the site to the satisfaction of the State of Texas environmental folks. It was a lot more involved than just digging up the stuff and hauling it to a proper landfill. Can't really blame the future buyer, though, for wanting it resolved.

I'm watching a neighbor dump construction debris from other projects on his farm.

Idiot.

CanyonAg77 said:

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I'm watching a neighbor dump construction debris from other projects on his farm.

Idiot.

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I'm sure he has all the waste manifests to prove there's no asbestos or lead paint in those materials.

Took many years for us to haul a truck load at a time to the scrap yard...Wish I had thought about the "free to salvagers option". Would have done that in a heart beat.

Glad some people with some sense chimed in. Burying is never the right answer. Let me think, pay out of pocket to rent a dozer and bury stuff on your own property, have someone remove it for free, or get a roll off and possibly make a little cash. Burying seems more expensive and possibly problematic in the future.

I work for a company that does a lot of environmental remediation. Can't tell you how many places thought at one point that digging a hole and buying stuff was the answer. 40 years later they pay millions to try and correct the problem.

I gave everything to a salvage company with the condition that they hauled off the unsalvagable stuff too. Most of what I had was old appliances, broken deer feeders, outdoor furniture and vehicle/tractor parts. They also hauled off all the wood, plastic, tires and palm tree trimmings too. They made money on the deal (but honestly not too much) and I got rid of all the junk without having to waste the time, gas and wear and tear in the equipment.

This isn't 1940.

AnScAggie said:

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I gave everything to a salvage company with the condition that they hauled off the unsalvagable stuff too. Most of what I had was old appliances, broken deer feeders, outdoor furniture and vehicle/tractor parts. They also hauled off all the wood, plastic, tires and palm tree trimmings too. They made money on the deal (but honestly not too much) and I got rid of all the junk without having to waste the time, gas and wear and tear in the equipment.

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If you would have added a broken horse walker and a dilapidated seed drill, we may be talking about the same pile of trash.

rather be fishing said:

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From an environmental professional: if you every intend to sell the property, you will most likely be asked to divulge whether or not there has been a "dump" on the property. If you dig a hole and dump your trash in there, your answers should be yes to that question. Satellite photography will likely provide evidence that you had a dump, so lying about it is up to your discretion. In order to sell, you may be asked to remediate the dump.

Use this information as you see fit.

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What happens if someone pours a foundation over the dump and builds a 5,000 square foot garage on top of it?

Also, what about farms that once had underground gasoline tanks or above ground diesel tanks?

eric76 said:

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rather be fishing said:

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From an environmental professional: if you every intend to sell the property, you will most likely be asked to divulge whether or not there has been a "dump" on the property. If you dig a hole and dump your trash in there, your answers should be yes to that question. Satellite photography will likely provide evidence that you had a dump, so lying about it is up to your discretion. In order to sell, you may be asked to remediate the dump.

Use this information as you see fit.

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What happens if someone pours a foundation over the dump and builds a 5,000 square foot garage on top of it?

Also, what about farms that once had underground gasoline tanks or above ground diesel tanks?

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[ol]

Assuming it is for development purposes, foundation settlement, methane, etc I build my houses near larger trees to minimize the fill concerns. Any decent contractor should be able to pothole and tell the difference between fill and native soils.

Again assuming it is for development purposes, a Phase I ESA could show it, but any reasonable lender/ professional should anticipate an old farm has some issue. The report probably just has a simple foot note. If there is something larger, then it would be regulated and be a different answer. For the former and for what it is worth, if an EV group made a big deal out of someone's old tank, I would probably never use them again since they lack the ability to apply common sense to the situation.

[/ol]

It's still illegal dumping whether you hide it or not. And you would still have to acknowledge it in a sale. Underground tanks are regulated also.

BlackGoldAg2011 said:

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The real best way to dispose of that stuff is with a cutting torch, a welder, and some basic tools. Every time something breaks you use those tools and your pile to fix it. Because what you have isn't a trash pile it's a scrap pile

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This is how almost every ranch in south Texas ends up with a trash pile someone has to deal with.

A basic phase 1 ESA will have photo records going back to the 40s. It's not like you can hide your illegal dumping. Just don't plan to sell your land and you'll be fine. What you do on your own property is up to you, but eventually if you want to make your property someone else's, then you have to pay the cost of the illegal dump.

FIDO 96 said:

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A basic phase 1 ESA will have photo records going back to the 40s. It's not like you can hide your illegal dumping. Just don't plan to sell your land and you'll be fine. What you do on your own property is up to you, but eventually if you want to make your property someone else's, then you have to pay the cost of the illegal dump.

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I have been involved in numerous deals, where this was not identified and not even an issue. In fact I can probably count on one hand the deals that went beyond a simple Phase 1 and most of the time it was due to the use of a facility.

I bought a place in south Texas that had the same issue. Had about 3-4 spots of trash like if someone backed up a few times and threw trash as the land had been abandoned for quite some time. All sorts of stuff. Long story short is that I bought a tractor for my place and used the trailer it came with to load about 3 loads of junk to the dump which is only 4 miles away. A few weekends and cold beers with some family members will clean the place up for you. I didn't want to bury it as who the hell wants trash on their land when it can be hauled off.

30 TAC 330.13 - Waste Management Activities Exempt from Permitting, Registration, or Notification

(a) A permit, registration, notification, or other authorization is not required for the disposal of up to 2,000 pounds per year of litter or other solid waste generated by an individual on that individual's own land and is not required to comply with 330.19 of this title (relating to Deed Recordation) provided that:
(1) the litter or waste is generated on land that the individual owns;
(2) the litter or waste is not generated as a result of an activity related to a commercial purpose;
(3) the disposal occurs on land that the individual owns;
(4) the disposal is not for a commercial purpose;
(5) the waste disposed of is not hazardous waste or industrial waste;
(6) the waste disposal method complies with Chapter 111, Subchapter B of this title (relating to Outdoor Burning); and
(7) the waste disposal method does not contribute to a nuisance and does not endanger the public health or the environment. Exceeding 2,000 pounds per individual's residence per year is considered to be a nuisance.



ETA: 30 TAC 330.3(44) states: Disposal--The discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any solid waste or hazardous waste (whether containerized or uncontainerized) into or on any land or water so that such solid waste or hazardous waste or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including groundwater.