Honestly, seeing a guy get fired for taking home scrap copper from a Phoenix job site last month made me think.

Tbh, it was just a few pounds of leftover wire, but the boss said it was still company property. Has anyone else had to draw that line for themselves on what 'waste' really is?

4 comments

4 Comments

averylopez1mo ago

Yeah that "still company property" line is why I ask if I can have the trash, like a weirdo.

davidyoung1mo ago

Remember that guy who got let go for taking a busted pallet to burn in his fire pit? It was splintered and tagged for trash. The foreman saw him load it and said it was still company assets, even headed for the landfill. He argued it was just junk wood, but they had a strict policy. It really showed how some places draw that line at the dumpster's edge, not when something becomes useless.

williams.sage10d ago

My friend Mark got fired for taking a single broken cinderblock from a demo site. It was in the scrap pile, but like davidyoung said, the boss called it theft of company assets. That line is so strict it feels like they own the landfill too.

iris9271mo ago

That "still company property" thing feels off to me. If it's scrap headed for the dumpster, it's waste. My buddy in HVAC says they let guys take cut-offs of copper pipe all the time. Once it's trimmed off and not part of the install, it's just trash with value. The line should be if you're taking materials meant for the job, not stuff that's literally leftover.