18,000 tons of steel? That must be a huge place! Have you had a hazmat and lead based paint survey done? I know in augusta I looked at doing a job and I was going to salavage about 500 tons of steel and knock the price down a lot and the local government wouldn't let me salvage it b/c of the lead based paint on the steel and even after leaching, etc..I couldn't.

I'd keep that job under my hat because unless you have alot of Asbestos or other haz-mat work someone will pay for the job. I know we most likely would.
Good luck.

Chaplin ans Sons
What did they have you do with the steel?? Landfill it?? Send it out as lead waste??
Thats a new one.

Take the job, sell the steel and charge them for the job. What the heck, do what the market will bear.

If you don't charge him, he'll probably think you are taking advantage of him because he shouldn't be giving all the scrap away to you. So, charge him something, tell him that you are giving him a really good price because you recycle the scrap, and then take a nice vacation with your little bonus there. I think that psychology will work well.

FYI, world steel prices are going to increase 20-25% starting April 1st. The scrap market will start paying some premium prices for used steel.

We took it to a certified land fill. The landfill didn't charge us to dump b/c they accept metal, etc. for free unless its C&D. C&D down here is $33.50 per ton and $16.50 for inert per ton.

I do know that down here competition can get pretty ugly. For instance not to name any names but in augusta some demo contractors will come to job sites after your done for the day and sift through your debris, etc.. looking for osha violations, code violations, asbestos debris you might have missed anything to throw you under the bus so make sure you do everything you need to do especially on job that can profit you that much $$$$

Wolf,
Thats a risky way about going at it. 1man didn't say how he knows the owner but wherever the project is an 18,000 ton job doesn't stay unknown for long. Local scpap dealers and others will be up the owners a** telling him what a goldmine he is sitting on. I would think unless the owners have been kept in a dark room for the last few years they know what's there. In the long run someone will pay for the job. I'm all for charging the owner and sitting on a beach in Mexico for awhile, but I don't think that will happen. I do hope it works out for him. I'd pay the owner and still be able to afford a nice vacation.