# A local midwest junk yard is going out of business. Bad business since mid 2022. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [January 3, 2024, 4:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105 "2024-01-03T04:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 2:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/21 "2024-01-06T02:14:31Z")
> [@TwinTurbo](#): > > Fairly common practice when I was a kid. That and killing weeds on the gravel driveway or just pouring it onto the gravel to cut down on dust…downright primitive and naive… In the past, people were a **lot** less environmentally-conscious. In addition to dumping used motor oil, coolant, etc onto the ground, people used to let refrigerant out into the air. In fact, every now and then, I work on a _very old_ air conditioner, and the service instructions inside pre-1992 units specifically say to open the service valves and release the refrigerant to relieve the pressure before system repair or final disposal. Starting in 1993 or newer units, the service information says to recover the refrigerant to relieve the pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 2:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/22 "2024-01-06T02:45:04Z")
> [@bcohen2010](#): > > Starting in 1993 or newer units, the service information says to recover the refrigerant to relieve the pressure. Just curious what do with the recovered refrigerant? ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 2:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/23 "2024-01-06T02:57:46Z")
The short wavelengths of UV that would ionize the molecules in the oil are all absorbed by the atmosphere. ---
**Author:** ![TheWonderful90s](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thewonderful90s/32/29584_2.png) [@TheWonderful90s](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TheWonderful90s)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 4:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/24 "2024-01-06T04:30:15Z")
If there is an oil stain on the driveway, after a long time the hot summer sun seems to make it go away. Is that from UV? ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 4:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/25 "2024-01-06T04:47:19Z")
UV won’t do much. It’s the slow evaporation that would have the biggest impact, after absorption into the ground. Plenty of lumps of tarry dirt in old well locations that I’ve visited. Oil stains stay on roads for years here in sunny hot Texas. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/26 "2024-01-06T14:26:14Z")
Is your driveway asphalt? If so, the oil probably sinks in. ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/27 "2024-01-06T16:50:52Z")
> [@Renegade](#): > > Just curious what do with the recovered refrigerant? All of the HVAC wholesale distributors take back the filled tanks, and exchange them for a clean, evacuated tank for a fee. It costs approximately $60 plus tax to exchange a 30 LB recovery tank, and approximately $100 plus tax to exchange a 50 LB recovery tank. As long as the technician has written on the tank what it contains, and is careful to not mix different types of refrigerants in the same tank, the used refrigerant can then be purified and resold (by a professional reclaim company). All that matters to us (the contractor) or me (the technician) is that the customer has to pay for the labor to recover their used refrigerant, and the disposal fee, which we obviously mark up in order to make a profit. ---
**Author:** ![Beancounter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Beancounter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beancounter)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 1:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/28 "2024-01-08T13:05:47Z")
The reasons why most businesses fail are. a failure it innovate, poor management practice, and/or a failure of succession planning and very rarely is goverment regulation a factor. The “junk yard” of 50 years ago with random vehicles sprawled across a field and Crusty behind the counter is now a “Recycler” with a detailed computerized inventory, an on-line presence and access to immediate quotes and futures forcasts on Shredded Scrap Iron, Steel, Copper, etc.bound for China or Brazil. “Bad business since 2022”? My guess it could have as much to do with the crash in Chinese building construction and the resulting 25% decline in Scrap Steel prices than anything else. My point is that we’re in a new world that has reached down to Main Street businesses and those who fail to evolve will simply become extinct ``` . ``` ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/29 "2024-01-08T17:04:49Z")
> [@TheWonderful90s](#): > > Why is this happening? > [@TheWonderful90s](#): > > They never seemed to have an inventory of cars or anything. Answered your own question. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/30 "2024-01-08T18:19:30Z")
> [@PvtPublic](#): > > Answered your own question. :upside\_down\_face 🙃:The [[[[[SNOWMAN]]]]] 🙃: don’t know the difference between his [[[[NONSENSE]]]] and a question. 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105/31 "2024-01-08T18:52:52Z")
Having a reduced inventory and did not renew the towing license, sounds like planned retirement. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/a-local-midwest-junk-yard-is-going-out-of-business-bad-business-since-mid-2022-why/194105.md?page=1)