Wooden spools in Pennsauken

Warehouses at the bridge

Pennsauken Township sits just north of Camden on the Delaware River, at the New Jersey end of the Betsy Ross Bridge. Its location, with the bridge, US 130, NJ 73, NJ 90, NJ 38 and I-295 all within reach, made it one of South Jersey's main industrial and warehouse districts. Industrial parks fill much of the land between the river and US 130, and further inland, Pennsauken has suburban housing, shopping centres and a long commercial strip along NJ 38 and NJ 73.

What Pennsauken leaves behind

Pennsauken's industrial parks are home to distributors, food processors, manufacturers, contractors and warehouses. That means lots of reels:

• Distributors of electrical, plumbing and building supplies receive cable and wire on reels, and some take empties back from customers.
• Contractors' yards collect reels from jobs across South Jersey and Philadelphia.
• Warehouse fit-outs leave mid-size reels from lighting, power and dock equipment.
• Manufacturing produces reels from maintenance and new equipment.

The result is a steady supply of 24- to 48-inch nailed reels, plus spools and the occasional larger reel.

Roads and bridges

The Betsy Ross Bridge lands in Pennsauken and connects to NJ 90, which runs to US 130 and NJ 73. US 130 runs north–south through the township toward Camden and Burlington County. NJ 73 runs southeast toward Maple Shade and Mount Laurel, with access to the NJ Turnpike. NJ 38 runs east toward Cherry Hill and Moorestown. I-295 is a short drive east. The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge is a few miles north, landing in Palmyra.

Industrial pickups

Most Pennsauken pickups are from industrial buildings with docks and forklifts. To make them quick:

1. Put the reels together in one area.
2. Separate broken reels from sound ones.
3. Flag any reels with stencils, serial numbers or deposit tags.
4. Tell us the dock hours and who will meet us.

Pairing with Northeast Philadelphia

The Betsy Ross Bridge links Pennsauken with Bridesburg and Port Richmond in Philadelphia. Pickups on both sides of the bridge are often combined. If you have reels on both sides, list them in one request.

Houses and shops

Pennsauken's residential neighbourhoods and the businesses along NJ 38 and NJ 73 produce small reels and spools from rewires and fit-outs. Those are collected alongside the industrial pickups.

Buying reels in Pennsauken

Pennsauken's businesses also need reels: distributors and contractors who re-spool cut lengths, and companies that wind hose, rope or chain. We can supply sound empties of a given size. See re-spooling.

A township of many trades

Pennsauken's industrial streets read like a directory of the building trades. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC wholesalers sit beside sign makers, metal fabricators, food distributors, printers, trucking firms and equipment rental yards. Several of those businesses receive goods wound on reels or drums: rope and chain on wooden spools, hose on steel or plywood reels, wire and cable on everything from small plastic spools to 60-inch timber drums. When a wholesaler's racks fill with empties, staff often stack them in a corner of the warehouse or out by the fence. That is the moment to call.

Cleaning up after a fire or flood

Industrial buildings sometimes have to be stripped after water or smoke damage, and the restoration contractor ends up with damaged cable reels among the debris. We take those too, separated from other waste where possible. Wet plywood spools usually cannot be reused, but timber reels that have simply been soaked often dry out sound. Burnt or oil-soaked wood goes for disposal through the proper route rather than into wood recycling.

The river edge

Pennsauken's shoreline along the Delaware, around Delair and the bridge approaches, has rail lines, older industrial plots and some newer development. Reels found on vacant or long-idle riverside lots may have belonged to a previous tenant, a utility or a railway contractor. Before claiming them, ask the landowner and look for stencils, painted numbers or metal tags.

A note on weights

Timber soaks up water, and a waterlogged reel can weigh a great deal more than the same reel dry. If yours have stood outside through a wet season, warn us so the crew brings a pallet jack, a liftgate truck or extra hands rather than trying to roll them up a ramp.

Forklift-friendly stacking

Reels stacked flat, one on another like coins, are quick for a forklift to lift but can topple if the pile leans. Better: stand them upright in a single row, chocked with scrap lumber, with enough aisle for tines to slide under each drum. Mixed heights? Put the tallest at the back.

Questions

Do you cover Merchantville and Delair?

Yes, along with the rest of Pennsauken Township and the neighbouring towns.

Can you set up a regular collection?

Yes. Busy yards and distributors are good candidates for a recurring pickup.