Wooden spools in Essington

Between the river and the runways

Essington is a riverside community in Tinicum Township, Delaware County, squeezed between the Delaware River and Philadelphia International Airport. The airport's runways lie just to the east, and the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum lies to the north. Along the river, Essington has marinas, yacht clubs and restaurants, and Governor Printz Park marks the site of the seventeenth-century New Sweden settlement, one of the earliest European settlements in what became Pennsylvania. Inland, along PA 291 (the Industrial Highway), the land is given over to airport-related businesses: hotels, parking lots, freight forwarders, warehouses and contractors.

The airport effect

An international airport needs a lot of electricity and a lot of cable. Airport projects, from runway lighting to terminals, cargo buildings and parking structures, use large and mid-size reels in quantity. Hotels and parking facilities around the airport refit regularly, as do the warehouses and freight buildings that serve the air cargo trade. Many of the contractors who work at the airport stage material in Essington and Tinicum.

What we collect here

• Hotels and parking: mid-size reels and spools from lighting, power and data upgrades.
• Freight and warehouses: reels from dock, lighting and power work.
• Marinas: small reels from shore power and dock lighting.
• Houses: spools from rewires and renovations in Essington's residential streets.
• Contractors' yards: mixed stacks from airport and riverfront jobs.

Airport reels themselves, used inside the secure airfield, are handled by the airport's contractors. We collect them only once they are outside and released.

Access

I-95 runs along the north edge of Essington with an exit for the airport and PA 291. PA 291 is the main local road, running east to the airport and Philadelphia and west to Eddystone and Chester. The Walt Whitman Bridge and the Commodore Barry Bridge are both within a short drive, so loads can go to New Jersey either way.

Marina reels

Marinas use shore power cable and dock lighting, and replace them as they wear. The cable often comes on small reels, which marinas keep for winding hose and rope. When they are no longer needed, they can go back into use elsewhere. Reels that have spent years on a dock may be soft with damp; we check them before reuse.

Airport-area scheduling

Traffic around the airport is heavy at certain times of the day, and some facilities have security rules. Tell us when it is best to come and who will meet us. Early morning and mid-afternoon are usually easiest.

Buying reels in Essington

Restaurants on the river and marinas sometimes want reels for tables or hose. We deliver when we are collecting nearby. See buying reels.

Wildlife refuge neighbours

The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge protects the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, with trails, boardwalks and a visitor centre. Projects in and around the refuge are careful about wildlife, wetlands and runoff, and contractors are expected to remove everything they bring. That makes them quick to hand over empty reels. Homeowners nearby sometimes find a stray reel washed up along a creek bank after a storm; we can take it if it can be reached safely.

The river's working edge

The stretch of Delaware riverfront from South Philadelphia down through Tinicum has fuel terminals, cargo facilities and industrial land as well as marinas. Contractors serving those facilities stage materials in yards along PA 291. Large returnable drums belong to their owners; timber one-way drums, released, can come to us.

Hotel, rental-car and parking upgrades

The airport area holds many hotels, rental-car depots and park-and-ride lots. These facilities are adding electric vehicle chargers, LED lighting, security cameras and new payment equipment, all of which need cable. A rental-car depot installing dozens of chargers may use underground feeder from several mid-size reels plus spools of control and data wire. Facility managers can call us once trenching and terminations are done.

Noise, height and flight paths

Essington lies under the airport's approach and departure paths. That does not affect our trucks, but some yards close to the airfield have height limits for cranes and lifts. If your reels need a crane to lift, check whether the airport authority has rules for the site.

The Printzhof

The New Sweden colony's governor, Johan Printz, built his residence, the Printzhof, on Tinicum Island in the 1640s. Archaeologists have studied the site, now within Governor Printz Park. Restoration of the park's facilities and riverfront paths occasionally involves lighting and power work; afterwards, any leftover drums can come away with us.

Boatyards in winter

When boats come out of the water each autumn, marinas shrink-wrap hulls, rewire slips and swap pedestal outlets. Winter is therefore a good time to clear old spools, broken drums and rotten lagging from boatyard corners, before spring launching fills every inch of space again.

Questions

Do you cover Lester and Tinicum Township?

Yes, along with Prospect Park, Norwood and Ridley Township.

Can you collect from inside the airport?

No. We collect from outside the secure area once a contractor releases the reels.