Wooden spools in Media

Everybody's hometown

Media is the seat of Delaware County, a small borough that calls itself "Everybody's Hometown". Its centre is State Street, a walkable main street of shops, restaurants and a theatre, with a trolley running down the middle of it on SEPTA's route from 69th Street. The county courthouse and government offices sit just off State Street. Around the borough, the townships of Upper Providence, Middletown and Nether Providence hold suburban housing, schools, a hospital, office parks along the US 1 Media Bypass and Baltimore Pike, and parks and nature reserves.

Reels from a county seat

Government and institutional buildings run constant upgrades: lighting, security, data networks, backup power and accessibility work. The courthouse, county offices, schools and the hospital campus all produce reels from those jobs. They tend to be mid-size, 24 to 42 inches, with plenty of plywood spools of building wire and data cable. Public projects sometimes have specific rules about who can remove material; tell us who is in charge.

Homes in and around Media

Media's houses range from Victorian homes near the centre to post-war and newer houses in the townships. Renovation, rewiring, solar panels and car chargers are steady work. Electricians leave a few spools at a time, and homeowners sometimes find an old reel in a garage or shed that they want gone.

Commercial work

Shops and restaurants on State Street change hands regularly, and every fit-out leaves reels and spools. Office parks and shopping centres along Baltimore Pike and the Media Bypass have their own tenant turnover. Those pickups often happen early in the morning, before business opens.

Getting here

The US 1 Media Bypass runs around the north side of the borough, connecting with I-476 (the Blue Route) to the east and with Glen Mills and Chadds Ford to the west. Baltimore Pike runs through the townships south of the borough. PA 252 runs north from the borough toward Newtown Square. For New Jersey, a truck takes I-476 south to I-95 and crosses on the Commodore Barry Bridge.

State Street pickups

The borough's main street is busy and parking is limited. For a pickup on or near State Street:

• tell us whether there is a back entrance or alley;
• choose an early time if you can;
• have the reels near the door;
• let us know if the trolley tracks or a loading zone affect where we can stop.

Reels for gardens and parks

Media has many gardeners and community groups, and some ask for spools for hose, plant stands or children's play. We deliver when we are collecting nearby. See farm and garden reels.

What happens to Media's reels

Sound reels are cleaned up and go back into use. Some become tables or displays. Broken reels are recycled. We do not send reels to landfill if they can be reused or recycled. See the about page for how we work.

Tyler Arboretum, Ridley Creek and the green belt

Media is surrounded by parkland: Ridley Creek State Park, Tyler Arboretum and smaller preserves along the creeks. Park and arboretum upkeep, trail lighting, visitor centres and maintenance sheds occasionally need electrical work, and the reels from those jobs go to us. Gardeners and volunteers sometimes ask for small spools for hose, string trimmer line or garden twine.

Courthouse-area offices

Law offices, title companies, accountants and county agencies fill the older buildings around the courthouse. When offices move or refit, cabling contractors pull out old data wiring and install new runs, leaving plywood spools and boxes of offcuts. We take the spools; the copper offcuts are better sold to a scrap metal dealer.

Farmers' market and festivals

Downtown Media hosts a weekly farmers' market and seasonal events, which need temporary power and lighting. Event electricians use portable cord on rental reels, which go back to the rental firm; any one-way reels left after permanent upgrades we can collect.

Rose Valley's arts heritage

Nearby Rose Valley began as an Arts and Crafts colony around 1901, and its stone houses and studios are treasured. Electricians modernising those buildings work around plaster, timber beams and handmade tiles, using small amounts of cable carefully. The spools they leave are few but tidy.

Glen Mills and Middletown growth

West along US 1, Middletown and Thornbury townships have added shopping centres, medical offices and housing. New subdivisions bring underground services and street lighting, so builders' trailers accumulate reels between phases. A builder clearing a model-home lot before sales open can call for one sweep.

Questions

Do you cover Wallingford, Rose Valley and Swarthmore?

Yes, along with Upper Providence, Middletown, Nether Providence and the rest of central Delaware County.

Can you collect from a school during term?

Yes, outside school hours. Give the facilities contact and the access point.