Wooden spools in Norristown

The county seat on the river

Norristown is the seat of Montgomery County, a borough of tight streets climbing the hill from the Schuylkill River. The courthouse and county offices sit around Swede, Main and Airy streets; row houses, twins and older apartment buildings fill the blocks around them; and East Norriton, West Norriton and Plymouth Township spread out on three sides. SEPTA's Norristown Transportation Center links the regional rail line through Manayunk with the high-speed line to 69th Street. That mix of government buildings, older housing, transit and suburban business parks gives Norristown a reel profile all its own.

Older buildings, new wiring

Much of Norristown's housing stock is a century old or more, and a lot of it is being renovated, converted or rewired. That work leaves small material: plywood spools, the odd 24-inch reel of service cable, and short ends of building wire on cardboard or plastic. Electricians working on several houses in a row often hold the spools in their van or a basement until there is a stack worth collecting. A few spools at a time is fine; tell us which door and which floor.

Larger work

Bigger reels come from public and institutional work: county buildings, schools, the hospitals in and around the borough, transit improvements, and the business parks in East Norriton and Plymouth Township. These produce 30- to 48-inch nailed reels, sometimes in quantity, and occasionally returnable reels from utility contractors or cable makers. Utility work across the borough also generates reels of medium-voltage and secondary cable.

Streets and access

Norristown's streets are narrow, steep in places and often one-way, so it pays to plan the stop. US 202 runs through the borough on Markley and DeKalb streets and crosses the Schuylkill to Bridgeport; Main Street runs east–west through the centre. To the east, the Turnpike (I-276) is reached at the Norristown interchange in Plymouth Meeting. Loads heading for New Jersey usually take the Turnpike east, then I-95, and cross on the Tacony-Palmyra or the Betsy Ross, whichever suits the next stop.

Tips for borough pickups

• Tell us the cross street and which side of the block.
• If the reels are in a back alley, say whether the alley is wide enough for a box truck.
• Weekday mornings avoid the court-day parking crunch near the centre.
• Steep driveways: say if the reels are at the top or the bottom.

Weathered reels

Reels that have stood behind a building on the hill for a year or two often have soft lower rims where water collects. They may still be fine for tables or garden use, or they may go to recycling. We look before we load, and if a reel cannot be reused we say so and it goes for recycling with the other broken wood.

Selling a quantity

Contractors based in Norristown and the surrounding townships with dozens of reels in a yard can sell them; the sell page explains what sets the price and what we need to know. One-off household spools are collected free when we are passing.

Hospitals and the state hospital grounds

Norristown has long been a medical centre for the county, with general hospitals and the large grounds of Norristown State Hospital, part of which is now parkland and recreation fields. Health-care renovation and conversion of old institutional buildings both involve major rewiring, with feeders, emergency power and low-voltage systems. That work leaves mid-size reels at the loading dock and spools in the corridors.

Elmwood Park Zoo and the parks

Elmwood Park Zoo, in Norristown, has been adding exhibits, lighting and visitor facilities. Zoo and park projects, along with the trails of the Schuylkill River Trail and Norristown Farm Park, produce occasional reels from lighting, pumps and buildings. Park staff can get in touch.

Conversions on Main Street

Several older commercial buildings and churches along Main Street have been converted to apartments, offices or community uses. Conversions mean complete rewires, which can leave dozens of spools and several reels of feeder. Developers can ask for a pickup at each phase rather than storing reels on site.

Diverse neighbourhoods

Norristown's population includes long-established Italian American families and a large, more recent Latin American community, with shops, restaurants and churches reflecting both. Renovation contractors here often work in Spanish and English; we are happy to arrange pickups through whoever is on site.

Courthouse renovation and county campus

Montgomery County has been renovating and expanding its historic courthouse complex. Projects of that scale run for years, with phased moves, temporary power and new data networks, leaving drums and spools at each stage. Contractors can schedule a pickup whenever a phase closes out.

Railroad sidings along the Schuylkill

Railroad tracks follow the river past Norristown, and trackside businesses occasionally store spent drums near sidings.

Questions

Do you cover Bridgeport and East Norriton?

Yes, as well as West Norriton, Jeffersonville and Plymouth Township.

Can you collect near the courthouse?

Yes, but street parking there is tight; we will arrange a time when a loading space is free.