Life from
the scrap heap

>> Discarded metal products become
precious for medium-assisted scavenger

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Jean-Denis Perreault

Age: 55

Occupation: “Scrapper”

Bio: This charismatic St-Michel stud had spent a lifetime working as a trucker doing weekly runs to the U.S. of A, but after Bin and the boys blew up the World Trade Center in 2001, the new wait times he faced at the border, combined with the damage 35 years of truckin’ will do to a guy’s back, made the job unbearable and he abruptly decided to abandon the profession for the glamorous world of scrap metal collection. “They don’t pay you for waiting eight hours at the border, you know, it’s just a day spent sitting in your truck for no money.” Now Jean-Denis spends his days scouring the city’s alleyways looking for the pure gold that is your discarded “old fridge, stove, garden rake, portable fan, anything metal” that he can sell to the scrap yard. “Tell people they can call me at (514) 462-0749 to come collect their broken appliances, or anything metal like that and I’ll be there in no time to take it away free of charge, and be happy to do it. This job is my baby now, I love it, and I never get discouraged.” His life partner Hélène says Jean-Denis has been a lot more relaxed since becoming “un scrapper.”

Something that gives Jean-Denis an advantage over the competition in his quest for ever-elusive scrap materials: “I’m psychic. I didn’t really know it until I was 33 years old, even though funny things had been happening all my life. I was sitting in a movie theatre and somebody punched me in the back of the head, but when I looked behind me there was nobody there. I told a friend of mine who was a medium about it and she told me that I was a medium too—and not to be afraid. I see spirits all the time. I don’t give readings anymore, because, well, destiny is destiny, man, you don’t need cards or readings. But [my gift] does help me find scrap, and that’s pretty good.”

The trick to collecting quality scrap before the competition gets to it: “Well, a lot of people, like building superintendents, they know me and tell me when they’ll be shooting stuff out, so I get a lot of stuff that way. And my family and friends call whenever they see something good out on the street. But I’m on the road every morning at 6:40 a.m. to do my route and see what’s been left out overnight. You’ve got to get out early before the other scrappers or you won’t find anything. You’ve always got to be a couple steps ahead of the next guy. There’s a lot of luck involved and a lot of competition too. But I’m pretty fast on my feet when it comes to scrap. I go out again every evening too.”

What a fridge will net you at the scrap yard: $25.

The amount of scrap he figures he collects on an average week: Five tons.

What five tons of quality scrap will earn a man: “About $450.”

Last book read: Ces anges qui nous gardent et nous assistent by Pascal Perrot

Musical preferences: Elvis Presley, Elton John, Ricky Martin

Words of wisdom: “Life is worth living.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net