Man collecting scrap metal, donating proceeds to charity

Collecting valuable scrap metals From CTV Kitchener's Krista Sharpe: A Guelph man is helping people dispose of their scrap metals and donating the money to charity.

GUELPH — A Guelph man is collecting scrap metal and donating all of his proceeds to a local charity.

Ed Ross, a former pilot, is collecting junk in his retirement. He gives all the money he collects to Hope House, a place for those in need in Guelph.

"The more I can sort, the better the money for Hope House," he said.

Hope House purchased a new building in the middle of the pandemic.

"We are built on the principle that the opposite of poverty is community. People really need a community to rally around them and support them so they can make the changes needed," Executive Director Jaya James said.

James said Ross was a big part of the move.

"Through Ed, in the last year, he's raised $32,000 for the capital campaign," James said. "Since he started scrap goat, he's raised over $130,000."

Ross calls himself the scrap goat. He recently purchased a bigger truck because of growing demand for his collection and sorting services.

"Just over time, people know about me," he said. "I've established links with different businesses."

He's collected everything from kitchen sinks and air conditions to fair wheels. He also found a bike that he fixed up for his son-in-law.

"We restored it and he sold it just the other day and made, after expenses, $900," Ross said. "It would have only been worth $100 or $200 as scrap metal."

Ross said his favourite part is meeting interesting people.