Recycler

Written by SlipperyJester

"You've never heard of a Recycler? Think of it like this, if you were the miner, I would be the forge that refines the ore. If you were a lumberjack, I would hew the logs. If you were a fisherman, I would prep the catches for market. Don't you see? We could make a great team. What do you say? You venture in, and bring back whatever you can find, I'll use my workshop here and break down whatever you bring back, into usable pieces."

-Recycler's proposition to a Scavenger

The drop sites located on Korth are quite incredible. Hundreds of years of technology and waste, discarded into heaps the size of cities. For those living on Korth, this really gives them a step up from what their ancestors went through when attempting to settle and establish. These drop sites, given the right knowledge, hold immense recourses. Scavangers have made this their life and their well being. They search through these massive trash heaps searching for either requested materials. Or what they know may be valuable. Recyclers focus on breaking down scrap. Recyclers often work with crafters and scavangers. They are the middle men. Crafters may work on a specific item, or class of items. For example, a crafter may focus on making house hold items. They would work with a Recycler, and a scavanger to get the materials to do this. The scavanger would source the "raw materials" from the massive drop sites. They may locate a large appliance, or larger piece of scrap. While it is extremely, extremely rare for any of these to function, there is a small chance they can be repaired. That's where the recycler comes in. They take the larger items of scrap, and break them down to their basic components. This provides crafter with a base to do their work. In some cases crafters do this work themselves, but having a a knowledgeable recycler comes in handy for both parties. Scavengers have it hard enough when tasked for a specific item, sometimes they are components of a larger item. Recyclers may already have these on hand from previous work, or may be able to point the a scavanger to a good source of these components.
Often scavangers move onto this profession if the work becomes to intensive on their body. scavangers can have immense knowledge of what is in the drop sites, and what people request most. If they have ever worked with a clever recycler before, they may have some ideas to easily come across valuable items.

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History

The story of the first Recycler. There were several scavangers working around drop city. They all camped together, and brought all their goods home. One afternoon, one of the men brought back a microwave. He sat for nearly two days attempting to connect a large battery he found. It was a hopeless attempt to make it work. Out of frustration he tossed the microwave across the field and yelled out loud

"This is worthless!! It's all junk! None of it works, it's all trash!"

One of the seniors of the camp calmly replied

"You just don't know what you are looking for. Do you know how to make a microwave? or what is inside one?"

The younger man, who could not have been older than 19 shook his head.

"There is still many useful things inside of a microwave, the mesh metal plate of the door for example, take of the plastic covers and you have a great cooking surface. There are capacitors, transformers, magnetrons, lots of thick copper wire that make up the heating coil. There are fans too! Look at this"

The elder man retreats into his ramshackle shelter he has made and comes back out with a fan, no larger than 4 inches across, and a small battery. He inserts this small battery into a plastic housing, and connects two wires. The fan starts to spin, effortlessly and silently. The force of this small fan was no impressive feat. However it didn't need to be. The young man blinked in amazement. He had no idea that there was so many things inside of a basic microwave. He begged the old man, known to the small group as old man Reynolds, to show him more. Reynolds took this man in and taught him what he knew for the next few years. This young man was named Sam Gruuns and would go on to found the The Divers and several other camps and settlements around Drop City.

Tools

There are some key components that are needed make a recycler very proficient. With enough effort, most things can be broken down by force alone, but it may take an incredible amount of time and energy. Here are some of the key tools a recycler may desire.

• Screwdriver's of all shapes and sizes
• Allen keys and hex keys
• Electric drill - There are very rare, the batteries are just as hard to find
• Saws and saw cord
• Strong shears

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Demographics

Shortly after the Gruuns camp was established, there became a standard, at least for their camp. They would have 1 recycler work for every 4 scavangers. This often gave the recycler an excess of work to do. The theory behind this at the Gruuns camp, if the recycler needs aid or is overloaded with work, he can borrow a scavanger to assist them. This helps get the work caught up, and at the same time assist in further educating the scavanger on all the wonders of the trade.

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The Network

There are alot of key members that go into a well working economy as far as Recyclers are concerned. There needs to be supply, and there needs to be demand. When living close to the Grunns Market, and working with a team of scavangers both of these concerns can easily be met. Many times a recycler may bring his materials directly to marker, in other cases he may work with several crafters to supply them with their needed raw goods.

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Career Progression

A recycler may start his career in many ways. From sheer curiosity, or need. The most common way a recycler starts in this trade is by need. A vast majority of scavengers learn from recyclers within their communities slowly. They may eventually settle down and start their own hustle, or may join in hand with another settled recycler. A recycler, if well educated and trained can bring in a lot of "wealth" in forms of trade. They also often have great ties to many skilled craftsmen, and are able to source custom made items, such as furniture, tools, and even weapons. Recyclers are in a unique position within the community, while not a complete necessity, they really greatly improve the capabilities of a crafter, and scavengers alike.