The possible death of a good man

Dennis de Waal was a metal miner, by which he meant he was particular about what he took from dustbins. Food of course, yes, well that was essential for survival. But he specialized in recycling metal and knew its value precisely.

Copper was best, lead nearly as good – but there wasn’t much of that around anymore. Raw iron was next, better than cast iron, and aluminum was pretty shit unless you had a big pile.