# WTC rubble **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 29, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453 "2001-09-29T03:57:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/1 "2001-09-29T03:57:53Z")
What’s happening to the all that steel? I hope not to be too ghoulish an idea, but I wonder has any thought been given, if it’s just getting landfilled anyway, to using some of it to make medals or medallions to honour and remember those who died? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/2 "2001-09-29T05:02:00Z")
No, I haven’t heard any such suggestions. You’re right, it would be pretty ghoulish. AFAIK it’s all going to the Staten Island landfill. [http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/23/inv.landfill.clues/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/23/inv.landfill.clues/index.html) People just want to put it all behind them and get on with their lives. Wearing some kind of souvenir jewelry made from the actual buildings wouldn’t be a useful way to “put it behind you,” IMO. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/3 "2001-09-29T05:11:51Z")
From what I understand, it is all going to landfill to be buried/disposed of. There is however early talk that a large piece of the remaining granite “facade” (the white part of the building you could see) that was remaining standing after the collapse would be used in a memorial. I think it would be tacky and ghoulish as well to make jewlery and sell it… although I wouldn’t be suprised to hear of some people scavanging the site where it is finally disposed of and selling pieces a’la Berlin Wall. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7bcc69/32.png) [@King\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/4 "2001-09-29T05:15:06Z")
Funny you should bring this up now, because I saw last night (28th) on the local WNBC Channel 4 here in NYC that some organized crime group had gotten their hands on some of the scrap metal [not directly from the site obviously, but wherever the rubble is taken to–but I thought it was being gone over by the Feds 😕] in order to sell it. I see nothing about it on their website. Maybe its just a rumor at this point but they did report it. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/5 "2001-09-29T15:26:33Z")
The steel is indeed going to be recycled: > **[A NATION CHALLENGED: THE SITE; Engineers Seek to Test Steel Before It Is...](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/29/nyregion/nation-challenged-site-engineers-seek-test-steel-before-it-melted-for-reuse.html)** > > Huge steel columns and beams of World Trade Center are being hauled off to be melted and recycled before engineers can inspect twisted metal, which they say could hold important clues on how to build safer skyscrapers in future; photo (M) (Requires free sign-up to the NY Times Web site.) ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/6 "2001-09-29T15:29:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \* > \*\*No, I haven’t heard any such suggestions. You’re right, it would be pretty ghoulish. AFAIK it’s all going to the Staten Island landfill. > > People just want to put it all behind them and get on with their lives. Wearing some kind of souvenir jewelry made from the actual buildings wouldn’t be a useful way to “put it behind you,” IMO. \*\* Why don’t we just pave Arlington National Cemetery while we’re collectively putting things behind us? The reason I throw the suggestion out is that it would make more sense to do something with the detritus in an official, organized way, rather than having it scavenged and auctioned off on eBay. That would be far more ghoulish, IMO. The proceeds could go towards various charitable and public purposes in the aftermath of the disaster, like funding a permanent memorial, scholarship endowment for victims’ children, whatever. I can understand though why people wouldn’t want to do this. But at the same time, it seems disrespectful to be hauling this stuff off to the dump like this. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/7 "2001-09-30T04:52:29Z")
It’s not being scavenged and auctioned off on e-Bay. Or on Yahoo, either. First E-bay said this: [http://news.excite.com/news/r/010913/14/net-attack-ebay-dc](http://news.excite.com/news/r/010913/14/net-attack-ebay-dc) > [@](#): > > eBay Bans Sale of All Trade Center Memorabilia > > Updated: Thu, Sep 13 2:19 PM EDT > > LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The online auction site eBay has banned the sale of all World Trade Center and Pentagon memorabilia after everything from chunks of rubble and bits of glass to videotapes of the disaster appeared for sale within hours of Tuesday’s kamikaze passenger plane attacks. > > The auction house eBay (EBAY) moved swiftly on the evening of the attacks to impose what it called “extraordinary measures,” saying it was acting out of respect for the victims, their families and the survivors. > > The ban covers legitimate items such as postcards of the soaring twin towers of the World Trade Center – a landmark now obliterated from the New York skyline – as well as more grisly mementos seized by bounty hunters from the rubble. Now I see that they are selling postcards, but not chunks of rubble. Also, first Yahoo said this: [http://auctions.yahoo.com/phtml/auc/us/promo/submit\_guidelines.html](http://auctions.yahoo.com/phtml/auc/us/promo/submit_guidelines.html) > [@](#): > > Guidelines for Items Associated With the Terrorist Attack on the U.S. > Out of respect for the victims of the terrorist attack on the U.S., we are currently not accepting auctions items associated with the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, or otherwise related to these events. And now they also are selling postcards, although not chunks of rubble. In order for the steel to be salvaged and turned into jewelry, somebody would have to take charge of it. I doubt whether there’s anybody reputable that you could find who would be willing to do that. The public’s scorn would be withering, no matter how many charitable trusts were set up, no matter how much good might be done with the money. This is a “throwaway” society, Lab, “out of sight, out of mind”. People just want it buried and forgotten, not around their necks on a chain. ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/8 "2001-09-30T22:03:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \* > \*\*This is a “throwaway” society, Lab, “out of sight, out of mind”. People just want it buried and forgotten, not around their necks on a chain. \*\* That may be so, but I’ve paid off a few bucks of my student loan thanks to the morbid, 1.5-centuries old fascination by many with the US Civil War. And the Franklin flucking Mint (sorry, Ben Folds) must have a market or it would exist. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2001, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/9 "2001-10-01T03:46:52Z")
Yeah, but the Civil War was 150 years ago. 9/11 was less than a month ago. “Time heals all wounds.” And the Franklin Mint deals with mainstream collectibles that are generally acknowledged by the public to be “neat”, if a little tacky. I don’t know anybody who would categorize jewelry made out of WTC rubble as “neat”. Maybe somebody ought to move this thread over to IMHO. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2001, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/10 "2001-10-01T10:53:45Z")
I’ll probably get flamed for this, but here goes… IMHO, they should recycle the steel and use it to rebuild. There’s kind of a comfort in knowing that part of the original remains standing. Kind of symbolic about the American spirit. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2001, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/11 "2001-10-01T12:06:56Z")
Flamed? Not from me, Dale. I like your idea. I’d also like a piece of metal from the WTC to have as a momento. Not glass or pulverized concrete but metal, something tangible to hold in my hand and physically link to the victims with. It would be my way of saying to the victims “I’m with you forever. I’ll never forget.” As with San Fran’s Marina district, I’d like to see the rubble used as an extensionary landfill for Manhatten that becomes the memorial park. After the 1906 (?) quake, they used the rubble to build upon. Considering Manhatten’s limited space, it makes sense to me both pragmatically and emotionally to move the rubble to the tip of the island and build a park. We’d create something from nothing right next to where the madmen created nothing from something. Just a thought. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/12 "2001-10-02T01:46:26Z")
i thought that perhaps they could use the glass and steel from the ruins to create boxes to contain dust and ash from the towers. to give to family members that will not have their loved one returned to them. they could then bury it, keep it, or scatter it, or even all three. the box would have an engraving on it with the date, name of the person, the tower, and perhaps an epitath. i did hear that the mayor of nyc is going to give some parts of the buildings to the family members the day after i mentioned my plan above to some friends. i’m a bit scared i’m thinking like mayor g. ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtc-rubble/84453/13 "2001-10-02T04:25:00Z")
Dale, I think you have a great idea as well. I like the attitude of: You can try to knock us down, but we will get back up. You will never keep us down.