One of the most frequent questions we are asked is what sort of scrap metal we accept. The simplest way to answer that is to pass the “Magnet Test.” If you can stick a magnet to it, we’ll pay you for it. The secondary answer is the non-magnet test. Aluminum cans and Christmas lights aren’t magnetized, but we’ll still turn them into cash for you.
But there are some things that we don’t want.
Right off the bat, we don’t want anything that you’ve collected by less-than-honorable means. It seems that almost every week we see a report in the news about a construction site that has been ransacked for copper pipes and wiring, or someone stripping vehicles of their catalytic converters. When you enter our facility, we record your license plate number. We also employ a surveillance camera. Whenever a theft is reported in the Greater Richmond region, law enforcement representatives will reach out to us. We gladly report any unusual loads of building materials or car parts, and share what we have with them.
You will be caught.
Part of our mission is to get scrap metals back into the supply stream. Most every sort of metal comes from a finite resource, and it makes good environmental sense to reuse those resources as opposed to mining for new ones. That being said, we won’t accept anything that still contains liquids or gasses. This means transmissions full of fluid, air conditioning compressors, or anything flammable. The EPA has strict guidelines for how those materials can be processed or disposed of, and we take that pretty seriously.
How about a car? Mostly metal, right?
It is, but a car is also riddled with plastics, rubber and more. Those materials can foul or contaminate a bale of sheet metal or aluminum, and must be completely removed prior to recycling. We will gladly take the separated metal parts of your vehicle, but stripping it is up to you.
Mercury: Don’t want it. This is one of those EPA-governed materials, and is often found in old thermostats and light bulbs.
When you first drive into our state-of-the-art facility, something that you might miss is the pair of enormous yellow pylons flanking the entrance. These serve a perhaps unusual purpose: They’re radiation detectors.
Disposing of radioactive materials is a dangerous job, and numerous precautions need to be taken. And radioactive materials can come from some surprising sources. Many of the devices used in healthcare use them to perform scans and diagnostics. Radiation can be found in some reflective signs and even wrinkle-resistant fabrics. Schools and research facilities might use radioactive materials as part of their study.
If you drive through our doorway with radioactive materials, those pylons will sound an alarm and we’ll turn you away.
Just so you know.
There are hundreds of types of scrap metal that can safely be recycled, and thousands of places that you can find it. If we can responsibly accept it, we’ll make certain that you get the best price for it.
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