There are plenty of people who make some serious side-money recycling scrap metal. That being said, we often have folks who arrive at Bee Green Recycling thinking that they’ve hit the mother lode of brass. They’re happy to get paid, but frustrated when they learn that their collection of doorknobs and candlestick holders are alloys – a mix of brass and other metals. That lowers the value of their haul.
Likewise, we see people who have unearthed a huge chunk of old farm equipment or machinery and are certain that this rusted implement is going to load up their wallet.
Once we get past the rust and caked-in dirt, there’s not much metal left to be recycled.
So, how do you get the best bang-for-your-buck when recycling metal?
First things first: Know your Scrap.
When you get a hankering for red meat, you head to the grocery store. You go to the butcher’s counter and there it all is: ground beef, flank steak, ribeye, filet mignon… It’s all red meat, and all from a cow, but the grade and cut are going to mean a big difference in price.
It’s the same with scrap metal. It’s all metal, but different materials are going to bring different prices, and the quality of the metal is going to play an important role.
That’s part of the reason that it’s good to carry a magnet. This will start your preliminary search. If a magnet sticks to your scrap, it’s ferrous metal. This is scrap like stainless steel and iron. Generally, ferrous metals bring lower value than non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum.
Once you’ve identified a haul, take a moment to sort it out. Sure, it makes things easier for us, but also allows you to better point out the types of metal you have and get the best deal for your load of scrap.
Take a minute to clean things up.
If you’ve just dug something up from your yard, it’s likely loaded with dirt and other contaminants. This will impact the ability to recycle the metal, and make it harder to extract the pure metal needed. Perhaps you’ve just helped renovate an old office building. We have the tools to strip down computer electrical cables, but if they’re still wrapped in their plastic and rubber casings, we can only estimate the amount of actual copper in them. Having just the shiny copper from inside makes it more valuable.
If you’re trying to sell a used car, you’ll get a better price for a newer car than an older model. If you have two 2020 Ford trucks, you’ll get more money for the one that hasn’t been wrecked. In any case, you’ll certainly give it a quick wash and empty the trash from the interior before you show it to anyone.
It’s the same with scrap metal.
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