Metals are materials that can be recycled without reducing or losing any of its properties. Recycling scrap metal has been one of the most lucrative practices because the metal is present in numerous items or products we use in our daily lives.
Understandably, many people are getting into the business of collecting scrap metal. No matter where you are, be it in the high streets of New York or in the Utah valleys, here is a guide to where you could buy valuable junk from items or scrap car that is up for disposal:
Neighborhood
Automotive repair shops usually have lots of car parts lying around and most of them are made of aluminum. Chances are they hire haulers to get rid of all the junk. Be sure to be around before the good pieces get ditched.
You can find copper in electrical wires and components, so watch out for your local electrician’s little shop down the road.
Retail stores often do remodeling and usually get rid of old shelving, metal baskets, and shopping carts. Be visible and let them know you are around to haul off any unwanted scraps.
You should also be on the lookout for wrecking yards behind local warehouses, as these could be a haven of scrap iron and steel. Pipes and gas heaters are made of iron and frequently spotted in these yards. Who knows, you may even find a brass fixture or two.
Dumpsters
Who knows what you can recover from dumpsters? The best ones are those near auto repair shops.
Ads
Yes, advertise. Post locally or online that you are offering free pullout of scrap metal in the area.
The next question is what to do with all the scrap metal you collected. You now sort the metals according to type. Sorting can be done using magnets or by observing color and weight to determine the type of metal. Increase the value of your items by making sure you end with clean metal pieces.
The materials are then processed, melted, and solidified to restore them to their raw material state. Aluminum is converted into sheets while steel could be turned into blocks. This way, it is easily recognizable and ready to take on its new shape and use.
These metal bars are what you can sell to factories and ready to be used in manufacturing. Nowadays, however, recycling has gone increasingly difficult as most modern products use a wide variety of metals in minute proportions, making it tricky to separate the materials and process them back into their raw form. An example is one tiny electronic gadget such as a cellular phone that contains almost a hundred different elements.
Almost every type of metal is recyclable, but the challenge remains in not being able to recapture scrap materials for recycling.
The scarcity of metals could lead to higher prices of products that contain them. These include old cars rusting in backyards, grandma’s old stove and microwave oven, soda cans all around you. Get them and make every part count.
