Scrap metal includes many different kinds of metal, including steel, aluminum, brass, copper, and many other metals that you may find around your yard. Getting rid of the metal and making a little extra money in the process is not too difficult if you know where to take the metal.
Find a Recycling Center
The first thing you need to do before you can recycle any material is to find a recycling center or scrap metal recycling yard that will buy the metal from you. Most scrap metal buyers will take any recyclable metals that you have, but they often have requirements for the metal that can affect the price that they are willing to pay for it.
Most recyclers have grading requirements that they can give you that will spell out the kinds of materials they take and any special preparation you need to consider before taking material for scrap metal recycling. Often the yard that you are dealing with will accept different metals at different times, and if they get too much of one material in, they may not want to buy more of it or the price they are willing to pay can drop significantly.
It is a good idea to find several scrap metal recycling businesses. If the first one you contact is not buying what you have, you can check with a couple of other recyclers to try and find one that is offering a good price for the metal you want to recycle.
Sorting and Cleaning Scrap Metal
When you are preparing to sell material to a scrap metal recycling business, it is a good idea to sort the material by type so that when you take it in, the recycler does not need to take time to go through it and determine what you have for them.
Often materials like aluminum will have steel screws or rivets in it, and recycling it without removing them can reduce the grade of the metal from clean metal to dirty metal. The same can be true for copper wire with insulation or steel mixed with other metals.
Taking the time to remove and separate the metal can save a lot of time at the recycler's, and some scrap metal recycling centers will not take it if you have not sorted it before you arrive. Check with the scrap metal recycler you are working with before you take any scrap metal to them, and if you are not sure what you have, they can often help you determine what material you have and if it is valuable to them. Use these tips to start doing scrap metal recycling.
