Why Should You Recycle Scrap Metal?
Numerous individuals don't realize that most scrap material could be reused and sold for money at nearby scrap yards throughout the nation, which would divert this valuable material away from landfills.
Many metal scrap yards deal with businesses that handle metals consistently. Construction and development organizations may possess huge loads of steel from building structures, electrical technicians may possess old wires and electric appliances, or handymen may possess aged or busted metal pipes and fixtures that require disposal. These same scrap yards that receive an enormous amount of scrap metal from these businesses, will still accept and pay for scrap metal from homeowners, even in small quantities.
Making the choice to take your scrap metal to scrap yards easy, you earn some extra cash while enjoying the peace of mind that your materials are not being placed into landfills.
How to Determine Metal Value
Deciding whether you have a ferrous or non-ferrous metal and isolating the two sorts is the first step prior to taking scrap metals for recycling.
The simplest and most basic approach to sort out what metal type you possess is to use a magnet. Any magnet will work.
If the magnet sticks to your metal, you have a ferrous metal in your hand. Ferrous metals include common scrap materials such as iron or steel. Ferrous metal isn't worth a whole lot at scrap yards, but this scrap material is accepted by almost all scrap yards, ensuring it will be reused and kept out of landfills.
Should the magnet not stick to your metal, you have a non-ferrous metal. Numerous basic metals such as copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, and bronze are classified as non-ferrous metals. These scrap metals are precious materials for recycling and are worth more cash at the scrap yard.
Once you know which type of metal you have, look for a nearby scrap yard and contact them to find out what metals they will take. Ensure you get information regarding their process and what they require, so you understand before making a trip. First-time sellers may feel uncertain about what to expect at a scrap yard, but don't worry it is an easy process. Give them a call beforehand for guidance and make sure your scrap metals are separated, as you will receive more money than if they are mixed together. Some scrap yards will expect you to drive up to their entrance and empty your metals onto their scale, while other places might have someone who will handle weighing the scrap metal for you.
Ferrous Scrap Metals
Ferrous metals such as steel and iron can be found in many products like cars, home appliances, factory buildings, railways, trains, ships, bridges, and agricultural machinery.
Ferrous scrap metal is considered the most widely reused material on the planet. The United States Geological Survey evaluates 65 million metric tons of steel and iron scrap produced in 2016.
Non-ferrous Scrap Metals
Non-ferrous metals include copper, aluminum, lead, tin, nickel, and zinc. These metals serve many purposes and keep their chemical properties through continued recycling and reprocessing. This characteristic makes non-ferrous scrap metals recyclability unlimited and essential to supporting natural resource protection.
Non-ferrous scrap metals are very precious. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries places non-ferrous at under 10% of the complete volume of reused materials prepared in the United States yet at over half of the entire value of reused materials exchanged.
Scrap Metal Types
Listed below are different scrap metal types, where each metal type is found, and reasons to recycle each material.
Copper Scrap Metal
Copper is a pliable metal with high voltage and thermal conductivity. Copper in its pure form is very pliable. Due to this fact, it is utilized in different metal mixtures such as brass.
In contrast to other metals, when copper gradually responds to oxygen it produces a layer of earthy-colored dark copper oxide that shields the copper beneath from additional corroding. Green copper carbonate can typically be seen in older copper developments. A great example of this would be the Statue of Liberty.
Copper is utilized widely in the electric and architecture industries. Because of this, each home will have a huge volume of copper inside its walls and electric appliances. Spots you would probably discover copper would be:
Electrical Wiring
Communications Cabling
Radiator Cores
Electric Motors
Electrical Equipment
Gutters and Downpipes
Expansion Joints
In spite of the fact that copper is a common metal, just a small amount is feasible for mining with current costs and technology. It is approximated that the obtainable reserves might only last for another 25 – 60 years. Due to this, recycled copper is a large source of copper today and will be vital to its continued use.
Copper is 100% recyclable with no loss of value, it takes fewer steps and utilizes roughly 15% of the energy needed to mine new copper.
Aluminum Scrap Metal
Aluminum is a silver-gray, soft, non-ferrous pliable metal. It is considered the third most bountiful element on the planet and an important metal in the earth’s crust.
The capacity for aluminum to be lightweight and have resistance to rusting makes it utilized in a variety of consumer products, and in broad use across the Aerospace business.
Aluminum is 100% recyclable without the loss of its main characteristics and utilizes just 5% of the energy that is needed to make aluminum from ore. Because of the volume of this metal and its capacity to be reused, it has greater demand.
Aluminum is considered one of the most common metals. It is utilized to make beverage cans, bikes, and in some cases automobile engines.
In your home the most widely recognized aluminum products would include:
Pots and Pans
Drink Cans
Mag Wheels
Car Parts
Window Frames
Doors
Ladders
Digging for aluminum ore is a pricey procedure that requires tons of electrical power and influences nearby wildlife and environments. Demand overall keeps on expanding causing a large interest in the metal, while climate change concerns and different obstacles make difficulties in mass mining of the metal. Take the time to recycle your used aluminum, which decreases the effect on the climate and diverts this amazing metal from landfills.
Brass Scrap Metal
Brass is a gold-shaded metal mixture that is comprised of copper and zinc. Brass is a pliable metal in contrast to bronze or zinc and because of a lower melting point, is a simple metal to produce bringing about its utilization for numerous home appliances.
The shade of brass is dictated by the volume of zinc in the metal mixture, with more zinc making a lighter-hued metal. As the zinc levels increment, the outcome is a softer metal, with the softest brass type being white brass, which is too fragile for general use.
Lead or silicone is regularly added to brass to upgrade its machinability. Brass with silicone can't be blended with brass scrap containing lead because of safety concerns and contamination.
In the home, brass is frequently utilized in areas where little friction is needed including taps, ammo cases, locks, gears, and bearings. Brass is most known for being utilized in musical instruments including the trumpet, tuba, horn, and saxophone.
Musical Instruments
Ornaments
Door Knobs
Plumbing Items
Electrical Items
Locks
Bearings
Ammunition Casings
Since brass is a metal mixture, the procedure for making brass includes the melting of copper and zinc, before the two are joined to make brass. This creates a huge manufacturing procedure from beginning to end, which could be largely decreased when scrap metals are recycled.
Steel Scrap Metal
Steel is a metal mixture that comprises iron and carbon. Steel has been a necessary material and its use goes back to the Roman Empire. In comparison to different metals, iron is weak and malleable. Steel gets stronger from the addition of carbon to the iron, however, it loses how malleable it is.
Steel scrap is very common and probably the most common scrap material in your home.
Bike/Bed/Trampoline Frames
Tools
Machinery
Appliances
Building/Construction Materials
Roofing Material Scrap
Steel Cables
Steel Beams and Pipes
Sheet Metal
Steel is a needed metal in all businesses. Because of this, it is one of the most in-demand metals when considering manufacturing volumes and recycling rates. Steel is one of the planet's most recycled scrap metal materials with an expected 60% recycle rate around the world.
Steel is generally cheap in contrast with different metals and it is accessible in plenty and thus could be a good method to earn additional cash for a heap of metal scrap.
Cast Iron Scrap Metal
Cast iron is a ferrous metal mixture that is melted and poured inside a mold. The primary metal mixture elements are carbon and silicon. Iron metal mixtures with under 2.1 – 4 wt% carbon and 1-3 wt% silicone are known as steel.
Cast iron has a lower melting point, resistance to warping wears well, and has great machinability. This creates extensive engineering implementations and utilization in bearings, car parts, grates, and sumps.
Cast iron is uncommon compared to steel but is still considered a common metal in the home.
Frying Pans
Sewer Pipes
Machinery
Old Automotive Cylinder Heads
Cylinder Blocks
Old Automotive Gearbox Cases
BBQ Plates
Lead Scrap Metal
Lead is a silver-shaded metal that is highly dense and a poor electric conductor. It greatly resists corrosion, which is needed for utilization in marine applications including fish sinkers and weights.
Lead has been utilized in certain paints, which causes some worry, particularly when identified with children's toys.
Lead is very dense to such an extent that it is regularly utilized to shield radiation from MRI machines with great success.
Lead has been taken out from numerous paints and different objects that might have included it in the past because of well-being concerns. Lead is still used in car applications involving mag wheel weights and nails.
Nowadays you are probably going to discover lead-in:
Fishing Sinkers
Solder
Mag Wheel Weights and Nails
Lead-acid Batteries
Bullets
Weights
Radiation Shielding
Lead Armored Cable
Most ore metals have under 10% lead. This is extracted, decontaminated, and consolidated into the pure metal that is regularly needed for production. This process takes a great deal of time and energy, yet also impacts the climate because of the connected mining tasks.
The creation and utilization of lead are expanding around the world. About half of the manufactured lead is made from recycled lead metal scrap. Making the choice to recycle your lead scrap helps to give back utilized lead into usable material for 35% of the energy needed for mining and refining lead from metal ore.
Stainless Steel Scrap Metal
Stainless steel (304 and 316) is a ferrous steel metal mixture, which has at least 10.5% chromium and is not magnetic. It resists rusting, stains, and corrodes like common steel. The volume of chromium in stainless steel impacts resistance to corrosion. Stainless steel has somewhere in the range of 13% to 26% of chromium once the metal is blended for corrosive resistance.
Some stainless steel (404 and 414) is produced with palladium rather than chromium. This creates less expensive stainless steel, which holds non-ferrous magnetic properties, but does not have the degree of corrosive resistance found in 304 and 316 stainless steel.
Stainless steel is found in many places today. Probably the most widely recognized spots to discover 304 and 316 stainless steel are:
Automotive Parts
Pots and Pans
BBQ Surrounds
Kitchen Appliances
Rubbish Bins
Sink Benches
Stainless Handrails
Marine Grade Nuts/Bolts/Flashings
A few of the common spots you will discover 404 and 414 stainless steel is:
Range Hoods
Oven/Fridge Doors
Dishwashers
Dryer Drums
Washing Machine Drums
As indicated by some worldwide examinations, the normal volume of stainless steel being used per capita is 80 – 100 kg for industrialized countries. This implies there may be hundreds of kilograms of stainless steel inside your home.
Stainless steel is 100% recyclable and 60% of a typical stainless steel object is reused material. Recycling stainless steel is crucial to the distribution chain and by recycling your metal scrap you help diminish the effect on the climate.
Looking to Earn Some Money on Your Scrap Metal?
Sourgum Waste offers small to large dumpster rentals for any type of scrap metal. If you only have a small amount of scrap metal, a dumpster rental may not be for you however you can still contact us to see what service would be right for you. If you do have a medium to a large amount of scrap metal our dumpster rentals are a great choice. Instead of having to lug the scrap metal to a scrap metal yard yourself, we bring you a dumpster. Simply fill the dumpster up with your metal at your own pace, give us a call when it's full and we will bring it to a nearby and competitively priced scrap metal yard where the material will be weighed. We will then transfer the scrap metal amount to you along with a certified weight ticket showing the exact weight of your metal, the type of metal, and the price per pound paid. Contact us today to see just how easy it is!
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