3 Tips for Understanding the Metal Recycling Process

Metals have become essential for our life on Earth because of their wide industrial use. We need them for making ships, planes, trucks and also cars and bicycles. And not only automobiles and means of transport but also many other things like household items. We use cutlery on a daily basis and many of our spoons and forms are metallic, especially knives. Though plastic ones are also available, metallic cutlery is for long-term use.

The most amazing thing about metals is that they are recyclables. So unlike many other things like paper and plastic, we can recycle metals multiple times without compromising the quality. Therefore, recyclable metal will offer similar properties as that of an unrecyclable one. This makes it good for the environment. In addition to this, you can use metal scraps and recycle the old ones to get things done at a relatively cheaper rate.

And here is what you need to know about the recycling process.

1 – The basics

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Scrapping yards won’t take any metal and also not any amount. They will have certain pricing and the minimum amount that you should bring. So if your old radio is not working and you wish to take the metallic scrap out of it, it is not right to visit a scrap yard.

First, you need to know what materials they accept and for what price. Furthermore, know about the minimum amount that you should bring. If you are looking for a place to send your metal and scraps, no need to look any further. Send them here.

You will also learn all the necessary information about them from this site. So whether you need to contact them or get to know more about them, you can do so easily while sitting in your home.

There are some general rules too.

It is better if you can bring only the metal part of the product. So if there are plastic parts, you can separate them. However, if you do not want to spend so much effort on it, you can simply send it to the scrap yard. They will do the work. But there is one thing that you should know which is that the product must contain at least 50 percent metal. Such products will sell quickly.

2 – Different types of metals

Another important thing that you should know is that there are various metal types. Therefore, it is not possible to throw them all on a burner and get your desired product. If you want to make something, the metals should be recycled only with their types.

Mainly, two categories contain all those metals.

1. Ferrous metals

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Ferrous is the word that is most commonly used for iron and also for steel. Furthermore, iron is the second most abundant metal present on our planet. Therefore, it has been widely in use for hundreds and thousands of years. Previously, the major use of iron was for making weapons. However, we now have a lot of things that contain iron parts but this is not important here.

What’s important is that ferrous materials are found easily. So if you are collecting metallic scrap and do not know where to start, you can begin from here. It will be easier to find ferrous materials because they have a strong magnetic attraction. So they will attach themselves to the magnets if they get close to each other.

This will let you differentiate them from other metals very easily. Thus, you will be able to categorize them without much effort. All you need to do is keep a magnet with your while collecting the scrap.

In addition to this, iron is widely used in many things. Whether it is household items or kitchen appliances like electric kettles, computers and even electrical wiring, you will easily find ferrous materials there.

Major sources of ferrous materials are;

  • Construction materials include electrical wiring, beams, and also rebar and ductwork.
  • Parts and products from transportation such as bikes, cars, rotors, and mainly railroad scrap.
  • Packaging material and also containers.

So if you wish to collect more ferrous scrap, you should target these sectors.

2. Non-ferrous materials

Non-ferrous materials are of great importance because they do not lose any of their chemical properties during recycling. Because of this reason, they are highly in demand and you can recycle them endlessly. Unlike ferrous metals, the list of non-ferrous materials is quite long.

They contain,

  • Aluminum
  • Zinc
  • Nickel
  • Tin
  • Copper
  • Gold
  • Silver

All these metals are also quite expensive. Therefore, they are a valuable category for recyclers.

Although you won’t easily find gold and silver in the scrap, they can sell really well. But still, you should not target them. They have a separate market because of their excessive use in jewelry products.

3. Non-recyclable metals (toxic metals)

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And lastly, there is a category of metals that are not recyclable. Although they come under the category of metals, they are not commonly found in everyday items. For example cadmium, uranium and plutonium. Their main category is toxic metals. Therefore, even if you plan to find them and sell them, you won’t be able to do so.

Firstly, because you cannot find them. Secondly, because no scarp yard would like to buy them.

3 – Your target

If you are just taking a start to metallic scrap collection, you need to take it slow. Although you can collect every sort of metal, it might become troublesome for you to separate them. Therefore, in the beginning, you should collect what is available easily. So you can target ferrous materials because you will need a magnet to find them.

However, as you move further and wish to make more money, you will need to start collecting non-ferrous materials. The main reason is that most of them have great value. You will get a good price even for the scrap. Copper is one of the most expensive metals that is used in industries. Mainly air conditioners and refrigerators use copper wiring for better and long-lasting use.