Were you aware that scrap metal is one of the most valuable products you can recycle? You can not only help the environment by keeping it out of landfills you can also make money when you recycle it. Are you looking for different ways to get rid of scrap metal at your place of business?
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know in this guide to metal recycling for businesses.
Metal Recycling Preparation
The general rule of thumb is that the product you are recycling has to be at least 50% metal. If you have items that are covered by plastic but are mostly metal inside these are worth recycling.
Any items that have metal (even if it's a small amount) separate the metal if it's easy enough. A great example of this is a binder from the office. Remove the metal rings and add them to your metal collection pile.
Once you have your metal pile ready to be recycled search via Earth 911's site for a scrap metal recycler near you. Every company will have a different payout and some might have restrictions on how much metal you have to bring in order to recycle it.
Most of the companies will also require you to bring your ID when you recycle to help keep people from stealing scrap metal and selling it. Believe it or not, metal theft is a real problem in America. Things such as wires from construction sites, road signs, etc are stolen often.
Metal Shredders
Using a shredder is the best way for businesses to have their own metal recycling operation. Metal shredders that are well built will be able to provide efficient operation along with less sparking, low noise, and less dust.
If your company like Ajwengineering.com produces a lot of metal then opting for recycling it at your place of business makes sense. With a shredder, you can turn the metal scrap into smaller pieces to make it easier to dispose of.
Larger industries, like those that use top engines from https://www.wolverineengines.com, that are tasked with disposing of their accumulated scrap metal opt for recycling their own waste by sorting it and then shredding it to the size they choose. If they do it in house they can send it to a recycling center after everything is shredded.
The benefits of using a metal shredder are, of course, helping with recycling, saving space because all the metal is shredded, it makes the metal more efficient to be remelted, and the contaminants in the metals are eliminated. The contaminants eliminated increases the value of the metal and the quality of it.
Recycle Drinking Cans
Something that you want to make sure you have at your place of business is somewhere for your employees to dispose of their aluminum drinking cans instead of throwing them in the garbage with everything else.
Once the bins are full you can take them into a recycling center or use a shredder to shred all of the cans. There are some states that will pay you to recycle cans also. These states include CA, NY, VT, CT, OR, MA, ME, HI, MA, and IA.
Every state has its own rates and specific way of recycling aluminum cans. If you live in any of these states make sure to double-check your local laws.
Ferrous And Non-Ferrous Metals
Something else that you want to keep in mind when recycling metal is that there are two types. There are ferrous and non-ferrous. Non-ferrous is only 10% of the total material recycled in the United States but it earns more than half of the recycling revenue.
Any metal that is non-ferrous does not contain iron in it. An easy way to test it is with a magnet. If the metal does not stick to the magnet then it is non-ferrous. Typically these metals include brass, copper, and aluminum.
Ferrous metals, on the other hand, will stick to a magnet. These include things like steel and iron.
If you have a ton of copper or aluminum that is insulated you can take the time to strip it if you want. If you strip the wires yourself a scrap yard will pay double or even triple the amount of money because they won't have to do it themselves.
A wire stripper can cost between $10-$100 depending on how heavy duty they are. If you have larger loads of wire to strip then a higher-end wire stripper is best. If you have fewer wires then you can get away with a cheaper stripper.
Know Your Options For Metal Recycling
It is always good to know all of your options when it comes to getting rid of your scrap metal. If you have the ability to bring it into a scrap yard yourself then this is the best option to make the most money.
If you have large quantities and can't bring them to the scrap yard yourself then you can contact your local scrap yard and have them drop off a dumpster that you can fill up and they can pick it up when you are done. Make sure that you ask about their fees such as pick up fees or trucking fees.
Ready to Tackle Metal Recycling Like a Pro?
Now that you are aware of metal recycling and how to help mother nature by keeping metal out of the landfills you can start applying your new knowledge and help with this limited natural resource supply that we can't manufacture more of.
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