4 Tips For Making The Most Out Of Recycling Scrap Metal

Posted on: 25 June 2020

Getting into scrapping metal for cash? These tips can help you make the most out of your earnings.

Organize Your Metal

One of the best things you can do is separate your metal and keep it organized. By keeping the metal in the appropriate categories, you'll be able to easily collect the metal and sell it to a scrap yard when you have a lot of it. The more of a single type of metal that you sell at one time will result in a higher value from a scrapyard. 

An easy way to sort your metal is in large buckets as you look for scrap. As you find the metal in the wild, place each type of metal in the appropriate bucket in your truck. The bucket will not be too heavy in the end, so you'll be able to easily lift it back to where you are storing your metal and dump it with the appropriate similar metal.

Use A Sorting Magnet To Identify Certain Metals

Magnets are a great way to help identify scrap metal in the wild. Consider buying a sorting magnet, which is a magnet that goes inside a metal tube and allows all the magnetized metals to stick to it. You can then retract the magnet from the tube, and all the metal objects will fall off and into your pile. It is much faster than using a handheld magnet that you need to remove items by hand and can help you find certain metals in big bins mixed with other materials.

Find Gold In Odd Places

There are some places out there that have gold that you may not be aware of. Many electronics have circuit boards that contain gold components on them, and if the item doesn't work, you can remove those components fairly easily. However, the key is that you are removing it from an item that is broken. You can often get a higher value for an item if it is in working condition and you can sell it. Removing the gold should be a last resort because the item it came from will be worthless. You may be surprised at how extra parts are often worth much more than the metal they contain. 

Watch The Metal Prices

It is a good idea to pay attention to the rates for metal at your local scrap yard and become familiar with what is a high and low rate. You don't want to take in your haul when the price is low. Don't feel pressured to take all your metal in on the same day, and consider selling just the metal that is going for a high rate. 

For more information on scrap metal recycling, talk to your local recycling site.

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