Here’s how to sell scrap metal For recycling!
If you’ve ever thought about selling scrap metal, there are plenty of places where you can find a lot of it. Across every state there’s literally thousands of tons of scrap sitting unused. That includes in auto garages, construction sites, even in people’s basements.
And in plenty of instances, that scrap metal is available for free, because it’s being discarded.
So doing some scavenger hunting in your city should offer you quite a few options for collecting obsolete metals. Then you can turn it into cash in your pocket with a recycling form like GLE Scrap Metal.
Scrap metal is literally all over the place – often simply being left to pile up, or being sent off to the junkyard. What a waste, especially since there is now a very high demand for scrap since it can be recycled and used to make new products.
And there’s also a concerted effort in most states to keep scrap metal out of landfills so it can get recycled instead. Recycling scrap metal enables all of us to reduce the need for mining ore to extract new metals, and that helps us preserve our natural resources.
So where do you find scrap metal if you’ve decided to actively hunt for it? You might be surprised at the places where an abundant amount of scrap is readily available. The fact is, you don’t have to spend all day driving around to yard sales.
Where can I find unwanted scrap metal to sell?
Currently, estimates are that only about 30 percent of all scrap metal is being recycled. That means there’s a lot of scrap out there waiting to be found.
So where does the ambitious scrap metal vendor go?
A good place to start would be an obvious one: Dumpsters. There’s likely to be a decent amount of scrap metal to be found within them, and that’s particularly true for dumpsters close to large apartment buildings, auto body shops, or other repair businesses.
Remember, everything inside the dumpster is being thrown out. So it’s free for the pickings.
Another obvious source for scrap is construction sites, which are likely to have plenty of extra scrap metal. Once you locate several construction sites, ask who the manager is and then find out if they’re willing to let you take any of their scrap metal off their hands.
Just be sure to check with the site managers first, and don’t try to presume what is and isn’t being used. Scrap theft is illegal.
But by speaking to those in charge of the construction company, they might be happy to let you clean up the scrap debris on their site.
Are there other kinds of businesses I can go to?
Next up: hospitals and medical clinics. There are so many metal-based items that medical facilities use – appliances, walkers, wheelchairs – that get replaced on a regular basis. If you contact the hospital’s administrators, those items may be yours for the taking.
Shopping malls are another possibility, particularly since they may have shopping carts that have been damaged, or old steel shelves that just got replaced.
Retail outlets, likewise, can be a good source as well.
Finally, if there are farm sites outside of your city, it’s worth checking to see if there are dump sites commonly used by farmers and ranchers. A lot of farms use old machinery and tractors in their operations that rust and need to be replaced.
Then there are tradespeople and repair shops to explore. That includes plumbers, electricians, and air conditioning repair technicians. Their sites can be a great source for all things scrap.
Remember, scrap metal comes in all shapes and sizes. It could be everything from a soda can to old wiring. It could also be bicycle parts, kitchen appliances, nuts and bolts, screws, or parts from a car engine. That’s a lot to look for.
What should I do first with my scrap metal?
Before you head off to a recycler, you want to make sure you do a few things first.
Go ahead and remove anything from the scrap that isn’t metal. For example, plastics, rubber or glass, since those won’t get recycled. Look carefully, because sometimes they’re hiding in there.
Then take some time to separate the different kinds of metals you have.
You can get the most value from your scrap by keeping the different scrap grades separate.
It’s also a smart idea to make sure your scrap metal is properly cleaned before you sell it. Too much dirt could potentially add extra weight to it. That can be detrimental to the melting process.
Once you’ve cut off non-metallic elements from your scrap, you can spray a degreaser on it. Especially if the item is greasy or oily. Then let it set for a half hour. A pressure washer is a great way to spray off the dirt.
After letting the scrap air dry, load it into your truck or trailer.
How to Sell Scrap Metal For Recycling
There are a lot of opportunities to collect scrap metal these days, since scrap literally is everywhere.
Scrap metal recycling is a fast-growing industry. And you can take the scrap you collect to a company like GLE Scrap Metal, which will pay top dollar for it.
Scrap metal is in high demand now. There’s a limited supply of metal available through mining. However, scrap metal can easily get recycled so it can be used in new products.
GLE Scrap Metal is a full-service, all-in-one recycling company. We perform environmentally-friendly processing and recycling of all base and precious metals. We purchase, process and re-integrate all recyclable base metals.
GLE then supplies domestic mills and global end-users with raw commodities to be transformed into new product.
We help ensure that materials that might otherwise get tossed into landfills won’t go to waste.
If you’re interested in collecting scrap metal to sell, contact GLE Scrap Metal today at 855-SCRAP-88 to request a quote.
Scrap metal truly is everywhere. You just need to know where to find it, and how to safely get it to us. If you have any questions about the process, contact us today.
