What To Expect When Taking Metal To A Scrap Yard For Recycling

Recycling is becoming more crucial than ever, and taking metals of all kinds into a scrap metal yard is the best way to get rid of them responsibly. If you have a large amount of scrap metal, there are some things you need to understand about the recycling process and how the yard will want the metal when you arrive. 

Scrap Metal Processing

On the surface, a scrap metal yard may look messy and disorganized, but this couldn't be further from the truth in most cases. The scrap metal yard processes many different metals at one time, so stacks and piles of material are necessary to ensure they are not mixing materials before they go to the recycler. 

Separating ferrous and nonferrous metals is vital, and often the metal is graded and further separated by quality. When you arrive at the scrap metal yard with material to recycle, you need to follow the directions from the yard operator to ensure you are putting the materials where they want them.

Some yards will accept mixed loads if the materials are low-grade metals that they shred and bale. However, if you have a load of high-quality copper or aluminum, they do not want them mixed with lower-grade materials. These premium metals are used in high volume by recycling plants and are worth more money, so sorting them is critical to the process. 

Making Money With Scrap

If you are collecting scrap metal to try and make some money, you may want to spend some time talking to the scrap metal operator in your area to get a sense of how they want you to bring the materials in. When you arrive at the scrap yard, you will need to separate the materials into bins for each type of metal you have in the load. 

The scrap operator will weigh the bins to determine how much of each metal you brought and assign a price per pound based on the grade. A material like clean aluminum can be worth a lot of money, and the earning potential is higher when you take the time to sort everything properly. 

If you are unsure about a material, as the scrap yard operator for clarification. They can typically look at the metal and tell you which category it falls into and how to separate it to ensure the best price. The sorting makes their life easier, so most scrap metal yard operators are happy to help you get started. 

A ticket with the prices and weight is issued to you, and the office will pay you for the metal before you leave the yard. For more information, contact a scrap metal yard near you.

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