Anyone who’s ever sorted through a garage or cleaned out an attic knows what a pain it can be to get rid of things that are no longer useful. A long time ago, someone decided that they wanted people to throw away their empty tin cans, or old bicycle frames, rather than using or reusing them for something else – so the menace of recycling was born.
People can’t be blamed for not wanting to sort through their stuff every time they come across something that’s made of metal, but you can blame them if they let all that cool scrap metal go to waste!
What is Scrap Metal?
Scrap metal is a term used to describe anything – from an old house to an old car – that’s made up of metal and can be reused or recycled. There are certain grades of scrap metal that you should avoid using for any project. Generally, anything labelled as “scrap” is reusable, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
How to recycle metals at home
To help you recycle all the scrap metal you have lying around, here are some tips for how to do it right. Don’t forget that there are recyclers out there who would love your business!
First things first – take a look through what you have. Is it an aluminium soda can? That’s great because aluminium is one of the most valuable types of scrap metal there is. You can get around $5 per pound for it right now – which means that if you’ve got a lot of soda cans, or even just a few, you’re sitting on some quick and easy money.
Next: steel. Iron and carbon make up steel – and that means that you can recycle just about anything made of steel and get a reasonable price for it. Remember: if it’s rusty, you’ll need to give it a thorough scrubbing before taking it to your local recycling centre. Otherwise, they won’t accept it!
Older cars are made up of a huge amount of steel, and if you’re the type who likes to get out and wrench on their car, then you’ve got a great chance to make some quick cash. Scrap metal recyclers love old cars because there’s such a huge range of metal that can be taken from them – even the dents and dings can be melted down and reshaped!
Don’t forget about copper! Unless you’ve got a special copper item, like a Coaxial cable or those fancy electrical wires that snake through the walls of your house, most recyclers won’t want it. Make sure that if you have any copper, you separate it out from the rest of your scrap metal before taking it to be recycled.
Finally, there are aluminium cans. This is one type of recyclable that gets a lot more love than copper! Take them to your local recycling centre, and you’ll get paid a good price – but always make sure that you sort through your cans to ensure that they’re empty before taking them with you.
If you need help sorting out what you have or just want to find a recycling centre that will pay you for what you’ve got, then just give us a call!
345 Frankston – Dandenong Road, Dandenong South VIC 3175
(03) 9706 4909