You may find it as plumbing pipes, roofing materials like gutters, and inside air conditioners. Electrical wires also contain copper; underneath that black or colored plastic insulation is bright colored copper wire. Copper is one of the most valuable metals to recycle. Aluminum is often painted, but unpainted, it is a whitish, silver color.
It bends easily if it is thin. Aluminum cans are often collected and brought to the scrap yards in bulk.
But cans are not the only use for this metal. You can find it in many places throughout your house, including gutters, siding, window frames, doors, and more. Although not worth a lot of money at the scrap yard, aluminum can be recycled and used again within a few months. You can often find brass in hardware like keys, door handles, light fixtures, and bathroom fixtures.
Composed of copper and zinc, brass is used often in plumbing fixtures and also at the end of copper piping. A mid-level priced item at a scrap yard, brass can add up quickly in weight because of how dense it is. Steel is one of the most common metals used throughout the world. You can find it in many places, from your car to chairs, shelves, cabinets, and more.
However, it is still wise to collect your scrap steel for recycling. Steel is one of the most recycled materials. It can be melted down and reused over and over.
Skip to content. By iScrap App Oct 27, scrap-money. A Magnet Assesses Metal Value Determining if you have a ferrous or non-ferrous metal and separating the two types is the first important step before bringing metal to be recycled. Recycling scrap metal helps to fulfill both a financial incentive and an environmental imperative. Read on to find out about the different types of scrap metal, the recycling process, and the benefits of giving metals new life.
Scrap metal recycling refers to the recovery and processing of recyclable metal materials from end-of-life products and structures so they can be reintroduced as raw material for the production of new goods. Scrap metal is categorized into two types: ferrous and non-ferrous.
Its natural magnetism is what gives the Earth a magnetic field. Because nearly all ferrous metals are magnetic, metal scrap yards often use massive electromagnets mounted on excavators to load and unload ferrous scrap from trucks and move it around the yard. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Precious metals like gold and silver also belong to the non-ferrous category.
Each of these has a wide variety of uses. For example, the U. However, prices for non-ferrous tend to fluctuate more than for ferrous metals. Unfortunately, not all scrap metal can be recycled, but the list of non-recyclable metals is exceptionally short.
It includes radioactive metals like uranium and plutonium as well as toxic metals like mercury. However, there are some metals or metal items that scrap yards will not take, often for liability reasons. Other items they may charge to take because it takes extra steps to process them. The process of turning your old soda cans, cars, or cooking pans into an assortment of brand new products is quite involved and fascinating. Here are the eight different stages:. Before you bring your materials to a metal scrap yard, there are a few actions you can take.
Then, as best you can, separate the metal from all other materials, such as plastic or paper. Afterward, you may want to use a magnet to identify which items are ferrous and which are non-ferrous. To help crack down on the theft of scrap metal, most recyclers require some form of identification. When you take scrap metals to a scrap metal yard near you, the materials first go through a weigh-in station.
At some locations, you can even stay in your car while a scale operator unloads and weighs your material. Curbside and public recycling services typically only take common household metal items like cans, and not the full range of recyclable metals.
Scrap yards use a number of different means to sort and separate metal, including visual identification, spectrometers, magnets, and electrical currents. The practice of scrap metal recycling can be traced back pretty far. Historians have suggested that ancient Romans would melt down bronze coins, using them to form new bronze statues.
The discovery of a hoard of Roman coins in Northumberland — dating back to the reign of Marcus Aurelius — suggested that locals were recycling coins into valuable jewellery or trinkets, then selling them back to members of the Roman army who were based there.
In fact, metal recycling and the military have a strong historical link. Over in Britain During World War II, material shortages made recycling a vital wartime strategy; metal along with other materials were donated by the public, with campaigns created to haul in as much scrap metal as possible so it could be used to create essential military equipment.
Scrap metal can be found in a wide range of everyday items, so those who may be moving home or having their house completely stripped out should be able to salvage a decent amount of scrap metal they can recycle. Manufacturers and industrial businesses regularly generate scrap metal materials, so the majority of scrap comes from businesses looking for an efficient way to offload their surplus waste.
Because scrap metal can be recycled and reused infinitely, the largest benefit of scrap metal recycling is the sheer amount of energy saved in production. Instead of creating new products and materials from scratch, recycled metals can be used. And while some energy is used during the melting stage, this pales in comparison to the amount of energy needed to create a new metal product from scratch.
In addition, scrap metal recycling companies will offer competitive rates for your scrap, meaning you can make some money while helping out the environment. Wilton Recycling operates an efficient scrap metal recycling service across Ireland. With our dedicated recycling plant located in Co.
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