I am in the process of cleaning my shop after 10 years and have recycle questions. 1) NiCd batteries. Do they pay me at the scrap yard for them or do I pay them to take them? 2) Scrap Metal. Does it pay to sort and strip or just let them have it as a mixed load? IE several motors (copper not stripped out), a dozen light fixtures with ballast, some cast iron, Briggs engine, and various car parts. 3) Cut metal. What length? I have many bent twisted cattle gates and panels. I plan to cut them with the saws-all to make them fit more compactly I the truck. I will have a full load with these and don't want to be dinged if I put the other stuff in there.
Ni-Cad and Li-Ion batteries in our area are collected by a recycling center because it's considered hazardous waste.
Definitely contact the yard. Steel here gets more if less than 4 feet. Nicas batteries pay 8 cents a pound. Really depends on place and if worth your time and gas.
The only batteries they take here is for the acid and lead in lead acid batteries. Rechargeable dry cell batteries HD and Lowes take. Battery & Cellphone Dropoff Locations | Call2Recycle | United States Definitely call the junk yard that you are going to bring it to. Or see if they have a web site. I put a cast iron wood stove out on the curb 2 or 3 years ago and it was gone within a half hour.
They will take motors, but you get more money if you strip the copper windings. Every yard is different, and some it even depends on which guy evaluates the load
unless you have a lot or do it regularly, take it as is and get the few bucks, by the time you strip the windings for a few cents extra, then when you get to the yard and find out they want xxx it is hardly worth it. one screw in the aluminum contaminated varnish on the copper #2 ......you get the idea
Strip and separate everything you can if pricing is what you seek. Mixed loads here get bought as flat Iron for $100 Per Ton. Bulk metal price is waaaaaaaaaaay the he'll down. Cut length doesn't matter for payment. Chit like that goes for weight.
A long time ago I worked briefly for a scrap metal place. I suppose it depends on the place, but here's a few thoughts (depending how little or much you care about the $$ you get for your time processing). Find a price list of the various metals values. A piece of copper ( for example) with a few pieces of junk metal soldered to it will most likely drop the value from a clean copper, to a mixed metal rating or equivalent. At the place I worked, a rivet in aluminum (or whatever) dropped the rating, and $$ you'd get. And then after you drive away, the guy pops out the rivet, and puts the aluminum in the clean pile.
Separate the metal types. - aluminum - copper #1,#2 - stainless - light iron - cast iron - cords/ wires - compressors - motors Don't waste your time stripping copper from motors.
Thanks for the input. I now have a little idea how to separate loads. Not expecting to get rich from the scrape, but would like to make enough to pay for the gasoline to take it to the yard and have enough to take the wife out to eat. Happy meals for both of us? The cattle panels are pipe and there is quit a few solid steel car and other parts. Probably make a load of good stuff and a load of mixed. It all is leaving here. I will have to check into the battery disposal. 10 years worth of defunct computers, TVs, printers and microwaves. The county does sponsor a few recycle day for these items, but it is not until May. I believe I have those solved. I was looking around and saw my skids. I made a couple of skid loads and hauled them around back. Out of the shop and I don't care if they get rained on. Throw away world. Item poops a month after warranty runs out. Cost 3/4 cost of new to repair. Pay the trash pick up people, pay someone to take what they don't take. We only take 4 bags a week. If you need more, we will bring a tote out for $$$$s. No wonder why I hate to clean up.
Been in the recycling biz close to 30 years. We separate Motors - electric and gas Clean and dirty aluminum Wire goes in barrels stripped and not We don't get enough heavy or cast to separate so it all goes in as tin which at times brings close to prepared. Nicad batteries are a no go here We do have a company that we ship Nicad to but don't make much $ after paying shipping costs. I've found that the extra $ to clean/cut metals really isn't worth it unless your unemployed have the time and need the extra cash.
This is true. I sold a trailer of aluminum radiators last month. 20 cents per lb clean. This means breaking or cutting all the plastic tanks off and making a giant mess of coolant and broken plastic all over the shop floor. They bought them whole for 5 cents. The price difference didn't even pay the shop laborer to clean up my mess. Let alone my time for doing it.
Right. The amount you strip off makes up some of the difference in weight/price . Might as well get paid for the plastic as pay the garbage man to haul it away. You would be surprised the stuff we pull out of Rolloff boxes that goes to the scrap yard and never a complaint .
Scrap is in the toilet right now. Pile it up in the backyard until prices swing. Segregate. Keep all copper. It's price just keeps going up.
Exactly they have it figured out within a few cents a lb. unless you just have time to burn, not sit on the computer and do something time, sell it as is. I do separate/prepare scrap but I do get a fair amount, mostly copper, it is my keep busy work when nothing else is going on I have a good amount of free time lately.
