You can make money out of trash, and scrap metal in particular. There are companies that buy these discarded items that are usually free to collect, to be sold later on. However, the process is not going to be simple and straightforward.
You can’t just collect metal you find at home or in some junkyard and go to a recycling centre like JandSMetals.com. While you may get paid something if you do it that way, you will not get the right remuneration for your efforts. There are things you need to know to make the most of your trash collecting and selling.
Picking the right metals
Different metals have different prices. You need to know which ones will sell at the highest rates. It pays to know the most valuable scrap metals. Generally, you should be targeting the following metals: copper, steel, aluminium, and brass. Copper is the most expensive among the common scrap metals. If you manage to get high-grade copper (bright copper wire), you can sell it for up to £4.60 per kilo. If it’s a low-grade copper, you can still sell it for around £0.25.
Another metal you should be looking for is brass. You may not be able to sell it for a price similar to that of bright copper wire, but it can fetch up to £2.90 per kilo. On the other hand, if you have stainless steel, you can sell it for £0.70 per kilo or £1.00 kilo if it’s 316 stainless steel, £0.55 if it’s stainless steel turnings, and £0.80 if it’s 316 stainless steel turnings.
Generally, non-magnetic metals are the ones that sell for higher prices. To make it easier to pick more expensive scrap metals, it helps to bring a magnet with you.
Cleaning and sorting your haul
In addition to choosing the right metals, you can also maximise the value of the metals you collect and sell by cleaning and grouping them. There should be no material other than the metal that comes with the scraps you sell. For example, if you want to sell copper wire, make sure that you strip off the insulation first. Buyers will drastically lower their buying prices once they see anything that adds unnecessary weight to what you are selling.
Moreover, you have to group similar metals of similar quality together. They are priced according to the metal type and quality, so it only makes sense sorting them. If you put together different metals, the buyer will most likely offer a price that is for the cheaper metal in the bunch. Likewise, if you fail to segregate metals according to their quality, the assigned price for the entire collection of metals will be that of the lower quality item in the group.
If you want to get the best possible prices for the scraps you are selling, remember the points briefly discussed above. You won’t need to exert a lot of effort in doing them.
Image: Pixabay.com
References: https://www.priceofscrapmetaluk.co.uk/
