Did you know you can make money from recycling your scrap metal such as aluminium cans, copper, appliances, and motors? Besides the added dough, recycling metals helps our environment to reduce greenhouse gases and depletion of natural resources.
A 2011 UN Study revealed:
“Less than one-third of some 60 metals studied have an end-of-life recycling rate above 50 per cent and 34 elements are below 1 per cent recycling, yet many of them are crucial to clean technologies such as batteries for hybrid cars to the magnets in wind turbines, says the study.”
What is the environmental impact of scrap metal recycling?
Recycling metal has significant environmental and economic impacts.
- In 2011, the scrap recycling industry generated $113 billion and supported 138,000 jobs in the United States.
- Metal recycling conserves natural resources. “Recycling one ton of steel conserves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone. Recycling a ton of aluminum conserves up to 8 tons of bauxite ore and 14 megawatt hours of electricity.”
- Metal recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions since it uses less energy to create than virgin ore.
How do I recycle?
Over the years, I accumulated scrap copper, old metal motors from household appliances, metal pipes, and other assorted metal pieces. You would be surprised how much metal you accumulate. I keep a small container in my garage near my recycling to accumulate my metal goodies.
When the pile gets too big, I put it in the car and head to the nearest scrap metal recycling center. You can find your nearest center here. Alternatively, you can search for listing under the word, “metal” in Earth 911’s directory.
I took my old washing machine to the scrap metal center. Hubs grumbled the whole time saying I was spending more money in gas then what I would get for the washing machine. Well he was wrong. I received $25!
Bear in mind, you might only receive a couple of bucks when you have a light load. Heck, it is better than throwing it in a landfill.
Just an FYI. I have been at the recycling center and saw people bring in broken brass lamps, aluminum cans by the 100s, wire, and pipes. If it is metal, it can be recycled.
So how do you know what you can recycle?
Each center has different rules, but the rule of thumb is
- aluminium like gutters and cans
- copper
- stainless steel
- steel pipes
- appliances
- motors
- electronics
Read here for a detailed list of the types of metal that can be recycled.
Basically, I take my basket of metal, and the center sorts through it. If they don’t want an item, I bring it back home and figure out how to get rid of it.
How do you know which type of metal you have?
Take a magnet. If it sticks to the “metal” it is ferrous metal such as steel or iron. However, if the magnet doesn’t stick, you have a non-ferrous metal such as copper, stainless steel, lead, zinc or bronze. These metals are more valuable and will get you more money.
Don’t Stop at Metals. Think about Electronics.
In 2011, more than 4.4 million tons of used electronic equipment were recycled. More than 70% of the material contains specific grade commodities including scrap metals, plastic, and glass.
If you decide to recycle your electronics at a scrap metal place, make sure they are certified by a third party such as CertifyMeRecycling or a responsible recycler as to how they dispose of the materials.
For information as to why electronic recycling is so important and where to recycle or give away, read here.
Join the Conversation
Do you recycle your scrap metal?
Tiffany (NatureMom) says
This is big in my neck of the woods. People scout yard sales and garbage pick looking for scrap metal. 🙂
Anna@Green Talk says
Tiffany. I have seem people bring a ton of household products for scrap. Anna
Phil @ paper briquttes says
We have a scrap metal facility right next to a steel works. I take my scrap metal there and i get paid which is great. More importantly you can actually see how the old bits of scrap metal are made into rebar and angle iron for the construction industry.
Anna@Green Talk says
Phil, that is so cool. I wish my scrap metal facility made the scraps into something. Anna
Deb says
We have an annual spring Citywide Curbside Cleanup Program in our community. We can put out pretty much anything we have in our home then the recyclers will pick up what they can recycle. I was looking at the stats for 2013 and they picked up 14 tons per year. Impressive!
Anna@Green Talk says
Deb, what a great idea especially since we don’t know what recyclers will and won’t take. Anna
Chelsey says
I didn’t know recycling scrap metal had those kinds of benefits on the environment! That is amazing. There is a house in my neighborhood that has a bunch of junk cars, metal waste, and lumber that has not been preserved from the elements. I bet they could make a small fortune on recycling the stuff they have hoarded for the last 30+ years.
Paul Langley says
This is some really important information for those who don’t realize how effective metal recycling is at conserving the environment. I had no idea that it could remove the emissions of so much gasoline, and recycling a fridge prevents the creation of 566 POUNDS of CO2 emissions! That is baffling to me. And this is a really helpful guide for finding a location and taking what you have to be recycled. Thanks so much for writing!
Hazel Owens says
I think that recycling metal is a great thing to do. You can get some extra money for recycling your old stainless steel appliances or copper wires, and you save natural resources in the process. Like you said, recycling one ton of steel preserves a lot of iron, coal, and limestone, so it’s beneficial to you and the earth to recycle. Thanks for the information!
Scott says
I didn’t realize that 70% of electronic equipment contains scrap metal that can be recycled. I can see why it would be important recycle any old electronic devices. I’ll have to remember this the next time I get an upgrade.
Burt Silver says
My wife and I recently did a remodel, and we have a lot of scrap sitting in our backyard as we try and figure out what to do with it. I love the idea of selling it to have it recycled. I had no idea that the scrap recycling industry supported so many jobs. That is just another great benefit of recycling scrap metal.
Annika Larson says
I have always supported the idea of recycling, but I did not realize it can be a great financial booster as well! Copper wire is so valuable, and I’m pretty sure I have plenty of that sitting down in my basement. I love the idea of using a magnet to determine what kind of metal you have. Thanks for the great suggestion! After reading this article, I’m convinced that recycling is the best way to go! It’s a win-win situation for all! Thanks again for sharing.
Christina says
That $113 billion figure suggests that there is a large impact being made, at least in the economic sector. You have a nice point about the practice conserving natural resources.
Ridley Fitzgerald says
Thanks for the tips for recycling metals. We have a lot of left over copper wire from some of our home projects, and I wasn’t sure what do do with it. It’s good to learn that copper is included in the rule of thumb!
Mark Murphy says
I never knew that you can recycle electronics to benefit the environment! My wife is very environmentally conscious, and she is always trying to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint. I will be sure to look around the house for any electronics that we can recycle!