Is your household clutter starting to mount up? This may be your perfect opportunity to start recycling and turning junk into cash, all with the added bonus of helping the environment. You may be surprised to know that many of your common household items contain precious and recyclable metals.
Follow this quick guide to help you get started on sorting out your junk and makjng some very handy extra cash.
Check Out Your Stuff
Old and broken appliances provide a great source of scrap metal . For example, the unseen parts of dishwashers, air conditioners, pressure cookers, freezers and washing machines have valuable recyclable pieces.
Household fittings such as light strips, electric wires and pipe fittings can be turned into cash as well.
Get an Idea of the Value of Different Metals
A good starting point is to be able recognise the difference between ferrous (containing iron and steel) and non-ferrous metals. The reason for this is because of the significant price difference in the two types. Non-ferrous metals usually pay more by weight than ferrous.
The quick and easy way to detect the difference is with a magnet. The back of a simple fridge magnet is all you need. If the magnet doesn't stick to the metal, it's non-ferrous and worth more money.
Naturally, you will want to give precedence to finding non-ferrous metals in the first instance. So look out for the more valuable of these metals and where they are likely to be found.
Copper
A highly prized, recyclable metal which fetches the highest price. Copper is found inside refrigerators, air-conditioners and microwaves as well as in electric motors, circuits and plumbing fittings.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is considered to be non-ferrous even though it does contain a large percentage of iron but it also contains valuable nickel. Appliances and kitchenware are the most common sources of stainless steel.
Aluminium
Computer casings, window frames and bicycles are familiar sources of aluminium. Be aware that if there is any iron attached to these items, it is unlikely the full price for the aluminium will be achieved.
Brass
Some of the most common brass items you may find are in pipe fittings, taps, light fixtures and door knobs.
Don't Discount the Ferrous Metal Items
There is still money to be made from many common items with iron and steel content lying around in your garage. Scrap yards will usually take your dryers and heaters and other items that draw a magnet.
In fact, steel is the most commonly recycled material world-wide and is one hundred percent recyclable.
Decide if You Will Sort Your Metal
The majority of collection and scrap yards prefer, and will pay extra, for metals that are sorted by type and are free of any attachments.
You may feel it is worth some extra time to remove any insulating materials , bolts, rusty nails and other extras from the items.
Identify the Best Place to Take Your Metals
As a starting point look around locally for your nearest scrap metal yard. Your state government website is almost certain to have a recycling section and a list of scrap buyers and recycling depots.
Scrap metal prices fluctuate on almost a daily basis, so it is worth doing a little research to find the best paying scrap yard.
Reap the Benefits of Recycling
Not only will you profit from selling your scrap metal items, you can take satisfaction in knowing that you have made your contribution to saving the environment.
Recycling scrap metal helps conserve our natural resources from mining, reduces greenhouse gas and water pollution and reduces landfill from the dumping of metal. The recycling contributes a substantial saving in energy when compared to the amount of energy expended in manufacturing from raw materials. For more information, contact companies like Metal Merchants.