Salvaging scrap metal is an excellent way to breathe new life into materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Recycling them provides you with a way to preserve natural resources and put them to better use. Here’s what you should know if you’re ready to repurpose your metals.

What You Should Know About Scrap Metal Recycling

What kinds of materials are acceptable?

The most common types of metals accepted for recycling include steel, iron, copper, aluminum, tin, and brass. These materials are often found in vehicles, soda cans, lawn furnishings, wire hangers, pots and pans, exercise equipment, appliances, and some kitchen sinks. Batteries, aluminum siding, wrought iron, and some roofing components also qualify.   

What are the benefits of metal recycling?

Once scrap metal is recycled, it’s processed into raw material that manufacturers in various industries can use to create new, viable products. Keeping these metals out of the junkyard is an excellent way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy that would otherwise be put to creating new metals since less energy is required to produce new material from salvaged scrap metal than from scratch.

How are scrap metals assigned a price?

It depends on the type of metal. Ferrous metals, such as iron and steel, are less valuable, so they’ll get you less money for recycling them —although you should still do so. Non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, brass, and copper, are more valuable and therefore will be assigned a higher value when you bring it to the scrap yard.

What happens when metal is recycled?

First, the metals are separated into ferrous and non-ferrous categories. They are then shredded before being inserted into a furnace that is designed to melt particular types of metals. Once melted down, the metal is then purified to ensure it’s free of pollutants, then solidified into bars or other shapes so that manufacturers can use them to create new products.

If you have scrap metals that you’d like to recycle, turn to the professionals at Holmes Iron & Metal. Proudly serving customers throughout East Spencer, NC, and surrounding areas, these professionals offer more than 40 years of experience dealing with metal recycling. The scrap yard accepts aluminum, copper, brass, tin, iron, and heavy melting scrap (or HMS) steel. Visit them online or call them at (704) 633-6119 to see what they’ll accept and bring them your recycling today.