We get asked a lot of questions about what items we accept. Our general rule of thumb is that if it’s metal, we’ll take it. But we DO have exceptions.
For example, we’re often asked if we’ll take a scrapped vehicle. We’ll certainly take most of the vehicle parts, but not the whole thing. We don’t want the seats, glass, or carpeting and headliner. We don’t recycle tires, and don’t want to deal with the fluids. For the last 30 or so years, most vehicles contain a lot of plastic parts, and those will pollute our recycling stream, so none of that.
We also avoid things that are radioactive.
Weird, right?
Many medical devices (think of those that perform scans or diagnostics) use radioactive materials. Also, metals and piping from drilling for water or oil will often cross through a layer of naturally occurring radioactive material.
Skip those.
While we deal in scrap metal, as a public service, let’s talk about things you should simply not recycle.
While it’s a good idea to recycle cardboard, you should avoid food containers. The grease and food residue is hard to remove, and can contaminate their recycling stream.
Aerosol cans? It’s hard to completely empty them and their contents are often flammable or explosive. Batteries are the same, and should only be handled by battery experts. Light bulbs are often filled with mercury – another potentially hazardous material.
Plastic bags? Absolutely not. Most recycling processes are automated, and plastic bags get tangled in everything.
The good news about our segment of recycling is that most everything we deal with will pay you for your scrap. Things like copper and steel are hard to mine and smelt, and recycled materials make that process easier.
The best bang for your buck? Aluminum. When you look at “virgin” aluminum – that is aluminum that has been freshly mined – it takes a ton of energy to get it. It takes about 5% of that energy to convert old aluminum into new. It’s also 100% recyclable, which means when we pay you for a pound of aluminum it’s going to be turned into a pound of new aluminum.
Pick and choose. Recycle smart. And bring us the good stuff.
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