Scrap metal and metal recycling are both becoming booming industries in the UK and throughout Europe and North America. A more educated modern society on the need to protect our environment is leading to an increased number of concerned homeowners beginning to put more thought and effort into their waste. Whilst most of us are used to recycling our tins of baked beans, there is an untold amount of metal that can be re-used that we never even think to keep from the general rubbish bins.
Depending on your local constituency and how you recycle your household waste, your options can vary differently across the country. Some neighbourhoods will be required to sort their recycling into a number of boxes (normally paper-based, plastic-based and metal-based) but some will be able to lump all of them together and have them autonomously sorted at a recycling plant. As mentioned before, household tins and cans for food products are almost universally recycled around the globe. Making sure that you wash them of their contents, you can almost guarantee that they will find their way into a second cycle of manufacturing.
One of the more surprising types of metal which can be recycled is bronze. Although it’s not necessarily thought of as “un-recyclable”, few of us will have bronze laying around the house for it to become an everyday issue. Bronze is commonly found in mechanical parts which require resistance to high levels of pressure, so you will likely find bronze fixtures if you’re renovating your kitchen or bathroom. You can also find recyclable bronze in hose couplings.
Copper is widely known to be commonly scrapped, it’s one of the most commonly stolen types of metals with illegal trade in mind. You can find copper in all of the electrical wires in your home and in industrial buildings. Tubing is often made of copper and you’ll likely come across some in the bathroom and kitchen alongside bronze. Staying with the plumbing, brass is another metal you’re going to find if you’re dismantling bath fittings or sinks. Brass is a very useful and common metal which is highly recyclable and you can find it most often in the drainage of sinks and in plumbing fixtures with lower pressure demands.
Stainless steel is a highly sought after metal by scrap dealers, who look for discarded car trims and hub caps to recycle the valuable and versatile metal. Common and industrial hand railing are normally made of stainless steel, along with beer and cider kegs often found at bars and pubs, though it is illegal to recycle them through a general metal recycling company.
Aluminium is something we’re all familiar and confident with recycling, most commonly in the form of drinks cans and takeaway food containers. Outdoor furniture is also normally made from aluminium if it’s light, along with gutters and drainpipes, modern car parts and power tool casings.
What most people tend to think of when somebody mentions scrap metal is the poor cars which get crushed. Scrapped cars are largely recycled for the iron that makes up the majority of their chassis and parts (if they’re slightly older.) Iron is also a widely recycled industrial metal, being found in one way or another in construction and machinery around the world.
There are more types of metal which can be recycled, some common and some surprising and rare. Make sure you contact your local recycling administrator if you plan on leaving metal out for the refuse collectors, to make sure you avoid being left with the metal yourself.
Here at Scrapco we offer both commercial and domestic scrapping services at the best prices, we are always looking for the latest processing equipment so our operation is the most efficient you will find. For more information on our services get in touch online and a member of our expert team will be happy to get back to you.