How to Save Scrap Metal at Home
The scrap metal industry has been around for some time. From an environmentalist point of view, it is a good course which helps conserve our environment for future generations. You neither have to be an environment aware person nor do you have to make it your career to get involved. Your scrap metal at home you often toss in the trash bin at home could generate some cash for you when stored to a considerable quantity. Here is how you can save metal for scrap at home:
Store each type of metal in a separate container
You need separate containers for storing the different kinds of metals preferably wooden or cardboard boxes. Nonferrous metals such as copper and aluminum fetch higher prices than ferrous metals like iron and steel. They should be sorted and stored separately. Ferrous metals draw a magnet to them. Hence they can be sorted from the nonferrous using a magnet.
Strip scrap copper wires before storage
If you have plastic-coated wires to scrap, make the effort to strip them before storage. Stripped copper metal will fetch a better price than coated one hence this is a good idea. It also consumes less of your storage space and is less bulky. Copper is more expensive than most other metals common in the household, therefore, store it separately.
Clean your scrap metal
Clean your scrap metal by removing any attachments and paints to sure that you get the grade one value for your metal. Household aluminum (from cooking pans for instance) may have plastic or wooden handles while copper might have brass attachments. These are considered as impurities and lower the value of your scrap metal.
Dismantle your broken appliances when scrapping them
When scrapping old or broken appliances at home, separate all the components and sort them carefully. Clean them and store each type of metal separately. Taking the intact to the scrapyard will only get you a bad deal.
Compress what you can to save on space
To save on the amount of space you use on storage compress what you can. Step on beer or soda cans for instance. Compress copper wires by applying pressure to them. Besides saving on the storage space needed, this also makes transportation to the scrap yard much easier.
Use safe storage
Store your scrap away from thieves in a safe place, preferably a housed shelter. Storing your scrap metal in your backyard increases the risk of losing it.