Blog

06 Feb 2018

Interested In Scrap Metal Recycling? Here’s How To Sell Aluminium Scrap

by Dave
 

Just like gold and silver, less precious metal can be melted down, recycled, resold and repurposed. The idea of scrap metal recycling becoming popular in the early 1900s and was especially commonplace during World War II (when all the men were off fighting, leaving women and children to earn their own money). Aluminium is a great choice, as it does not oxidise or degrade over time, meaning it can be recycled and reused indefinitely.

If you want to sell aluminium scrap, you’ve come to the right place! In the list below, we’ve taken a closer look at how you can achieve this:

Find and Weigh It
Among the best places to find unwanted aluminium are construction sites, and you’ll often find that the workers are happy for you to haul away rubbish for free (it saves them having to deal with it). By building relationships with local contractors, you might even be able to strike up some sort of deal that benefits you both enormously.

You should always wait until you’ve collected at least 20kg of scrap before attempting to sell it, as this will ensure that you’re making a decent profit for your troubles.

Research Current Prices
By researching the current prices for scrap, you can gain an edge when it comes to contacting dealers and bargaining. Keep in mind that prices fluctuate according to market influences. Furthermore, different kinds of aluminium will be more valuable than others, so be sure to categorise and research the specific kinds you have collected.

Wheels, for example, tend to fetch a higher price than empty soft drink cans. Also keep in mind that online indexes can vary, so be sure to check several sources and call several dealers before proceeding.

Contact Local Yards
Scrap metal recycling facilities and yards are the best place to start when you want to sell aluminium scrap – they will buy it from you and then resell onto bigger, bulk-buying companies. As prices fluctuate, be sure to ask what they are currently paying for the types of items you have collected. You may want to hold onto your collection.

You should also ask whether they will pick up the scrap or whether you will need to have it dropped off. For drop-offs, some yards will require an appointment, so be sure to call ahead.

Customer Reviews
Whilst most dealers operate above board and won’t cause you any problems, there are some that are more underhanded in their dealings and should be avoided at all costs. Online reviews can actually be quite helpful when trying to determine the trustworthiness of a particular scrap yard that you are hoping to do business with.

Regardless of the yard that you ultimately choose to go with, it’s a good idea to look them up on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and other customer review sites just to double check.

 

As you can see, it is not all that difficult to sell aluminium scrap once you know what you’re doing. At the end of the day, you just need to ensure that you have properly sorted and categorised all of the different items you have collected and that you have found a dealer who is going to offer you the best price. Whilst the profit made from such efforts is definitely worth it, keep in mind that scrap metal recycling is all about doing what’s best for the environment.