Getting rid of old, unnecessary metal can be a task. Metals are non-biodegradable substances and have to be melted down to be reused. Before taking metals to a recycling center, it is best to sort them out into different types. Do not worry if you are new at recycling non-biodegradable materials such as metals and have no idea how to sort scrap metal out. We have enlisted some tips on sorting out scrap metal to make the process easier for you.
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CHECK THE REQUIREMENTS
The first thing to do is to contact your local recycling centers to check their specific requirements. While most recycling centers take a wide range of metals in different forms, the chances are that they might have certain restrictions or specifications. So, it would be a good idea to contact the potential scrap yard that you will be dealing with in advance to check whether or not do they have any specifications or restrictions about any particular metal.
SEPARATE ‘WHOLE’ ITEMS
Separate the metal items that can be handed over to the recycling center as they are. Certain metal items, including car batteries, catalytic converters, and even vehicles, are expertly broken to extract as much metal as possible to process it later.
MAGNET TEST
The easiest and most popular way to check what kind of metal you have is by conducting a magnet test. The metal that sticks to the magnet is ferrous, and the metal that does not stick to the magnet is non-ferrous. Separating ferrous metal from non-ferrous metal will not only speed up the process of sorting out but will also ensure that you get the most out of your recycling service- both cost-wise and quality-wise.
IDENTIFY DIFFERENT KINDS OF METALS
Metals are of different kinds– ferrous and non-ferrous. Identify different kinds of metals like copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, lead, etc. Each of these metals belongs to will decide how they should be recycled and what value they will possess. The price value of the metal depends on the size and type of metal only.
KEEP SORTED METALS INTO DIFFERENT CONTAINERS
After separating ferrous metals from non-ferrous metals, you should separate the metals further into different categories to make the process even easier. You can keep the separated metals into various containers and label them accordingly. This will help you figure out and remember which metal will give you a better value at the recycling station.
SEPARATE CLEAN METALS FROM DIRTY METALS
Metals can get contaminated with rust, mud, etc. Such contaminated metals should be kept separated from other metals as dirty metals need extra processing. It is also better to separate metal pieces that combine more than one type of metal to make processing easier. Once you have all the different types of metals separated and kept in labeled containers, it will make the whole job of carrying the necessary metals to the recycling center way easier.
