Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
After doing a ton of searching here, it would appear that everything that can be broken down is worth more in pieces than whole. Are there any exceptions to this that you can think of?
I am speaking of things that are actually scrap and that can't/won't be resold in another fashion, and I am ignoring the time factor.
Satisfaction is the death of desire.
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The problem is that there is no simple answer. Not only that but the answer will change individually depending on circumstances. What may be worth it now might not be worth it in the future.
And yet the simplest answer would be to learn for yourself through experience. That's how I learned. I kept spreadsheets to find the answer for me. I made notes of how much it was worth not broken down, then broke them down and weighed each category. And you can't ignore the time factor.
One more thing. There's also the aggravation factor, also known as the PITA factor. That also varies from person to person. There are things that might be worth my time, but if I catch myself using a string of "magical words," then it's time to employ the PITA factor and find something else to break down.
Thornton Scrapper
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Dont break down alum wound motors or transformers. Save some time by leaving them as is
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"Worth it" can mean a lot of different things to different folks. The short answer here is that only you can make that decision. The long answer: If you bring in low volume and have lots of free time, then breaking certain things down might be more profitable for you. It will also depend on how much space you have to store things while you break them down. You need to look at how much time you are spending breaking down vs how much return you see for it.
A perfect example is hard drives. I know there are many folks who break them down (which is think is insane, but to each his own) into stainless steel, clean aluminum, motor, and magnets. My yard buys them from me at 50 cents/lb with no board. If I break them down, I would still get around 50 cents/lb on the clean materials. The magnets can also be sold for a decent amount on ebay, but time is a factor.
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Don't forget the cost of blades on things that have to be cut or ground.
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
Some great food for thought there. Billygoat, what does PITA stand for? Definitely ran into some serious aggravation today. Had to turn the music up to drown out the cursing.
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Time and space always needs to be factored in...During our recent move I basically shut down operations and pulled all Craigslist adds but still was getting calls from regulars or repeat customers. Stuff that was picked up pretty much went straight to the yard because I didn't have time or the space to process it while moving. As much as it pained me to do it several washers/dryers, grills etc. ended up in shred without being broke down.
Forgive me Father for I have sinned. I am in a better place now and said my Hail Mary's and now it's time to get back to work.
Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesaler
Certified Zip-Tie Mechanic
"Give them enough so they can do something with it, but not too much that they won't do nothing."
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
How can you even have a meaningful discussion if you're ignoring the time factor? The time involved is every bit as important a part of the equation as the materials.Originally Posted by holedigger
Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
I'd say there's a line between "worth it, or not worth it", which will be different from one person to another, and even from one day to the next
Time might not be an issue while you're learning where to draw that line, but will most likely become one later on
Plus there will likely always be some afterthoughts of "wish I had" or "wish I hadn't"
Last edited by Bear; 01-20-2013 at 09:34 AM.
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