Recycling Start-Up Questions

Hello, my name is Josh, this is my first post on here. I figured maybe you guys could help me with a few of my questions. I am a mechanical engineering student/business minor up here in Oregon with an idea for a business that targets modern recycling. But there are a few things I need to clear up...

Questions:
1) Do businesses doing curbside recycling usually take the materials and process them to the base materials? For example the ingots for aluminum. Or do they sort it and then send it to a place to process them.
2) If I have, for example, a lot of plastic, aluminum, and glass in the form of beverage containers. Is there a place I can take these and sell them each for the weight I have of them? If so, where are these facilities? Are there a lot of them?

There are other questions I have but I can't remember them at the moment.

Thank you for reading, I am excited to hear your answers.

-Josh

Please start by introducing yourself in the new members section. Once you do this, the forum, (community) will welcome you and provide specific insight. While you wait for response, use the search bar in the upper right hand corner to gain information on specific topics of your interest. Good luck and welcome to SMF.

63 people have viewed this and there has only been one reply? Really? That's discouraging.

I will try to give you some insight.........Plastics, Glass, Paper etc.... are usually not very profitable for an individual scrapper........You being a student perhaps focus on ewaste or general metal recycling to make some extra cash

Question 1. They typically recover them, look up material recovery facility. They also typically bale them.

Question 2. A scrap yard or end user depending on the amount.

Or...we're all viewing in hopes of seeing the reply of..

"Awesome, off to search for my answer while I await replies!"

If you get discouraged over this...the scrap world will eat you up. ;)

Good luck!

Sirscrapalot - Pointing to the water, but isn't going to drink it for anyone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mikeinreco

I will try to give you some insight.........Plastics, Glass, Paper etc.... are usually not very profitable for an individual scrapper........You being a student perhaps focus on ewaste or general metal recycling to make some extra cash

---

Thanks for the reply Mike. The idea actually is interesting in that I would not be making money on any of the materials. There is a completely different approach I am going for. I believe it has the possibility to immensely increase beverage recycling rates in the US. But those questions up there are really pivotal to the idea.

What approach are you going for? Recycling facilities for non-metal stuff aren't as plentiful as metal. Research your area for these. Be aware that not all plastic is created equally. Some is considered recyclable and some isn't. Don't guess which is which - ask the facility you plan to use. For instance, around here there is no place that accepts computer plastic - only numbered containers. If you can locate a facility for cardboard - be aware of the different types of cardboard and which are accepted - usually in bound bundles by the ton.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mick

What approach are you going for? Recycling facilities for non-metal stuff aren't as plentiful as metal. Research your area for these. Be aware that not all plastic is created equally. Some is considered recyclable and some isn't. Don't guess which is which - ask the facility you plan to use. For instance, around here there is no place that accepts computer plastic - only numbered containers. If you can locate a facility for cardboard - be aware of the different types of cardboard and which are accepted - usually in bound bundles by the ton.

---

I should have cleared that up in the original, but I am specifically considering beverage container recycling in whatever form it may be, plastic, aluminum, glass.

Beverage recycling? How does that work?

many of the answers to your questions are on the board in past threads IF you would take some time to READ.

The quick answer for you (while you hit that search bar for past threads):

1) Do businesses doing curbside recycling usually take the materials and process them to the base materials? For example the ingots for aluminum. Or do they sort it and then send it to a place to process them.

NO, companies picking up recycling and other trash are in the business of that...TRASH....they SOMETIMES do sorting, but generally do not. If they do, then they most certainly take the recyclables to the appropriate scrap yard or other buyer of whatever material...basic business 101...you do what you are good at and let others do what they are set up to do. It is EXPENSIVE to set up recycling centers on a massive scale, so you just sell your material to those companies and go pick up more materials.

2) If I have, for example, a lot of plastic, aluminum, and glass in the form of beverage containers. Is there a place I can take these and sell them each for the weight I have of them? If so, where are these facilities? Are there a lot of them?

Yes, there are buyers for ALL those things...no idea if any are near you....Google will be your friend or the phone book. Aluminum can be recycled in any scrap yard and they will buy it....if you really have alot, then YES baled makes it easier to transport for you. Baler can run $3K-50K depending on how big you want the bales to be ect. Glass - FEW buyers and lower rates of course...you need massive amounts to make real $$$ with that, BUT there are smaller scale crushers to make it into basically crushed or powdered glass...ie easier to transport. Plastic...depends on the type of plastic...ABS = low payout, CLEAN clear drink containers = more money, similar to a bit more than steel prices...ie you need ALOT of it....they generally want it baled in 1000 lb bales and generally want a tractor trailer load at a time to be worthwhile. Again, balers are your friend here.

That is the simplified answers for you....you need to spend a month or so READING everything on here PLUS in some other sources to really get a good clue for the industry. People EXPECT that you put the effort in and then they will help you with questions....not before...just some friendly advice. I read about 80% of the old threads before I started posting...and I know quite a bit about ewaste and had a pretty technical background and could offer alot of advice to people on here, but I DID my homework FIRST before I started spouting off stuff to them.

Good luck with your research....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mick

Beverage recycling? How does that work?

---

Ask Sirscrapalot...pop the top, drink and then "recycling" happens! LOL

Sorry, couldn't resist!

I don't think many people form ingots of anything at their home. Maybe some people who refine precious metals, but from what I read melting down other metals is generally considered a bad idea. Most places wont accept copper if it's melted. The only place I know of where people can sell melted down non precious metal is e-bay where some people sell bullion of various types of metals. I'm not sure why people buy them. Maybe they like the way the look or they think they are a good investment? I'm guessing that your idea is some way for people to process materials at home. Some stuff like that was talked about awhile back.

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/non-m...tle-baler.html

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...tml#post204691

Just like in school the info is all here. We4 don't call it he library or Text book, or lecture. we call it the archives. Access is just seconds away, in the upper right corner.

lol WBSTS

So there you go, several good answers, with the majority telling you what Patriots did. Take some time to read the archives. If you sit about waiting for answers, your going to be here awhile. ;)

We're not trying to be rude, but we've all been down this road. There's several sections to make your life easier researching...the plastic recycle section, the cardboard one, an of course metal an Ewaste.

Visit them, read them, treat it as your 1-2-3 study guide. Like WBSTS I read a bajillion threads before I posted anything other then a intro.

Gotta pay your dues, an around here that means digging into the archives my friend. It'll pay off way more then sitting here hitting refresh an awaiting replies.

Once again...Good luck.

Sirscrapalot - "I am not a vegetarian because I love animals; I am a vegetarian because I hate plants." - A. Whitney Brown