What other types of things can I collect or recycle for exchange of money?

Hi I have been collecting aluminum cans and steel cans and lids for a year or so I am 20 and a part time janitorial so I am starting to get cans. It just simply gives me something to do, I don't think my Parents really understand it.

I would say I have about 2000-3000 aluminum cans smashed and around 300-500 steel cans smashed give or take I will probably end up turning them in for money. i also have metals that i dont even know what kind they are. not sure how i would sort some of these odd metals. I am in Indiana



I was going to ask because I have only really collected metals.. What other types of things can I collect or recycle for exchange of money? like plastics or something? If you could give me a list I would appreciate it. and anything else

thanks

If you are close to Nashville, Tn. I will give you all of my plastic. FREE!!

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What other types of things can I collect or recycle for exchange of money?

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Electronics
Pallets
Plastic (some places)
Buy-sell furniture, free from Craigslist
Do haul- aways, cleanouts of repo's
Haul away left over yard sale items, put in consignment.
That's a start.

thanks for the replies. nice cat

As far as identifying other metals ,get in the old threads do some research.

First: Be on the lookout for a good magnet. For now, use a refrigerator magnet. If you get into scrapping you'll come across a nice one for sure. I have a stash of magnets that I found in an elliptical wheel motor thing - they are super strong. Computer hard drives also have 2 small, super powerful magnets in them. That magnet will tell you if something is ferrous. Generally, ferrous metal, such as steel/tin cans, are worth between $4 to $8 per 100lbs depending on the economy. This can be cumbersome to collect as it takes up lots of room and it's pretty dirty.

Second, buy a really good set of screw driver bits from harbor freight tools. You'll come in contact with more types of screw heads, that'll leave you scratchin' your head.


Things to collect, that are not magnetic, include:
- Copper wire (do research as to what #1 and #2 is) Generally, copper will get you from $0.60 to $3 / lb depending on the type.
- Insulated copper wire Generally, this will get you 0.60 / lb
- Brass (faucets) usually fetches around 0.60 / lb.
- Aluminum cans, doors, windows, ladders, LCD monitor backings, etc etc. Generally, aluminum will get you 0.50 / lb
- Motors (from dishwashers, washers, dryers, microwaves, anything that moves) can get I think 0.10 / lb
- Electronic circuit boards - Computer boards I'd recommend to sell using B*****], and not your scrap yard. This is because you can get $3-$6 / lb for computer boards and my yard only gives 0.06 / lb for boards. You can also pick aluminum heat sinks, and copper off boards. It's time consuming.

Consumer grade plastic will not sell in my area unless you are a large collector such as a recycling corporation. No one has ever returned my calls or emails, so I just toss my plastic with my trash. But believe it or not, that stuff is worth money, but the buyers do not want to waste time with small-time guys like me. They want to buy plastic by the ton, not by the pound. NPR has run several stories recently about how corporations are struggling to make money from the blue recycle bin pick ups because plastics used in product packaging is down, and consumers are putting non-recyclable material into the bins, slowing the sorting process. It's interesting stuff, I think.

I pick up almost anything because I have the time, and do not mind spending it, to scrap. I like microwaves. I use them as storage boxes for small shred metals like screws and just odds and ends. I LOVE dryers because they always have lose change in them, guaranteed. Radios, vacuum cleaner cords, TV cords (DO NOT pick up CRT TV's, the CRT glass contains lead), LCD monitors, bread makers, refrigerators, honestly, anything that can be plugged in (that's not smelly and in deplorable condition) I'll pick up. I personally do not pick up pure magnetic scrap if it does not contain other metals, such as copper wire or a motor, so I might let a beach chair pass me by, but I would pick up a treadmill. The only time I pick up just magnetic 'tin' scrap is if I am making a yard run that day. I do pick up cast iron, such as lifting weights - that's an easy way to add tonnage to your load - a few Golds Gym 45's!! Oh yea baby!! I don't get into gas motors such as lawn mowers - messy and I think hard to break down. Bicycles are just awkward shaped, and I find that takes up valuable space in my SUV when I make a scrap yard run, so I don't really pick those up. I like compact, or compactable, items.

More advice:
1.) Good luck.
2.) Be patient - you will not get rich, but you'll always have a nice stash of cash for errands.
3.) Welcome to scrapping.

Magnets are our friends.
If it sticks, put it with your soup cans.
If it doesn't stick - Aluminum, brass, copper, some stainless and most cats.

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Originally Posted by FLScrapperGuy1

First: Be on the lookout for a good magnet. For now, use a refrigerator magnet. If you get into scrapping you'll come across a nice one for sure. I have a stash of magnets that I found in an elliptical wheel motor thing - they are super strong. Computer hard drives also have 2 small, super powerful magnets in them. That magnet will tell you if something is ferrous. Generally, ferrous metal, such as steel/tin cans, are worth between $4 to $8 per 100lbs depending on the economy. This can be cumbersome to collect as it takes up lots of room and it's pretty dirty.

Second, buy a really good set of screw driver bits from harbor freight tools. You'll come in contact with more types of screw heads, that'll leave you scratchin' your head.


Things to collect, that are not magnetic, include:
- Copper wire (do research as to what #1 and #2 is) Generally, copper will get you from $0.60 to $3 / lb depending on the type.
- Insulated copper wire Generally, this will get you 0.60 / lb
- Brass (faucets) usually fetches around 0.60 / lb.
- Aluminum cans, doors, windows, ladders, LCD monitor backings, etc etc. Generally, aluminum will get you 0.50 / lb
- Motors (from dishwashers, washers, dryers, microwaves, anything that moves) can get I think 0.10 / lb
- Electronic circuit boards - Computer boards I'd recommend to sell using B******, and not your scrap yard. This is because you can get $3-$6 / lb for computer boards and my yard only gives 0.06 / lb for boards. You can also pick aluminum heat sinks, and copper off boards. It's time consuming.

Consumer grade plastic will not sell in my area unless you are a large collector such as a recycling corporation. No one has ever returned my calls or emails, so I just toss my plastic with my trash. But believe it or not, that stuff is worth money, but the buyers do not want to waste time with small-time guys like me. They want to buy plastic by the ton, not by the pound. NPR has run several stories recently about how corporations are struggling to make money from the blue recycle bin pick ups because plastics used in product packaging is down, and consumers are putting non-recyclable material into the bins, slowing the sorting process. It's interesting stuff, I think.

I pick up almost anything because I have the time, and do not mind spending it, to scrap. I like microwaves. I use them as storage boxes for small shred metals like screws and just odds and ends. I LOVE dryers because they always have lose change in them, guaranteed. Radios, vaccum cleaner cords, TV cords (DO NOT pick up CRT TV's, the CRT glass contains lead), LCD monitors, bread makers, refrigerators, honestly, anything that can be plugged in (that's not smelly and in deplorable condition) I'll pick up. I personally do not pick up pure magnetic scrap if it does not contain other metals, such as copper wire or a motor, so I might let a beach chair pass me by, but I would pick up a treadmill. The only time I pick up just magnetic 'tin' scrap is if I am making a yard run that day. I do pick up cast iron, such as lifting weights - that's an easy way to add tonnage to your load - a few Golds Gym 45's!! Oh yea baby!! I don't get into gas motors such as lawn mowers - messy and I think hard to break down. Bicycles are just awkward shaped, and I find that takes up valuable space in my SUV when I make a scrap yard run, so I don't really pick those up. I like compact, or compactable, items.

More advice:
1.) Good luck.
2.) Be patient - you will not get rich, but you'll always have a nice stash of cash for errands.
3.) Welcome to scrapping.

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Sell to a buyer here!!!

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Originally Posted by ScrapperTrecycling

Magnets are our friends.
If it sticks, put it with your soup cans.
If it doesn't stick - Aluminum, brass, copper, some stainless and most cats.

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yes that is mainly i believe the other metals I have in a large bucket separated from the aluminum and steel. thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FLScrapperGuy1

First: Be on the lookout for a good magnet. For now, use a refrigerator magnet. If you get into scrapping you'll come across a nice one for sure. I have a stash of magnets that I found in an elliptical wheel motor thing - they are super strong. Computer hard drives also have 2 small, super powerful magnets in them. That magnet will tell you if something is ferrous. Generally, ferrous metal, such as steel/tin cans, are worth between $4 to $8 per 100lbs depending on the economy. This can be cumbersome to collect as it takes up lots of room and it's pretty dirty.

Second, buy a really good set of screw driver bits from harbor freight tools. You'll come in contact with more types of screw heads, that'll leave you scratchin' your head.


Things to collect, that are not magnetic, include:
- Copper wire (do research as to what #1 and #2 is) Generally, copper will get you from $0.60 to $3 / lb depending on the type.
- Insulated copper wire Generally, this will get you 0.60 / lb
- Brass (faucets) usually fetches around 0.60 / lb.
- Aluminum cans, doors, windows, ladders, LCD monitor backings, etc etc. Generally, aluminum will get you 0.50 / lb
- Motors (from dishwashers, washers, dryers, microwaves, anything that moves) can get I think 0.10 / lb
- Electronic circuit boards - Computer boards I'd recommend to sell using B*******, and not your scrap yard. This is because you can get $3-$6 / lb for computer boards and my yard only gives 0.06 / lb for boards. You can also pick aluminum heat sinks, and copper off boards. It's time consuming.

Consumer grade plastic will not sell in my area unless you are a large collector such as a recycling corporation. No one has ever returned my calls or emails, so I just toss my plastic with my trash. But believe it or not, that stuff is worth money, but the buyers do not want to waste time with small-time guys like me. They want to buy plastic by the ton, not by the pound. NPR has run several stories recently about how corporations are struggling to make money from the blue recycle bin pick ups because plastics used in product packaging is down, and consumers are putting non-recyclable material into the bins, slowing the sorting process. It's interesting stuff, I think.

I pick up almost anything because I have the time, and do not mind spending it, to scrap. I like microwaves. I use them as storage boxes for small shred metals like screws and just odds and ends. I LOVE dryers because they always have lose change in them, guaranteed. Radios, vaccum cleaner cords, TV cords (DO NOT pick up CRT TV's, the CRT glass contains lead), LCD monitors, bread makers, refrigerators, honestly, anything that can be plugged in (that's not smelly and in deplorable condition) I'll pick up. I personally do not pick up pure magnetic scrap if it does not contain other metals, such as copper wire or a motor, so I might let a beach chair pass me by, but I would pick up a treadmill. The only time I pick up just magnetic 'tin' scrap is if I am making a yard run that day. I do pick up cast iron, such as lifting weights - that's an easy way to add tonnage to your load - a few Golds Gym 45's!! Oh yea baby!! I don't get into gas motors such as lawn mowers - messy and I think hard to break down. Bicycles are just awkward shaped, and I find that takes up valuable space in my SUV when I make a scrap yard run, so I don't really pick those up. I like compact, or compactable, items.

More advice:
1.) Good luck.
2.) Be patient - you will not get rich, but you'll always have a nice stash of cash for errands.
3.) Welcome to scrapping.

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ok thx man i will save this post and if i can get a little money collecting cool but honestly this just gives me something to do and it is nice to watch the collection grow over time. i dont habe many hobbies and i just started with this

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Originally Posted by junkfreak

As far as identifying other metals ,get in the old threads do some research.

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i think i need to

Hay Cats,1st
Your a bit ahead of the crowd and you dont even know it. Man most people would of cashed in long agon on a stash of cans like that. Your post makes me think you have a little dicipline to you. This can really be to your advantage in scrapping. Like you said above. Take some time and dive into this forum. Other than a couple of u-tube channels this is what got me to where I am. Now im no big guy but applying the information I have learned here I just had my biggest scort yet of dang near 150 towers laptops misc compinents. Dicipline allowed me to pay and know I would make money. You have a good source of information at your fingertips. ? is what will YOU DO WITH IT!!!

Best of luck

FLScrapperGuy1 buyers here are close to or better than the site you mentioned. Sure if the prices were higher I may go there, but what I feel is the buyers here have taught me lot about ewaste and I feel I should help support a fellow SMF member! And I am sure that other buyer could have become a member here many times by now but is not choosing too... So keep it in the SMF Family / better for you / better for us!

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Originally Posted by t00nces2

There are a few things to keep an eye out for...

Winning lottery tickets. The more the better! I will buy them from you for $100 a pound.
Silver dollar coins. I will buy silver dollar coins from you for $2 a piece (double your money instantly!)
Gold coins. I will pay three times face value with no questions asked.
An uncancelled inverted Jenny.... $20 Hell, you find a cancelled one, I'll give you the 20 bucks.

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t00nces2 nice welcome you gave... seems like your out of your medical, LOL!

Welcome to the forum... Ahhh... iLikeCats... Really? You like cats? I hope you are talking about catalytic converters or eating the **** things!

Sorry, I am off my meds

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Originally Posted by Blue414

Hay Cats,1st
Your a bit ahead of the crowd and you dont even know it. Man most people would of cashed in long agon on a stash of cans like that. Your post makes me think you have a little dicipline to you. This can really be to your advantage in scrapping. Like you said above. Take some time and dive into this forum. Other than a couple of u-tube channels this is what got me to where I am. Now im no big guy but applying the information I have learned here I just had my biggest scort yet of dang near 150 towers laptops misc compinents. Dicipline allowed me to pay and know I would make money. You have a good source of information at your fingertips. ? is what will YOU DO WITH IT!!!

Best of luck

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thanks my friend I have never cashed in before I Just really like seeing the collection get more huge i am sure i will one day and it just gives me something to do with my time and for myself. and i will either here or google

i may collect some other things but mainly i do aluminum cans and steel cans

Quote:

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Originally Posted by t00nces2

Welcome to the forum... Ahhh... iLikeCats... Really? You like cats? I hope you are talking about catalytic converters or eating the **** things!

Sorry, I am off my meds

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Hahaha yes really I love cats

my name is genuine for surely

If you are starting from scratch.

Microwaves are your friend. The older the better. They give you a good compact chunk of Copper (2Lbs), some plastic coated wire, some electronics and some more Copper.
Now thats the older ones, modern 'Invertor types' don't have a transformer and give you about 1/5th Lb Copper.
The sort with a 'grill feature' for heat cooking food have a Aluminium wire transformer, so do some modern cheapo microwaves.
In that case, just save them up and sell them as 'Irony/Aluminium' you get a better price than you would if it was solid Iron and you don't have to waste any extra time on them.

Take out the big transformer. They are pretty unique as the Iron laminates are 'stacked' rather than 'interlaced' as most transformers are.
If you have a close look you will see where the stack of 'I's are welded to the stack of 'E's.
If you bash the corner of the 'I's near where the weld is, the weld will crack and you can bash the whole stack of 'I's off the transformer.
That leaves you with the 'E' stack with the 2 (hopefully, scratch the coils with a screwdriver first to make sure at least one of the 2 coils is made of Copper, if its Copper, the scratch that goes thru the varnish will show you the actual colour of the coil. Reddish/Gold is a Copper coil. $$
Whitey-Silver is a Aluminium coil, uh, no $, more like 13 cents (US cents).

Now balance the transformer on something, I use a bench vise, so its resting on the bottom coil and the Iron core is pointing upwards (fingers up, like Enron,or a double U, I ment W. - Question, isn't a M a double N?) anyway.

Using earmuffs (becuse you can't close your ears like you can your eyes, and safety glasses
so you don't loose your hearing or sight.
Use a largeish hammer and a steel rod as a punch, wrap some cloth around your left hand incase you miss, actually, use leather safety gloves if you can. Bash the 'E' down and out of the 2 Copper coils, theres a small bunch of flat Iron 'I's and a open plastic or cloth coated Copper wire in there too.

Once thats done, put the 2 coils aside and later on cut the the tape and roll the cardboard insulation off the coils.
Theres a bunch of varnish on there too, just chip off enough to keep you interested, once you feel a bit silly to be picking off the small amounts of varnish, you have gotten to where everyone else stops plucking off varnish. This is a good 'rule of thumb'.

All microwaves have a small motor driving the glass turntable around, in it is about 25gms of Copper wire.
(Sorry about the mixed metric/imperial. I was born during NZ's Imperial measurement and a couple of weeks later we changed to Metric. So I state my birth date to the Police as a mix of decimal and fractions.... Confuses the hell out of them. Some 'get it'. Some are not so happy. Some will figure it out later....)

All microwaves have a fan in them, thats easy. Bash it with a hammer where the round bit-shaft is. This opens up the other end that holds the Copper wire, pop-slide-or bash that part out and the Iron core will slide out, leaving you with 1/9th of a Lb of Copper wire on a plastic bobbin. (50grams 0@m17...50grams Copper wire).

Where the cord goes into the microwave, theres a small electrical board with a donut shaped (ssssshhh, the police may be listening) coil on it, theres Copper wire wrapped around it. I just break the dxxxx, ring shaped thing in half with a pair of pliers and unwrap the Copper wire from it.

A warning about this black ceramic stuff, the magnets made of it too. If a small chunk of it hits proper 'Safety glass' like car windows or such. It smashes it into tiny peices. Soi never do scrapping close to cars if you don't own them, or like windows.

The plastic control panel has Silver contacts on the two sheets under the facia. Someone buys these, the same guy who buys computer keyboard mylar. Its not worth much (?cents), but save it up anyway. The Silver containing ones have white-Silvery patterns on it. The brown track ones are a mix of Silver and Carbon, not worth as much. But save them anyway.

The control panel sometimes has a little transformer inc Copper wire. Some have a digital clock on a Gold plated silicon board, save them too.
The relays on the board have Copper wire and Copper/Silver contacts. I dunno where you can sell the contacts to (or how much they are worth) but you have more chance of finding someone in America, than in NZ who will buy them.
The switches, someone on this site SMF buys them for 25 cents each. Which is fantastic. I have a bucket full of them... In NZ.....

After that you might be able to sell the glass platter and the rollers and drive shaft part for some $ on a buy/sell website. Write the model on the platter after cleaning it and before storing it.

The Steel box like thing with the Aluminium fins on/in it is the Magnetron. Extra points for you if you can include it in a random conversation.
Inside there there is 2 nice grunty round magnets. They are the best magnet to check other metals for magnetisim. Or sell on your buy/sell website.

Honestly. One work job I was on, they had needed magnets to hold the spotlights onto the steel walls so we could see what we were doing..Down a pitch dark tunnel.
They spent hundreds $$ buying big magnets from the supplyer, and finding out who sells magnets... And I turn up and mention how I get free magnets from dud microwaves and have a box with several hundred of them in it....
I think they wanted to punch me in the head at that point.

The box, oh yeah, theres two thick Copper wire coils in it too. Bash the connector into the box and rip out the finned Magnatron thing with one hand.
(See, "MAG-NA-TRON"... 2 points to me) The Copper coils will unwind dropping out 2 little cylinders of Ferrite which goes with your steel screws etc, worth nothing.
Now see-saw it for a while and the two Copper wires will break off where they used to connect to the connector plug.

Now, that finned Magnatron (haha, 4 points to me now) Theres a thin Steel plate that holds the magnet on, lift a edge with a screwdriver and remove it, there may (or may not) be a Brass woven disc on there too. Its made of Brass, it has other Brass friends, so put them all in a Brass containing bucket.
There may be a Aluminium tubey thing too. Into the 'Aluminium bucket' with that. (I may have pronounced 'Aluminium' wrong, but thats how we spell it here in 'Metricville, NewZealand.'

Now, (again?) The Aluminium finned thing with a cylinder thing on each end. Its Radioactive !!

He he, scared you! I'm not joking though, it is radioactive, sorta about the same as a smoke detector. Theres no big deal about putting it in your rubbish bin. BUT! The pink Ceramic part on each end of the Magnatron (6 points..) has a compound called Berylium (spelt wrong so you should search for it on google) in it.
Its dangerous to breath in particals of dust or chips of it. It won't hurt you but it will take twenty odd years to do some damage to you if you inhale it.
So if you are aged 80 or under and want to live to 100, never break, chip, scratch, fold, or mutilate it.
In fact, just chuck the whole thing, fins and all, into the rubbish bin. Or if you live in California, they have a dedicated team of 20 Hasmat people who will pick it up for you and dispose of it safetly.

I'm joking about that. But they probably do.....
The radioactive part inside the Magnatron (Ah ha! 8 points) I won't describe to you as you don't need to see it anyway. Has Thorium in it, Propane gas camping lights also have the same radioactive Thorium in them too, so does 'Thorated Tungsten TIG welding rods, so its around in different forms anyway. Not that anyones going to inhale a welding rod.

BUT, scrapmetal yards have Radioactive sensors at their gates. If you take one of those parts thru the gate it will stop everything and rings loud bells and sirens while flashing yellow lights and everyones going to run for cover as they think you just brought in a long lost nuclear bomb or something.
Well that might be stretching the truth a bit, but its good for a free shower and 4 hours of overtime and you will have to fill out more sheets of paper than is in a Ann Rand paperback. (1049pgs)

Whats left? You can screw the case back on and flip it so the doors upwards and fill it full of screws from a Plasma screen (455 screws) and crushed steel cans and lids (depends on how many cats you have. I have 1, and feed another 4 strays)

You can take the plastic off the door. I do. But if they accept the Steel with a little bit of plastic you can put it back on.
Sometimes theres a glass sheet in the door. Mostly its some sort of safety glass, which is ironic as it can still cut you when it breaks.
The last couple of weeks I have been saving these sheets of glass up as they have a nice edge to them and possibly be used for picture frames.
In reality, its a small sheet of glass.
Its not easy to get out if its glued in place. And they break on a 1 to 5 ratio, so every 5th ones going to break. Soon you will loose count so possibly every one is the 5th one.
Wear safety glasses, and earmuffs as bashings loud and causes deafness and if you are smashing steel cans, tinnius.
I used to do all of this in a couple of minutes using a claw hammer.

After scrapping a decient microwave I end up with about NZ$7.00 worth of Copper.

At Burgerking I can buy a Double cheeseburger combo with a supershake instead of a softdrink, med fries, caramel sundae and a free cheeseburger if I fill out a questionaire thats on the reciept. For NZ$8.50

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Originally Posted by iLikeCats

thanks my friend I have never cashed in before I Just really like seeing the collection get more huge i am sure i will one day and it just gives me something to do with my time and for myself. and i will either here or google

i may collect some other things but mainly i do aluminum cans and steel cans

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When you get ready to cash in then call around to some yards and get the current prices, and they will vary from yard to yard.

Air conditioners are like little pots of gold. You'll need to find a way to recover the gas. But broken down into various kinds of copper, aluminum, radiators and steel/ferrous. Make sure you don't have steel and non ferrous metals or the scrap yard will knock the price in half
in regards to plastic my yard will take an appliance such as a bread maker fOr example whole or broken dOwn so that means they
take plastic too. They actually have a plastic bin among other drop off bins in the parking lot. They dump the plastics into the steel shred pile. So if i have a trailer full of shred and broken pieces of plastic and Styrofoam i will throw that into a trash can and dump it on the load because its all part of the whole item I'm scrapping.

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Originally Posted by scrapdaddyj

Air conditioners are like little pots of gold. You'll need to find a way to recover the gas. But broken down into various kinds of copper, aluminum, radiators and steel/ferrous. Make sure you don't have steel and non ferrous metals or the scrap yard will knock the price in half
in regards to plastic my yard will take an appliance such as a bread maker fOr example whole or broken dOwn so that means they
take plastic too. They actually have a plastic bin among other drop off bins in the parking lot. They dump the plastics into the steel shred pile. So if i have a trailer full of shred and broken pieces of plastic and Styrofoam i will throw that into a trash can and dump it on the load because its all part of the whole item I'm scrapping.

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i have steel cans and food cans smashed seperate from the aluminum. are you saying if i take both the steel can and non ferrous metals along with the aluminum, even the aluminum will drop in half?

what exactly do you mean. should i just take the aluminum to scrap alone when i do?