Hi everyone,
Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. I’ve worked in scrap operations for 12 years (mostly non-ferrous focus), and lately, the market swings feel like riding a rollercoaster blindfolded. One week, copper’s up 8%; the next, aluminum plate premiums drop off a cliff.
What I’m seeing in my yard:
We’ve started prioritizing contamination control over volume. For example:



  • Wire stripping: Now rejecting any bundle >3% insulation residue (down from 5%)
  • AL/Cu radiators: Pre-sorting into "clean fins" vs. "solder risk" piles before shredding
  • Zorba recovery: Added a secondary eddy current pass that upped yield 1.2% (slow but pays in dips)

My question for the group:

  1. Sorting thresholds - Have you tightened specs since Q1?
  2. Tech vs. labor - Is anyone automating mid-stream (e.g., optical sorters after initial shred)?

The old "chuck it in and pray" method isn’t cutting it anymore. Would love to hear how you’re squeezing margins from the chaos!