5 Things You’re Doing Wrong When Scrapping Your Metal
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SEP 02, 2022

5 Things You’re Doing Wrong When Scrapping Your Metal

Let’s say you decided to scrap metal because you learned how you can help the environment while making a bit more cash. You will probably search to see where you can start and what important things you should do during the process. However, it is also important to know what not to do and, in this article, we will go over some common mistakes people do when they are scrapping metal.

Not Shielding

Metal scrapping is a popular way of making money nowadays. Since it is more costly to produce them all over again, it is less expensive and more eco-friendly to recycle them. So, whenever you can obtain scrap metal from various places, it is important to guard them appropriately. Otherwise, other people who know the worth of your metal will steal it and will sell it for a great price. Since scrap theft is wide nowadays, it is important to be cautious and to put your metal in a safe place.

No Preparation or Categorizing

The second most common mistake people do is not sorting their metal into different categories. Scrap companies tend to pay less for the metal that is mixed. Since you have already put a great deal of effort into finding scrap metal, why wouldn’t you just divide it, so you get paid the best price? First, make sure to grab a magnet first and test whether those individual items are ferrous or non-ferrous metals by seeing whether the metal sticks to the magnet or not. After separating ferrous metals from non-ferrous ones, make sure to divide your metals into different categories such as copper, brass, aluminum, zinc, iron, magnesium, and lead.

Lack of Safety Equipment

You know the rule: safety always comes first. Amid all the organizing and moving, many people tend to forget about their safety. Because there is metal from all sorts of machines and places, some of them can be very sharp and may cause potential harm. Especially if it’s a rusty metal, health complications will grow even bigger. So, before dealing with any type of metal scrap, make sure to wear proper safety equipment such as gloves, goggles, helmets, etc. 

Lack of Knowledge About the Market

Knowledge is power. Scrapping metal isn’t only about finding metal from various places, categorizing them, and then taking it to a scrap metal company. Your efforts will be in vain if you don’t know the market. That’s because of the unstable prices of metals. As a metal scrapper, it is important for you to be properly educated on the market and to keep up with the latest prices. So, it is important for you to be educated on the basic values and properties of metals, as well as their prices and the latest trends.

Choosing The Wrong Company

Just taking your metal to the first person or yard you hear about is another very common mistake. You may first hear about their prices and think that it’s a great opportunity, however, they may not always be reliable and may have other tricks up their sleeve. So, you should always try to reach out to a reliable scrap metal company like RCM Recycling. We know the latest prices and trends and will do our best to provide you with good prices. We will be expecting your call!