Recycling your Trash

[Hogtown Hunter]

I know there are a few of you who recycle the trash they find. I had a few questions about it because I may start keeping my junk finds. When you cash in aluminum cans do you include the melted down chunks you find? Do they give you a hard time when the cans have dirt still on them? Same with copper tubing and copper wire. Do you have to clean it up good before they will take it? Do they take lead? I find things I assume are brass. Sometimes not sure if its copper or brass? Is there a difference that you can test? Do they even take brass at most recycling stations? Thanks

 

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[Back-of-the-boat]

They will take it all.as far as wire goes you need to strip it or they will give you less, they take brass of all kinds they even take used brass bullet casings as long as they have been fired.The cans you will get dinged on if they are dirty so knock all the dirt off you can and crush them to hide some of the dirt.I haven't sold any lead as I recast fishing weights with my lead.Any melted aluminum they will only give you scrap aluminum price if they take it.There is a couple types of brass I think red brass and yellow brass not sure on that but I think they both pay the same.Here in California if I go to a scrap yard they hold paying you for 3 days now, state law because of all the homeless stealing copper from buildings so don't be surprised if it happens to you, don't know if this is a nationwide law or not.But cans you can get paid that day from the corner recycler just not at the scrap yard.

 

[ticndig]

There are scrapper forums where you can learn the in's and outs of recycling. the aluminum cans will sell separate from cast and extruded aluminum. cans should be pretty clean and will pay less for dirt covered if they even take them at all.
there are different classes of copper , it all depends on how clean it is. painted and soldered on fittings pay less than bright clean copper.
stripping wire is fine if you have nothing else to do but it is time consuming. I let the scrap yard do that job and except less for my wire.
all metal has value , some more than others.