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It’s approaching the end of the tax year for many businesses and taxpayers, and it’s time to evaluate whether to purchase new equipment for our homes or businesses. No matter if you’re looking to take advantage of the current tax year to write off new equipment at work, or you are buying super holiday gifts for the family: If you choose to buy new electronics, especially computers, save those old ones. Contact Mann Metals about selling that old computer equipment for cash before you pile them in your dumpster or at the curb. You throw cash away when you junk salable scrap metals!

Many of the computer “guts” have small amounts of recyclable metals inside. From gold to copper, there may be valuable recyclable metals in your junk. So turn your trash into cash, and stop by or give us a call, and we’ll let you know what to bring to Mann Metals to sell. Current scrap metal prices are available when you contact us.

Remember, this can be an important step for businesses trying to “go green” to appeal to the eco-minded consumer. Eco-friendly companies attract positive attention from consumers these days…so recycle those computers and metals, and advertise to your customers that your company is going “green”!

Mention our blog the next time you visit Mann Metals. Let us know what you think!

The holidays are here, and it’s time to drag out the strings of holiday lights and see if they work. If they fail to light up, don’t throw them out! Mann Metals will take any type of string lights and pay you for them! String lights have copper wire inside the coating, which is worth cash to us. So look around your home or business, and find those old strings of lights, insulated wire and cords and bring them in.

Considering going greener with your holiday displays? Many businesses and homeowners are discarding the older incandescent holiday lights and replacing them with the more efficient and brighter LED holiday lights. When you do, bring the old ones down to Mann Metals…the money you earn from selling the scrap copper will lower your cost of purchasing the new lights…a doubly good eco-friendly idea!

Contact Mann Metals, and we’ll let you know which kinds of wire and lights we buy, plus, we can give you more ideas of what scrap metal we purchase, and what the current scrap metal prices are today.

Happy Holidays!

We ask that you provide a photo ID when Mann Metals purchases your scrap metal. Requesting identification is standard practice in the recycling industry, across the country. Recording the weight of the scrap metals purchased, the type or types of metal, and then recording the identification of the seller as well as the amount paid, is simply good business practice. Every business keeps track of what it buys and sells, in order to provide the best possible service to it’s customers.

Also, many cities and states now ask scrap yards and scrap buyers to record specific information about how much and what materials are recycled. They want to get an estimate of the volume of recycling each year. Accurate records of the tonnage of the different materials being recycled are important, and are used to encourage both business and individuals to recycle even more. All of this helps the environment, encourages industry, creates jobs, and puts some money in YOUR pocket!

So when you bring your scrap metals to be recycled at Mann Metals, please bring your driver’s license or state ID. Thank you!

What is Ferrous Scrap Metal?

There are two categories of metals that are recycled. Ferrous, meaning that it contains iron, and is attracted to magnets, and nonferrous, meaning without iron. Ferrous metals are the most recycled and include steel, stainless steal, cast iron, and wrought iron. More ferrous scrap metal is recycled than any other kind, and it is the easiest and least expensive to recycle.

What do I have that contains recyclable ferrous scrap metals?

Mann Metals accepts steel clips, heavy melt, turnings, cast and sheet iron, and scrap steel from industrial clean up and demolition sites. Most of this is commercially or industrially produced. We also accept stainless steel countertops, sinks, and flatware.

Businesses large and small in the construction, demolition, plumbing, auto repair, welding, and fencing industries should definitely consider recycling their ferrous scrap metals. Why not reduce the amount of waste in your skids and containers, and get some cash from that trash?

If you are an owner or manager of a business producing ferrous scrap metals, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Mann Metals by email or phone and let us explain how selling your scrap can benefit your bottom line! We can also discuss proving containers and pick-up for larger amounts of scrap.

The short answer is because the price of virgin metal fluctuates, influencing the price paid for scrap metals. When the cost of virgin metal rises, the price of the scrap metal also goes up. Recycled metal costs less to produce than virgin metal, and thus becomes more desirable and carries a higher price when demand for a particular metal is higher.

Like all commodities, metal prices change with supply and demand, and the cost of production. For instance, the price of copper rises sharply during a housing boom, because builders demand record amounts of copper pipe and wiring to build millions of new homes. In a housing bust, the price of copper drops, rebounding when the housing market recovers.

The price of rarer imported metals can change because of politics and importation costs with countries such as China or Russia. When they raise their export taxes or costs, Americans must pay more for the metals they import. When favorable trade agreements are made, the cost of those metals decrease.

The greatest influence on metal prices is the price of fuel. Almost all metals require high heat to make basic industrial products such as sheet metal, wire, rods, and bars. Most foundries use natural gas, coal, or electricity to produce that heat, and when fuel costs go up, so does the cost of the metals.

For scrap metal pricing, or for information on containers and pick-up, please contact Mann Metals.

Even the most creative small business owners think about scrap metals recycling as being a great idea for factories, foundries, and mega-business, but impractical for the small or medium sized business.

We at Mann Metals think recycling is a great idea for businesses of every size!

Consumers look for painless ways to “go green.” Advertising that you recycle scrap metal attracts those eco-friendly consumers! Just think, savings in overhead, AND you get paid for waste. Recycling has a lot to offer; more customers and additional revenue. It just makes cents to recycle: Dollars and cents!

What businesses can recycle scrap metals?

We can think of a ton of examples! Auto repair shops, welders, and machinists collect scrap in their day-to-day work. Contractors, builders, HVAC install/repair shops, and plumbers work with metals, too. There are others that could recycle, too. Hospitals, clinics, and dentists can recycle unused x-ray film (at least 4×6). Lighting stores, appliance dealers, computer sales and repair shops all handle broken/worn metal items, or products damaged in shipping. Each year schools and universities evaluate equipment and furniture for replacement. Fill a dumpster with broken desks or obsolete cables just to pay to haul them away? Why not collect and sell it?

Make waste work for you!

For small amounts of scrap metal, a bin brought to Mann Metals is easy, and the dollars recovered for “trash” add up. For large amounts of scrap metals, contact us about providing containers and pick-up.

The first thing people think about when they see the word “recycling” is the benefit to the environment, and they’re right. Recycling scrap metals saves about 200 million cubic yards of landfill space in the US each year. Recycling metals also reduces the environmental impact of mining and refining those metals by reusing metals in a less costly and simpler process. Less energy is used in recycling than in the production of virgin metals. Recycled steel saves 75% of the water, 26% of the energy, and 90% of the raw materials that it would take to produce virgin steel.

Another benefit is financial. Recycled metal costs less to produce than virgin metal, which allows manufacturers of recycled metal goods to sell their products at a competitive price. Plus those products attract eco-friendly consumers, which boosts business. Not to mention the savings in landfill usage that translates into about 6.5 Billion taxpayer dollars saved each year. And it’s not just the manufacturers and taxpayers who benefit from the eco-friendly label; businesses that recycle their scrap metal gain attention and the customer loyalty of folks looking for an easy way to go “green” while shopping. Not to mention that Mann Metals is happy to pay for your scrap metals!

For small amounts of scrap metal, you can bring your scrap metal to sell to Mann Metals. For large amounts of scrap metals, contact us about providing containers and pick-up.

Metals are not a renewable resource. They are found in rock, called ore, which is a part of the earth’s crust. There is a finite amount of metal in the earth, and there is a financial and environmental cost to mining and refining it into a usable product.

To make metal, ore is identified in the bedrock, mined, broken up and ground down into tiny particles which are then separated into the desirable metal and gangue, or the leftover rock and minerals. Metals are separated and removed from ore with magnets, chemicals such as sulfuric acid, or with heat. Vast amounts of resources are used to mine and refine these virgin metals. There is also a cost to the environment while mining and refining, even though damage is monitored and limited very carefully these days.

Recycled metal is unusable waste or scrap metal that is carefully separated by type, and then melted down either alone or with other raw materials, and poured, cooled and shaped into metal that can be used again to create new products. Recycling means less ore must be mined and processed to meet the demands of consumers and manufacturers. It also means that the energy and environmental impact of the mining happens once, while the metal is used again and again.

Recycling your scrap metal from your business or home doesn’t make metal a renewable resource, but it does make the best possible use of the metal we have!

Contact Mann Metals at 248-960-1200 for more information on recycling your scrap metal.

Often, scrap metal buyers or scrap yards will say they purchase and recycle both ferrous and nonferrous metals. What does that mean?

Ferrous metal is a metal containing iron. Ferrous metal can be sorted with magnets, and is easier to recycle. Mann Metals accepts many types of ferrous metals for recycling. Here are a few:

• Steel: a mixture of iron and carbon, often with other trace metals
• Stainless Steel: includes more chromium for rust resistance and shiny appearance
• Carbide: an extremely hard steel that includes tungsten
• High Speed Steel: a heat treated steel with carbon, manganese, molybdenum, and tungsten
• Cast Plate Iron: Has a lower percentage of carbon, and is easier to pour and cast.

Nonferrous metal contains no iron, or only trace amounts of iron. Mann Metals accepts a wide variety of nonferrous metals, including but not limited to:

• Aluminum: everything from window frames, auto wheels, and cans, to cast barbeque grills
• Copper: insulated and uninsulated wire, auto radiators, plumbing scrap, and decorative items
• Brass: an alloy of copper and zinc, varying the ratio produces different colors/attributes
• Nickel Alloys: such as Hastelloy X, with nickel, chromium, molybdenum, and traces of iron

Mann Metals also accepts some mixed-metal items, such as e-waste, catalytic converters, auto radiators, and others. Contact us and we’ll be happy to tell you what we accept, and how much we pay.

Many business owners think recycling metal is good for huge factories, and it is. But it can also be good for many small and medium sized businesses as well. Wondering if the benefits would outweigh any inconvenience? Our experience says it will! Here is a sample of benefits to recycling your scrap metals.

1. Green is good. Americans are more aware than ever of their “carbon footprint” or the environmental impact of what they buy. The more ways you can identify your service or products as environmentally friendly, the better. Advertising that you recycle your scrap metal is another way to go green.
2. Waste is expensive. While customers may not think about where your waste goes, as a business owner, you do. Waste services are expensive, and the fewer times you fill your dumpster, and the smaller it is, the less you spend to haul away trash. These days, cutting overhead is a national sport. You win when you recycle your scrap metal!
3. Scrap pays. Tossing scrap metal in the dumpster is like throwing away a five. Doesn’t sound like much if it’s just once a year, but you may be tossing five every week. Makes you wince to think about throwing money in the landfill, doesn’t it? For small amounts of scrap metal, a bin brought to Mann Metals every month or week isn’t much inconvenience, and the dollars recovered for that “trash” add up. For large amounts of scrap metals, contact us about providing containers and pick-up.