Standard Practice Provides Recycling Statistics
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!
Ferrous Scrap Metal Explained
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.
Why Does the Price of Scrap Metal Fluctuate?
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.
Which Businesses Can Recycle?
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 Benefits of Recycling
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
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.
Mann Metals provides top prices and prompt payment.
Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
Call us today — (248) 960-1200
