Establishing A Large Scale Scrap Metal Recycling Program For Your Business

A business that works with metal in their production will often have material that is not used and is considered scrap metal. If you have a lot of scrap metal, establishing an industrial scrap metal recycling program is an excellent way to get rid of the metal, reduce the impact you are making on the environment, and add a little income to your business. 

Determine What is Recyclable

One of the first things you need to do is evaluate the scrap metal your process is creating and if there is a market for that material that is currently buying the metal at a reasonable price. If there is not a market for the material, it may mean stockpiling it until there is one or disposing of the material in another way. 

Almost all metal is recyclable, but you may need to spend a little time finding the right buyer and figuring out the best way to get the metal to the buyer. If you can work with a local buyer, your industrial scrap metal recycling program can be far more profitable and easier to manage.

Sorting Material

When you start an industrial scrap metal recycling program, you will need to set some guidelines that dictate what is recycled and how you will sort and store the material. Often, metals that are recycled are worth more if the material is clean or pure. 

Aluminum that is mixed with steel, for instance, is far less valuable than raw aluminum by itself. It takes a little more work to sort the metal, but some large recyclers will not take the metal if mixed with other metals.

Talk with your buyer if you can't sort the material or if there is some other concern like oil on the metal as a result of the manufacturing. The buyer may require that the metal be cleaned before they receive it, so you will need to address that in your industrial scrap metal recycling plan. 

Transporting or Delivering Metal

Once you have a large amount of metal to take to the recycler, you will need to find the best way to deliver it. Some recyclers will send a truck to your facility to pick up the material and provide a container that you can put the scrap metal in. The recycler can replace the container with an empty one each time the recycler picks up the full container, making it easier for you to sort and deliver the material to the buyer. 

In some areas, the scrap metal you produce can be delivered on a train car, especially from industrial scrap metal recycling programs that deal with a large amount of material. If the recycler has a train-compatible yard, this can be a great option but is not practical for small recycling programs.

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