Tips for Scrapping in Westport & All Over Southeastern Mass

When it comes to collecting scrap metal items, recycling aluminum cans and larger scale scrap metal recycling, every bit that you can collect and every piece of knowledge and experience that you can gain will help to increase your profits. From the amateur scrapper to the save-the-planet recycler, the part-time scrapper to the professional full-tip scrap metal collector, there is always a new tip, a new trick and a new idea to be learned. When it comes to scrap metal recycling, this is one of those situations where knowledge definitely is power.

Tips for At-Home Scrappers

Want to do your part to help keep the local landfill clear of items that could be recycled or reused? Many residents start by recycling aluminum cans, which can fetch a good price at your local scrap metal recycling facility. Scrapping in Westport, MA or anywhere else in the South Coast area can be on both a small and a large scale. However, regardless of how much you collect or how often you sell your scrap metal items, every bit truly does help.

• Go through your weekly trash before it hits the curb – check for metal items of all types to see what can be recycled. Steel food cans can be rinsed and the labels removed for recycling, aluminum soda pop and juice cans, broken appliances, metal window and door frames – there are lots of sources of scrap metal items in the average home.
• Consider getting a can crusher tool to help you reduce the amount of space that your aluminum beverage cans take up while you save them for scrap metal recycling. Get in a good habit of rinsing the cans, crushing them in the crusher and then saving them in a can or large recycling bag for easy collection and transport to the scrap metal recycling facility.
• Separate your metals – learn the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals so you can have them pre-sorted before you take your scrap metal items to be sold. The trip will go faster and you will receive more for your efforts. The best way to do this is by using a magnet – if it doesn’t stick, it is non-ferrous, which can be worth more than some of the most common types of ferrous scrap metal.
• If you also save plastic bottles, milk jugs, glass, paper, cardboard and other recyclable items, check with your local scrap metal recycling facility first to make sure they accept these items. If not, participate in your municipality’s recycling program or seek out a local deposit-paying recycling facility for the bottles at least.

Tips for Beginning Scrappers

If you are just getting started in the world of scrapping in Westport or another area in Southeastern Massachusetts, the first thing you want to do is to know the best place to take your scrap metal items. Mid City Scrap Iron & Salvage is located in Westport, MA and receives scrap metal recycling from scrappers, homeowners, municipalities and corporate recyclers from all over the New England area. Visit our website for more information on how things work at our facility, what you need to do to get paid and details on “going rates” for different types of scrap metal items.

• Learn all you can about scrap metal recycling. Learn the different types of metal, starting with separating your ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal items and then moving on to identify copper from brass, stainless steel from steel and anything else that would be helpful in maximizing your earning potential.
• Just because you decide to move beyond recycling aluminum cans doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue to collect these valuable scrap metal items. Aluminum cans are the most frequently recycled of all common metal materials in North America and can be recycled over and over again without losing their physical integrity. Do your part and continue recycling aluminum cans as you expand your focus to other metals.
• Create a recycling staging center in your garage, shed or other area on your property. Use buckets, containers, plastic bins and even plastic bags to keep all of your identified scrap metal items separated from each other before you take them to the scrap metal recycling facility in Westport. Not only will you receive a higher price for selling fully separated materials, but you will also be able to get through the selling process much faster.
• Make sure to know the rules and guidelines set by the scrap metal recycling facility before you go. Scrapping in Westport isn’t much different from scrapping anywhere else, but each scrap yard has it’s own policies, rewards programs, payout methods and metal grade guidelines. The more you know about how your local scrap metal recycling center works, the better you will be able to navigate it.

Tips for Your First Trip to the Scrap Yard

Beyond the basic tips that we have shared about identifying the different types of metals, sorting your metals before you hit the scrap metal recycling facility and knowing the value of the scrap metal items that you have collected, there are other tips that will help you on you first trip to the scrap yard. The more you know about scrap metal recycling beyond the basic recycling of aluminum cans, the better.

• When you arrive, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you aren’t sure where you should go or what you should do, speak with one of the Mid City Scrap operators and ask for assistance.
• Use truck scales to weigh your vehicle according to the rules of the facility. If you are turning in both ferrous and non-ferrous metals or if you have separated your scrap metal items down even further, you may need to weigh your vehicle a couple of times on the scales as you unload different materials to different areas of the facility. You will receive a ticket for each unload and weigh in that you can take to the office at the end of your scrap metal recycling visit.
• Understand that it is a learning process. If you have any items that don’t look like scrap or that look like they are brand new products, they may be turned away. You may need to have proof that you have the right to sell objects that appear to be questionable, such as materials that belong to commercial industries, utility companies, railroads, etc. Copper wire and copper metal is a prized commodity across the country due to the high payout rate for these scrap metal items. Unfortunately, an increase in theft has occurred as a result, requiring scrappers to sometimes provide proof of where they picked up these valuable materials if the haul seems questionable. Also, any dangerous materials, such as sealed tanks or materials that appear to be dangerous, could also be rejected.
• Don’t forget to look at and check your ticket before you leave the scrap yard and head into the office to cash it in for money. Scrap metal recycling facilities have operators and other workers available to help you, but you need to say something as soon as possible in order to get assistance. If you have any questions about any part of the process, make sure to stop and ask someone right away.

Where to Take Scrap Metal Items in Southeastern Massachusetts

Whether you are scrapping in Westport or out on Cape Cod, bring all of your scrap metal items to Mid City Scrap Iron & Salvage. Located in Westport, Massachusetts, Mid City has been providing these services to local residents, scrappers, municipalities, industrial businesses and corporations in the South Coast area for many years. Our family owned and operated scrap metal recycling facility pays cash for scrap metal items of all types, including recycling aluminum cans and larger scrap metal items. Visit our website for details or give us a call to find out about our current payout rates for ferrous and non-ferrous metals.