If metal accounts for a large percentage of your waste materials, you need to know how metal recycling works. The good news is that metal is a material that can be readily recycled and reused without too much hassle.

We offer metal collection for those who need help managing their commercial waste stream. Professional waste management helps you to kickstart the recycling process and avoid contributing to landfills.

We offer metal collection for those who need help managing their commercial waste stream. Professional waste management helps you to kickstart the recycling process and avoid contributing to landfills.

Our experts work with you to identify and segregate waste as early as possible. By analyzing your various waste streams and processes, we aim to find solutions to manage your waste more efficiently, drive out costs and even generate rebates from waste materials.

Using innovation and looking at your processes differently, we adhere to the waste hierarchy, starting by eliminating waste where possible. For any residual waste, we aim to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible before materials leave your site.

This is why scrap metal is seen as desirable — these metals can be exchanged for money or other valuable items. Needless to say, since the metal recycling process is so easy, leaving you with the same quality of metal as a result, the value of metal never decreases, regardless of how many times it has been recycled. This will ultimately save your business money, allowing you to reduce your production cost and convert it into a cheaper collection cost.

In the spring and summer, I abandon my dryer in favor of a clothesline to save energy and money. But there is not a single time of year I can imagine life without a washing machine. Attaching clothes to a line is one thing. The idea of pulling out a washboard and washing every blanket, pair of jeans, sweater and sock by hand is another. Chances are you feel the same way. But some day you will have to give up your washing machine, either because it breaks or because you purchase a more energy efficient model. At that point, what can you do with your old one? Plenty. Unlike refrigerators and freezers, washing machines do not contain hazardous chemicals that make them challenging and expensive to break down. Like other appliances, they are made of mostly metal, which is easy to recycle. We share several ideas for finding places that will take your unwanted washing machine.

What are washing machines made of?

Washing machines are made almost entirely of metal and plastic. The body is made with steel. So is the drum or wash tub (where the clothes are held), although it may be coated with porcelain to prevent it from rusting. The buttons and dials on many washing machines are made with plastic, as are some interior components. The washing machine cord is made of copper coated with plastic. Washing machines contain small motors that turn the drum during the different wash and spin cycles. Those motors contain a small amount of oil. Otherwise, a washing machine contains no toxic components. Steam powered washing machines first appeared in the mid-1800s. Electric washing machines, like the ones available today, did not debut until the earliest years of the 20th century. Early washing machines wrung out clothes, which was hard on the fibers. In the mid-1900s, companies began offering washing machines that spun the clothes instead. Those quickly became the most common model in U.S. households. The earliest washing machines were top loaders (although they looked very different from the washing machines of today) and they retained a huge percentage of the market for nearly a century. Consumers can now purchase reasonably priced front loading washing machines as well. There is no definitive answer on which is better. For a comparison of traditional top loading washing machines, high efficiency top loaders, and front loading machines,

On average, each person in the UK buys 3 new electrical items each year – that’s about 170 million items across the UK.

However, only a small number of the electrical items already in the home, whether they’re broken or just unwanted, end up being recycled.

Surprisingly, 75% of all materials in your old electricals can be recycled and turned into useful things like life-saving equipment, children’s playgrounds, and even new electricals.

Empty your cupboards and drawers of unwanted electrical items and recycle them!

We can collect unwanted small electrical appliances (e-waste) weekly on your kerbside collection day.

Please place these items in a clearly marked carrier bag, alongside your recycling boxes. 

*All electrical leads need to be contained inside the bag as well as all batteries removed – if it is not presented this way our collection team will not collect the electrical items.

What type of electricals are collected?

• Irons
• Sewing Machine
• Telephones
• Blenders
• Cameras
• Cassette players
• CD players
• DVD players
• Electronic air freshener (remove perfume)
• Fans
• Straighteners
• Hairdryers
• Toothbrush
• Kettles
• Radios
• Smoke alarms
• Toasters
• Other small electrical appliance 

The term ‘white goods’ is actually derived from the traditional color (white enamel) used in the manufacture of household electrical appliances, such as ovens and stoves, fridges, washing machines, clothes dryers and air conditioners.

Even with innovation through the years and the introduction of other colors in the production of white goods (e.g. metallic colors and pastels), the term continues to stick.

Brown goods, on the other hand, refer to electronic appliances outside of the non-white goods category. This type includes televisions, radios, stereos, and the like.

Why Are White Goods Not Your Everyday Waste?

As mentioned earlier, white goods are a major concern in terms of waste disposal as they can harm the environment. They are not only typically bigger but also heavier and non-biodegradable.

The manufacture of white goods is also known to produce a large number of greenhouse gases, so before making a decision to dispose of any white goods, you need to consider all possible options.

If you plan to throw away some of your white goods, note that the disposal practice is different from that of regular, everyday waste, for the following reasons:

• White goods comprise primarily of recyclable scrap metals and components such as steel, copper and plastic.
• Certain dated or old-model white goods like fridges and freezers may contain toxic substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are known to be harmful to the Earth’s ozone layer. Only certified technicians should handle and dispose of these.
• White goods that are beyond repair or have no further use must be disposed of following proper disposal processes and should not be dumped illegally and improperly.

Along with copper, brass is another metal that is widely used in various industries. It is applied in electric wiring, locksmithing, architecture, house fitting, music, etc. Its wide range of use is due to the characteristics brass possesses, including high electrical and thermal conductivity, strength and durability, and corrosion, and wear resistance.
Unlike copper, brass does not occur naturally as it is an alloy. Typically, it combines two metals: copper and zinc. However, lead, aluminum, iron or tin can be added depending on the properties an alloy is supposed to have.

Brass commonly comes in red and yellow, and these colors might vary in their tinting.
Red brass with its higher scrap price contains more than 80% cup rum, which is what actually gives it its reddish color. This type is common in plumbing and can be recycled.

Yellow brass composition consist of about 60% Cu (that’s why its price is lower),and the rest is comprised of zinc and some other metals. It typically can be found in plumbing, taps, locks and keys, etc.

Our industrial scrap include mobile crushing and baling, demolition services, transportation and containers, certified scales, and computerized purchases.

We have mobile baling crews across the inter-mountain West to assist the public and private sectors with ecologically sound and economically productive metal recycling. Our mobile crews employ the latest in mobile baling equipment to ensure that the job is done quickly, and with minimal interruption.

As always, we are environmentally sensitive and employ safe work practices to ensure complete compliance with the latest environmental and operational standards.

We operate car-crushing crews across nine states. These crews use environmentally sound work practices to ensure that everyone is in compliance with the latest environmental standards, and we continually monitor market conditions to pay you fair, competitive scrap metal prices.

All cars must have:  

• All CFC’s (Freon or A/C refrigerant) removed by a certified technician
• All batteries removed
• Gasoline and free flowing liquid disposal requirements vary by location. Call your nearest Western Metals Recycling location for more details.

Whether you need a roll-off container for your manufacturing facility, construction site, cleanup project, or at your recycling facility, we’ll deliver it on-site and on time close to the source.

Specialty containers in various sizes for specific requirements (i.e. lockable tops), roll-off containers from 10 to 50 yard sizes, steel sided and specialty trailers.

These days, our economy is hugely reliant on the recycling of metals and all other types of materials. There are a variety of benefits associated with metal recycling, three of which will be discussed in detail:

JOB CREATION

The simple fact of the matter is that the metal recycling industry comprises a fairly large percentage of overall American industry. 

By recycling on a consistent basis, we help these individuals keep their jobs, ensuring that a meaningful portion of the American workforce doesn’t have the rug pulled out from under them.

At the present time, the metal recycling industry is growing. If we maintain our recycling efforts, it should continue to grow in the future.

Through recycling, we are able to use metals over and over again, essentially creating an endless supply. This makes these metals more available, and therefore, cheaper.

In contrast, if metals are not recycled, fresh metals will have to be mined from the earth on a consistent basis. Because metal mines are not endless, the metals that are mined from them will become scarcer and more expensive each time they’re mined. The more expensive the metal that is used to make a product, the more expensive the product will be to purchase. It’s simple economics.

CASH FLOW INTO THE HANDS OF THE WORKING-CLASS

Because so many jobs are created by the metal recycling industry, the industry supplies a meaningful amount of money into the national economy. In 2016, recycling workers were paid a total of $36.6 billion dollars. This is money that goes directly back into the local economy, helping to keep it strong.

LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO RECYCLE METAL IN BEDFORD PARK?

We accept metals of all kinds, from aluminum, to iron, to brass, to stainless steel, and more. Regardless of the metal items you have in your possession, we will recycle them in the proper manner.

As aforementioned, it is more important than ever to recycle waste materials where possible. Aside from general benefits of recycling, such as reduced landfill, there are metal-specific advantages.Metal does not biodegrade quickly, if at all, so it important to ensure metal does not end up in landfill. Landfill capacity is limited and encouraged not to grow as the amounting waste can have devastating effects on both the surrounding environment and greenhouse emissions.

Reduce Energy Use

The creation of virgin metal materials uses far more energy than using recycled metal. From mining and processing the ore to shaping and treating the metal for use, lots of expensive and environmentally damaging energy must be used.

The process of repurposing waste metal is far more waste efficient; for example, recycled aluminium requires 95% less energy! Copper is another energy efficient waste metal, with recycled copper requiring 90% less energy.

Protect Natural Resources

Virgin metal requires natural ore to be mined and processed, using up limited natural resources. However, when using recycled metal, no additional materials need to be mined, helping to preserve natural resources.

Mining is a disruptive process, to natural resources and local environments and wildlife. It is also costly, reflected in high consumer prices for virgin metal. By increasing metal recycling and reducing mining of ores, the environment, consumers and ore reserves benefit greatly.

Benefit Economy

Money isn’t everything, but the recycling industry greatly benefits the economy through job creation and local investment. Where dumping metal in landfill may take one employee driving a truck, the recycling process takes many employees performing vital steps.

Almost all metals can be recycled into new high-quality metals, as their properties are not diminished during the recycling process. Environmentally, metal recycling has many perks, as fewer raw materials need to be extracted which reduces carbon emissions, and financial reward as many companies

What is the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals?

The main difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals is that ferrous metals contain iron and non-ferrous metals don’t. Ferrous metals are also mostly magnetic, whereas non-ferrous don’t contain magnetic properties, making it relatively easy to tell them apart.

What are the five most common metals that can be recycled?

Steel

As a ferrous metal, steel is a major component in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, cars, machines and appliances used across the world. According to environmental agencies, most steel items today contain between 25% and 100% recycled content.

Aluminium

Aluminium is a similarly popular metal that’s capable of being melted at comparatively lower temperatures than steel, making it particularly attractive for recycling Aluminium cans use just 5% of the energy needed to produce them from scratch during the recycling process

Brass

Malleable, conductive and resistant to corrosion and fatigue, brass is a popular metal for recycling. Energy costs for recycling brass are lower compared to those of other metals

There are two most common types of copper pipe, #1 copper pipe and #2 copper pipe.

The difference between the two is pretty simple, #1 copper is clean copper pipe: no paint, no solder, no other metals or materials attached to it. #2 copper pipe can have paint solder dirt but no other metals or materials attached to it. There are few ways to go about recycling it, you can either sort your #1 and #2 or you could mix it together and most recycling yards will just go in the middle on the price.

The difference in price between the two is usually $00.10-$00.20 so if someone has quoted you $1.80 for #1 copper pipe and $1.60 for #2 copper pipe you can always mix them together and try to sell them for the average of $1.70 per lb. you always need to make sure that you don’t have any brass attached to it because that will bring your price down, most yards will have to buy it for copper brass mix in that case, it all depends on how much time you want to dedicate to this process, selling it for copper brass mix will save you a lot of time and in most cases will still bring you decent money, the price for copper brass mix is normally about $00.20-$00.40 less than #2 copper depending on the copper to brass ratio in your material.