Market Research

[creshka46]

I'm doing a little market research if you want to call it that. I'm trying to find some good resources to learn about the scrap industry as a whole. I'd like to know about the supply chain, the size of the industry, the geographic distribution of the market, and the main components of the market. Below is kind of a summary of what I know as well as some questions of what I'd like to know. Does anyone know if there is a concise tread here somewhere where all this is laid out nicely? Otherwise, maybe this could become it.

So below I've listed the items that I know can be recycled for money by the average joe. Let me know if this list is incomplete or inaccurate.

Non ferrous metals:
Copper- varying grades- easy to sell at any scrap yard
Brass- varying grades- easy to sell at any scrap yard
Aluminium- varying grades- easy to sell at any scrap yard
Lead- varying grades- easy to sell at any scrap yard
Zinc-??? do many scrap yards take this?
Nickel-??? do many scrap yards take this?

Ferrous metals:
Iron/Steel- any scrap yard will take this but do any pay? I've taken scrap iron/steel in with my copper/etc and they take it but the don't offer money for it
Stainless Steel- Scrapyards usually pay for this right?

Papers:
Newspapers- many scrapyards pay for these don't they?
Cardboard- ??? do some scrap yards pay for these?
Magazines- ??? do some scrap yards pay for these?

Plastics:
???- Are there any plastics that are recyclable for cash?

E-scrap:
Batteries: I know Lith-ion batteries have some value but what about alkaline?
High Grade boards- motherboards/PCI cards/etc.
Low grade boards- like what you'd find in an old TV- do these have value?
Phones- do all of these have value or just some?
Other- ??? - any other categories?

Also, I'm wondering about the supply chain, for examle, I believe I've read on here that some of you guys are able to sell ABS plastic to your local yards, but I don't believe anyone in my area offers this. Why not? Is it because they don't know who to sell it to, or because it is not cost effective to do so? Where do most yards sell all their scrap metal to? How many steps are there in the process before the material is back in a form that is consumable to industries? Is the insdustry well developed and fairly centralized in a lot of areas or is it highly fragmented?

If anyone can help me with these questions I would appreciate it, and hopefully we can all learn from each other if we pool our knowledge together. Thanks.

[hobo finds]

Zinc is listed as Die cast by me

Iron / steel .07 lb low this year .115 lb high for me.

Stainless steel if a magnet will not stick it's good, If it dose goes in with the steel.

Newspaper, magazines and cardboard best I can find is .01 a pound so I don't do that, goes to the city in there recycle bins.

Plastic #1 I can get .30 a pound
Plastic #2 milk/water gallons .10 a pound
Plastic #2 colored .02 a pound

E scrap
alkaline batts go in with my steel
High grade boards and cell phones you can sell to on line buyers, with lots of other stuff
Low grade boards go in with the steel as it would cost too much to ship to ewaste buyers

Also electric motors, compressors, insulated wire and auto batts are goood for some quick cash!
I was getting .06 a pound for glass bottles and jars but that just ended

[creshka46]

Thanks for the help. Any other info from anyone?

[Dr. Cadmium]

I'd like to know about the supply chain, the size of the industry, the geographic distribution of the market, and the main components of the market.

This information is beyond the realm of the "average joe".

I currently deal in over 100 different materials, much more if I counted all of the exotic and obscure bits I have a few ounces of in a jar somewhere. I also have general knowledge of the supply chain in my geographic area and a little knowledge of the much large national and international markets.

However, this information would be mostly useless to everyone here. Also, no one, including myself, is going to give away all of the secrets of the trade in one spot on the net unless they're selling something or generating income another way such as advertising banners on their website (and that said, if they knew what they were doing, they wouldn't be trying to sell you current information).

For the average metal scrapper, steel and aluminum are your bread and butter. If you're not getting paid for your steel, you need to find a better yard. It's also good to know basic non-ferrous items, particularly brass, copper and stainless steel; these are abundant materials and easy to recognize.

Traditionally, plastic and cardboard need to be baled and in large quantities to find a buyer, but check your local recycling companies.

Zinc, as mentioned above, is generally found in die-cast form and bought as that material at scrap yards.

Nickel is rarely found in pure form. Usually it's found in alloys, the most common being some forms of stainless steel, which most scrap yards deal in. Less common alloys can be sold to specialized companies and some large scrap yards.

alkaline batts go in with my steel

They're not supposed to. Alkaline batteries are one of the few metal items that cost more to process than the materials recovered. Also, there is the acid to consider when mixing them with shred scrap.

[hobo finds]

Doc. They say to throw them in the trash by me As the household hazzardous waste drop off will not take them. Figured it was ok to go in with the steel if it could go into the trash.

http://www.duracell.com/en-US/battery-c ... posal.jspx

Alkaline batteries can be safely disposed of with normal household waste. Never dispose of batteries in fire because they could explode.

Due to concerns about mercury in the municipal solid waste stream, we have voluntarily eliminated all of the added mercury from our alkaline batteries since 1993, while maintaining the performance you demand. Our alkaline batteries are composed primarily of common metals—steel, zinc, and manganese—and do not pose a health or environmental risk during normal use or disposal.

It is important not to dispose of large amounts of alkaline batteries in a group. Used batteries are often not completely "dead." Grouping used batteries together can bring these "live" batteries into contact with one another, creating safety risks.

Proven cost-effective and environmentally safe recycling processes are not yet universally available for alkaline batteries. Some communities offer recycling or collection of alkaline batteries—contact your local government for disposal practices in your area.

[creshka46]

Thanks for input you two. This is all good stuff.