What is the Value of Scrap Metal?

[greedy2000]

This week is hard rubbish week for my council.

all weekend, vans and beaten up old cars with trailers have been stalking the streets.

I'm not sure if its the economy or my area, but my suburb is swarming with these guys. Day and night every second car is slowing down to go through your junk.

Instead of dumping scrap on my nature strip I was literally handing it to these guys.

So my question is what is the value of a trailer full of scap metal? obviously copper is worth while, but what about the other bits, the iron sheeting, random steel poles, wire, etc?

 

[boeman]

I know what you mean.

The metal bath I removed (with a sledgehammer, so cannot be re-used), a shaving cabinet (also sledgehammer removed) and two random scraps of carpet I used to walk on were all gone within hours.

Even the PVC plumbing pipe from the vanity went in one guys trailer!

Contemplating super-glueing things down and getting out a deckhair and some beers and having some fun.

 

[pasey25]

i think its better than it going to landfill.

 

[pinkboy]

$120/ton.


pinkboy

 

[greedy2000]

$120/ton.


pinkboy

I think Id rather just get a second job than do this, but I suppose this money doesn't affect your centrelink....

 

[Truly Exotic]

Put it up on Gumtree, as free scrap metal,

People will come flocking to it!

Some even suggesting you deliver it to them for the privilege!

 

[VaSSagO]

I recently took ~300kgs to the recycling place, got paid $0.10 per kg for steel (thicker than 2mm) and not longer than 1.5m.

Hardly covers the fuel money to drive there

Stainless, brass, copper, aluminium and lead all worth much more

 

[miss green eyes]

In the higher socio-economic demographic areas of sydney the 'good stuff' will go, if you leave it out.
In the lower socio-economic demographic areas of Sydney even the 'bad stuff' ie old kitchen utensils and crockery (rejected by Vinnies), old buckets, burnt-out cookware, random plastic containers will go.
I too wonder who takes some of this stuff.
I imagine homeless squatters, illegal immigrants living in the community etc.

 

[lizzie]

I've seen them even screwing the taps off an old vanity we threw out. I have taken easy scrap to the yard - but hardly worth the effort.

I love collection weeks - put all the junk out and a day later nearly 2/3rds is gone ... hubby was most upset one year when I put out a 30 year old windsurfer sail he'd been lugging around (didn't even own the windsurfer anymore) and it was gone in seconds ... he was bringing "stuff" back inside faster than I could put it out.

Most of it still sits in the shed (three moves later) unused.

 

[AlmostBob]

I get enough to keep the centre console full of coffee cash

scrap aluminium $2.75/lb
scrap copper $6.50/lb (pipes with soldered joints)
fine copper $9/lb (wire, pipes without joints, takes 0 time to shear the joints off to turn scrap into fine)
brass $4/lb
stove elements $16/lb (that was a surprise I pull all the elements now)
iron $0.1/lb
lead $7/lb

scrap from the roof job, ~$70

 

[depreciator]

The scrap metal guys in my area (Marrickville) compete with me. Bed frames are what I like - good steel for projects.
I recently stripped a 75sqm roof. It was 6 meter lengths of 40 year old, rusty cliplock. Took up a fair bit of space in the backyard yard. My plumber/roofer mate said, 'You'll have to pay someone to get rid of that.'
I said, 'No, I won't. watch this.'
I dragged one of the sheets out the front and told the kids to keep an eye out and run out and grab me when someone stopped to pick it up. I was using that sheet as bait. Within an hour, I had a bloke with a truck up the side lane and we were helping him load his truck up.

 

[Blair007]

I can remember during my mid teens back home in NZ there was some forrest area not far from where we lived. all the bogans would go there over the weekend and do skids and burnouts in their 100$ cars and then light them on fire. My brother and I used to go around on a sunday with a few tools and rip out all the copper radiators. copper was paying good money at the scrap yard in those days we would make about 40$ a radiator and get around 4 each trip. Nothing much, but nice bit of pocket money for a 15yo going for a sunday drive