Five Critical Connections You Need to Optimise Your Metal Collection Efforts

Selling scrap metal to a recycling centre can be an effective way to earn extra cash, but if you want to optimise your experience, you need the right connections. Wondering who can help you find more metal to recycle? Check out these ideas:

1. Electricians

Consider making a mass mailing and reaching out to electricians in your area. Electricians often replace wiring, and they may end up removing copper wiring. In your letter, let them know that you can pick up their scrap metal wires for free, and provide your contact information for them.

Hopefully, the next time one of these electricians has metal to dispose of, they will contact you, and you can establish a mutually beneficial relationship.  

2. Canning Plants

Are there any canning plants in your area or other factories that may have a lot of old metal? If so, call them directly and let them know that you collect scrap metal. They may decide to use your services on a regular basis or even just in random situations when their regular recycling companies can't pick up their metal.

3. Shooting Clubs

Also, contact the managers of shooting clubs in your area. The shells of bullets can often be sold to a metal recycler, and the club may allow you to pick up the shells at the end or beginning of each day. When talking to the representative from the club, sell them on the idea that picking up the shells helps keep their club neat and tidy. They don't even have to pay you for the service -- they simply need to let you keep the old shells.

4. Demolition Companies

Demolition companies take down buildings, and they may not want to spend the time combing the buildings for recyclable metal. Contact the owners of these companies in your area, and ask them in you can go in before the demolition to remove metal from the building. If they say yes, that can become a nice source of metal.

If you have trouble convincing them to let you have the metal, offer to give them a cut of the recycling proceeds.

5. Individuals

Finally, if you want to collect more scrap metal, you need to cultivate connections with individuals in your area. Most people have metal that they need to throw out once in awhile. To convince them to give it to you, offer junk removal services.

You pick up junk from their house for a fee. You separate out the scrap metal and sell it to a recycler. Then, you take the rubbish to the dump. Ideally, the fee you charge for the junk removal should cover the cost of disposing of the rubbish, and the money you earn selling the metal can be pure profit. To reach people, put ads up online, hang flyers in local shops or spread the word amongst friends.

 


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