3 Unique Ways to Source Scrap Metal

The secret to a successful scrap metal business is securing reliable sources for metal. In addition to common sources, such as appliance stores and curbside trash, you also need some less common sources that other scrappers will likely overlook. Here are three unique ways to source scrap metal.

1. Go to Garage Sales on Sunday Afternoon

Hit up the local garage sale circuit on Sunday afternoon not so much to purchase goods but to offer your waste removal services. The best days for garage sales are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so sale hosts are often willing to part with unwanted items by Sunday afternoon. 

When you arrive at a garage sale, initially focus on large metal items that will be difficult for hosts to discard themselves. Used appliances and fitness equipment are heavy to move and often can't go in the regular trash, for instance. If these items haven't sold over the weekend, a host may be happy to let you take them away so they don't have to deal with the large items.

After you inquire about larger items, however, don't overlook smaller metal goods. Metal containers, silverware, and electronics can all have scrap value. Their value might not justify a stop alone, but you might as well pick these up if you're already at a sale.

You may even be able to get some of these goods for free - especially if you remind the garage sale host that they'll likely need to throw the goods away if you don't take them. 

Sometimes, however, hosts might not want you to take things away for free because they're emotionally invested in selling the goods. If you sense that a host is too emotionally invested in selling an item, consider offering a nominal payment that's less than the scrap value. You'll still make money, and the host will have the satisfaction of knowing the item sold.

2. Tour College Campuses on Move-Out Weekend

Some college students take all of their belongings with them when they move out at the end of the school year, but others simply leave items at the side of the road. They might no longer have a use for the items, or they may not have a way to transport the times, or the items might be broken. 

Whatever the reason for leaving items behind is, these are a treasure trove for scrap metal collectors. Not all of these are metal, of course, but plenty are. For example, you may find the following metal-containing items among a college student's discarded goods:

• Shelving units
• Bed risers
• Mini-fridges
• Lamps
• Televisions
• Microwaves
• Fans

To maximize your haul from a college, go to campus on move-out weekend as this is when most students will be discarding their unwanted items. You'll likely find quite a collection near the dorms, fraternity and sorority houses, and any close-by off-campus housing.

3. Partner with Assisted Living Homes

When a resident in an assisted living home passes away, their survivors may have no use for medical devices that the resident owned. Additionally, the home itself may not be able to give the device to someone else if the home doesn't own the device, the device isn't intended for reuse, or the device has been damaged. 

This creates a regular supply of unusable medical devices in assisted living homes. Not all of these devices will be metal, but many will have metal components, such as walkers, wheelchairs, canes, and similar devices.

If you contact assisted living homes near you, many may be willing to partner with you and give you unusable metal medical devices on a regular basis.

If you have scrap metal to recycle, contact Bruce Metal & Salvage.