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Beyond Soda Cans: 8 Unusual Things to Recycle for Cash

Admin • July 7, 2020

Recycle Waste Management — Santa Ana, CA — Bruce Metal & Salvage

Recycling is a great way to help the environment, which attracts many who want to make the Earth a better place to live. Metal, glass, and plastic can be melted down to preserve the material and use it again so that companies can make more products with less waste and less harm to the environment.

You probably know you can recycle soda cans and redeem them for a few cents each, but here are a few more things you may not have thought to recycle.

1) Drink Bottles 

Bottled drinks are available in almost any retail establishment, so it's safe to say they're pretty popular. Did you know that the bottles of your favorite beverage may be recyclable? When you recycle drink bottles, you help ensure that plastic doesn't negatively impact the world around you. Also, glass bottles have a higher buy-back rate than their plastic counterparts. 

2) Vegetable Cans

Don't forget to get those fruits and veggies in your diet! If you need to add incentive for your kids to eat those canned bundles of nutrients, consider letting them bring the empty cans to a recycling center and keep that extra change. Check with your local recycling center to see what they offer and make sure your kids get the best reward for their healthy habits.

3) Electric Motors

If your lawnmower has seen better days or your car needs some parts upgraded, you can sell the old metal to a salvage company. When you sell back your useless engines or extra parts, you can clear up the clutter in your yard, garage, or home, and you can bring in a little extra money.

4) Copper Wire

Many insulated cords contain copper wires, which is an excellent metal to recycle. If you have old chargers for outdated devices, gadgets that you keep meaning to throw out, or hardware you no longer have a use for, consider stripping the cables and turning in the wire to make a little extra cash.

5) Radiators

Are you updating the temperature control systems in your home or business? You can salvage the old parts and make back some of that upgrade expense. Radiators contain recyclable metals like cast iron, steel, or aluminum, all of which can be brought to a scrap metal salvage yard and sold for a reasonable price.

6) Wheels and Rims

When the wheels wear out on anything from your kid's bike to your industrial vehicle, you can still get one more use out of them by selling them to a salvage center. Many companies use aluminum or steel to manufacture their wheels. Both of these metals stand up to the recycling process well, and the larger size means they'll bring you a bit more cash than those aluminum cans.

7) Hurricane Shutters

Whether hurricane season has ended or you decided to upgrade to something that fits your needs better, don't just toss the old shutters away. Hurricane shutters are usually made with aluminum, which means the metal can be recycled and put to better use. Again, you'll turn in a large quantity of metal, so you'll gain a significant profit from something you no longer need. 

8) Old Piping

On the theme of home renovation, maybe you're replacing the pipes in your house or you have extra pipes and no reason to keep them. You can redeem them as scrap metal and make a bit of cash. You guessed it: those pipes contain aluminum and aluminum alloys, both recyclable material.

Hopefully, this sparked some ideas about what you can bring in to recycle and make your community more eco-friendly. If you have any questions about what you can redeem for cash or ways your recycling can have a positive impact on the world around you, contact your local salvage or recycling center today.

Remember, Bruce Metal & Salvage offers competitive pricing on both salvage and recycling and serves your community on a local level.

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