Overview of Scrap Metal Yards or Companies and Their Process of Work

A scrapyard is a place where the sellers of outdated metal items receive a competitive price depending on the total weight of the articles. The price may also vary depending upon the type of the metal. In a yard for Houston scrap metal, an individual may even sell a vehicle that is unsafe for the road. Hence, the scrap yards may become sources of additional income for tradesmen, such as plumbers, electricians or builders, who may have direct access to the scrap metals due to their profession. It may even become a source of additional income for the homeowners. On the other hand, a scrap-yard may prevent the pollution of earth, as it stops the leaching of metal elements into the ground. It collects the used metals and sends it to the recycling plant. The recycled metal is used to manufacture new articles.

1. Events of Scrap Yard

A recent review shows that the billion-dollar scrap-metal industry keeps over 90-million tons of outdated metal articles out of the landfills every year. This industry encourages the recycling of old metal components and turns the recycled items into new products.

  • This industry reduces the need for unearthing the virgin resources to manufacture various components.
  • The recycling of scrap metal requires 70% less energy than the processing of virgin metal.

Hence, the recycling process of the scrap metal may benefit the environment in different ways. There are multiple steps present between the collection and recycling of the scrap metal.

Categorization of Metal

The workers at a scrap-yard categorize the metals in three different categories – ferrous articles, non-ferrous articles and electronics. The advancement in recycling technology has turned every metal recyclable.

  • The aluminium, brass, copper, lead, bronze, stainless steel and cable fall within the category of non-ferrous items. These metals have higher recycling value in the industry.
  • The steel, iron or cast-iron fall within the category of ferrous items. These metals have moderate recycling value.
  • The electronics may include silver, platinum and gold. These metals have the highest recycling value.

Reselling or Recycling

The workers of scrap-yard assess the value of every purchased item. The functioning electronics have a good value in the market of secondhand articles. On the other hand, the non-ferrous and ferrous elements have values in the recycling industry. The scrap-yards turn these items to the recycling plants where the scrap metals are used for the processing of new items.

2. Finding Scrap Yard

The scrap-yards need ample space for the storage of materials and equipment along with the processing of used vehicles. These yards are usually located in industrial areas or in urban/suburban areas. The large companies of Houston scrap metal may have branches in different regions to serve the customers of different localities. These yards may even be located near the ports for the quick and effortless transportation of the materials to different locations.