How Do I Start Scrapping Metal?

how do I get approved to recycle scrap metalHave you ever wondered how to start scrapping metal and recycling other materials with your local scrap yard? The iScrap App team has some tips and things to keep in mind when you are thinking of taking on a new job with scrapping metals.

How To Be A Successful Scrapper

A lot of people have talked about getting a scrap metal license, or try to figure out how they can scrap metal without any problems. Most states or provinces do not require a scrap metal license, but all states and provinces will require some form of government issued ID so they have a trail of where the scrap metal came from.

How Do You Become A Registered Metal Recycler?

There are laws that go state by state on how scrap metal can be bought and knowing what your state’s laws are is a very important thing. Most states will not make you become registered to sell scrap metal, but some states will only let certain industries scrap certain items.

For example, in Georgia only registered HVAC (Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) companies are allowed to sell air conditioners that would sit outside of people’s homes. Because of this the theft and sales of these units has gone down considerable and it has made for a safer scrapping environment in the state. Not only do they have to be sold by registered HVAC specialists, they have to let the scrap yards know the address where the units came from so they are able to have a trace on them just in case they were stolen.

Scrap metal has become a hot topic since 2000 when many of the prices started to climb and the industry has received a bad name because of it. The scrap metal buyers across the US and Canada are generally companies that have internal rules in place so they are able to protect themselves and their employees from any harm or potential legal action.

Storing materials loose in your backyards could be a big problem with your local government for multiple reasons as well.

  • Neighbors – Most peoples neighbors will not want to see the yard next to them filled with metals.
  • Laws – Residential areas are not allowed to operate as businesses, and that is why certain areas of land are meant to be used in strictly industrial settings.
  • Pollution – What if you are collecting lawn mowers or snowblower and the oil/gas are leaking into the ground. Most homeowners do not have the proper ways to clean that up and allowing them to seep into the ground is bad for everyone.

Suggested Reading: How To Market Your Scrap Metal Services

Rules To Become Scrap Yards

Scrap metal yards have to go through extensive checks to even become a scrap yard nowadays as well. Scrap yards are put through many check points both with their towns, counties, provinces, states, and even sometimes through National standards. With pollution being such an important topic scrap yards want to be able to register themselves correctly so they are able to follow the rules and regulations and not have any problems while operating their businesses.

Becoming a scrap yard is tough…but maintaining the guidelines that are put into place is even harder. Once the scrap starts rolling into the door scrap yards have to check for:

  • Stolen Materials
  • Contaminated materials that may container things like asbestos
  • Radioactive materials.
  • Lead Paint
  • Live Bullets
  • Helium Tanks and other sealed Tanks
  • Cars that have not been drained of fluids.

All of these things are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to following scrap yard guidelines and is not easy to maintain at a high level unless you follow your own internal rules very closely.

Suggested Reading: What Scrap Yards Don’t Tell You About Scrap


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