If you’re in the need for some extra cash, then selling common scrap metal around your home is a surefire, quick way to make some money by turning your scrap into cash. Scrap metal includes copper, steel, brass, aluminum, and even iron. These metals can be sold quickly to a scrap metal recycler near you giving you extra money in your pocket. Best part? You come across these metals in your everyday life. Often, they are tossed into the garbage as unwanted and non-usable waste, so next time you’re about to toss out that item made of metal pause and consider recycling it instead. It may surprise you to find that over a period of time, you have probably accumulated quite a few items that can be scrapped and recycled for quick cash.

Common Household Places to Look

1. The Kitchen

Pans, appliances, cans—all these items are found in your kitchen and can be sold as scrap metal. When’s the last time you used that old iron skillet, aluminum cookie sheet, or copper or stainless-steel pan? It may be time to take a look in the back of your cupboards for unused, unneeded items. Common kitchen appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves have copper wires and are made of scrap metals. Even an unused kitchen stove can be recycled! It doesn’t stop there, though. If you habitually drink soda from a can or eat canned foods, these cans tend to be made of aluminum and can be sold as scrap metal, as well.

2. Living Room and Bedroom

Have an unused television collecting dust in a room of your house? Televisions are a good source of scrap metal because they can contain decent quantities of copper. Check with your scrap metal yard before hauling it over though, because some yards are unable to accept electronics. However don’t let that get you down, even if they do not accept the full television they more than likely will take the wiring. Entry doors and lamp bases that are made of steel or aluminum can also be scrapped at a scrap metal recycling center near you. Replaced your HVAC unit recently? Air conditioners are a great source for copper. Window sidings and frames and gutters are usually made of aluminum and can be sold as scrap.

3. Bathroom and Laundry

Electronic devices are almost all sources of scrap metal, and washers and dryers are no different. Your bathroom may be home to fixtures with copper wiring or pipes for plumbing that are made of copper, as well. If your bathroom or laundry area shelving is made of metal, figuring out what type could help yield a good price at the scrap center.

4. Garden and Patio

That patio furniture you never use anymore… It could very well be made of wrought iron which, you probably guessed by now, can be scrapped for cash. Lawn mowers, metal swings or swing sets, and even iron railing can all be taken to your local scrap metal recycling center and sold as scrap for money.

5. Attic

Go ahead and climb up there, we’re sure it’s been a while. Start sorting through all the stored things in your attic. Look for furniture made of metals or with metal frames, rusty old metal tables, worn out lamp shades and bases, shelves, cabinets, old appliances—they all may contain metal to some extent and are better off in the scrap yard as money in your pocket.

6. Garage

Your garage may be home to some or even all of these items: rusty old power tools, paint cans, nails, screws, bicycles, musical instruments, even unused cars. These items make for great scrap metal recyclables. The bicycles your kids have outgrown may have aluminum frames, and those instruments that are no longer used, well, they have brass. However, the biggest source of scrap metal in your garage—that old car! If it’s near its end, or you never had the time to restore it like you wanted, make a profit and clean out your garage by selling it and its parts to a nearby scrap yard. You’ll be smiling on your way to the bank after scrapping these items, and (bonus!) the garage will be cleaned out, too.

Things to Keep in Mind When Scrapping for Cash

Now that you know your house is practically a treasure trove for scrap metal, it’s time to collect all that scrap and haul it to a scrap metal recycling center near you. But here are a few things to keep in mind before you go:

• Check the “What We Accept” area of your local scrap yard. Most scrap metal yards have an area of their website letting you know what they do and do not accept. This will ensure you do not waste your time hauling a bunch of items they may not accept to the yard. Common unaccepted items that you may find in your home are railroad stakes, street signs, or city-owned cables/wiring. Scrap yards are unable to accept these items because though you may have foraged them in one way or another, they do not actually belong to you.
• Sort your scrap metals before you go. Save yourself some time at the scrap metal recycling center by sorting your metals before you go. Ferrous metals, such as steel or iron, will be magnetic. Nonferrous metals, such as copper, aluminum, brass, and stainless steel, are not magnetic and tend to be more valuable.
• Prepare your scrap metal. If you are bringing in old appliances or cars, be sure to prepare the item for recycling before bringing it to the scrap metal center. Prepping your item may include draining excess fluids, separating parts, or having any necessary ownership documents, like car titles. Many scrap metal recycling centers will prep your items for you, but for a fee that will ultimately come out of your bottom line.
• Carry your photo ID. Scrap yards will always ask for identification from sellers because of the recent rise in metal theft.

Scrap Metal Recycling Near Me in Knoxville, Rockwood, Oak Ridge, and Crossville, Tennessee

Recycling your scrap metals not only gives you money in your pocket but is also a way to help the Earth while stimulating the economy. At Roane Metals Group in East Tennessee, we accept a wide variety of scrap metal and offer competitive pricing for your haul. Visit us today at our Rockwood, TN, location just minutes from Knoxville, TN, or at our middle Tennessee location in Crossville to earn some extra cash by selling old items that have been hidden away in your home. Worried we won’t accept it? Learn more about what we accept by checking out our individuals and group scrapping page. Scrap metal pricing changes regularly, so for the most up-to-date pricing feel free to contact us.