Recycling metal can be a profitable thing for you to do, depending on how much work you want to put into it and what kind of metal you are recycling. The nice thing about metal is that it is endlessly recyclable, so there is always going to be a demand for metal. One of the more profitable metals to recycle is copper. If you are going to recycle copper, you want to do everything you can in order to make as much money as possible.
Strip It
One of the things that you can do is to strip off all the copper wire that you have collected. You are going to be taking off all the insulation and coverings that are on the wires. If you do it ahead of time, that is one less step that has to be done after you take the copper to a recycling center.
It's pretty easy to strip the wire. All you need is a pair of wire strippers. Run the wire through the strippers to pull the insulation off the copper core. It's something that you could do while you are watching TV. You might want to wear work gloves while you are doing it though, to protect your fingers from metal splinters.
Grade It
Another thing that you can do before recycling is grading the copper. There are several grades of copper and each grade is going to have its own price. If you can separate out the various grades of copper before you take it to the recycling center, you can get through the process easier and more quickly. It may take you some time for you to learn and recognize which grade any particular piece of copper falls into. Once you've done it long enough, though, you will be able to identify the grade of your copper quickly and accurately.
If you have questions about your copper, you can always ask the people who run the metal recycling center if they can give you some tips about grading the metal. Make sure that you go at a time when they aren't busy because they might not have the time to talk to you otherwise.
If you are looking for a way to make a little extra money, you might want to think about gathering and recycling scrap metal, especially copper. For more information about copper recycling, contact a local recycling center.
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