The Don'ts of Metal Recycling for Startup Metal Recyclers
In 2021, the Australian metal recycling industry is estimated to be worth $2.4 billion. The numbers are significant and encourage businesses to continue recycling more waste metal. Notably, small-scale metal recyclers are an integral part of the lucrative industry; however, only startups that get the metal recycling process right will get a slice of the revenue pie. Therefore, if you have just opened a metal recycling yard, you must avoid certain practices at all costs. This article highlights the don'ts of metal recycling.
Don't Burn Insulated Wire
An essential part of recycling insulated wires is stripping the protective plastic sheath and removing any plugs at the end of the cable. Recyclers use an automatic stripping machine to pull the insulation off wires with ease. However, some newbie small-scale recyclers who do not have a wire stripping machine resort to burning insulated wires. While the practice burns the insulation off multiple strands of wires, it is harmful to the environment. Thus, it defeats the purpose of metal recycling, which entails reducing hazardous waste in landfills. Therefore, although investing in an automatic wire-stripping machine might set you back a tidy sum, you recoup the amount in a short time without sacrificing the environment.
Don't Recycle Unauthorised High-Performance Waste Metals
High-performance metals, such as titanium alloys, nickel alloys, and duplex stainless steel, are common in special applications. For instance, aeroplane propeller manufacturers and wind turbines rely on high-performance metals due to their resistance to extreme temperatures. Notably, such manufacturers keep their technologies a secret and prefer to recycle high-performance metal components. Thus, such manufacturers must give authorisation for scrappers to collect high-performance metals that are no longer usable. In this regard, recyclers are expected to ask scrap metal collectors to prove that they have been authorised to collect high-performance metals. If you do not ask for such authorisation, your business becomes susceptible to legal issues.
Don't Accept Too Many Waste Metal Types
Starting a metal recycling business protects the environment and puts cash in your pockets. Unfortunately, the drive to make more money tempts most small-scale recyclers to bite more than they can chew. Therefore, they accept all types of metals even if they cannot handle the capacity. However, it often proves unsustainable. A better strategy for startup recyclers is to accept a few types of waste metals. Most importantly, it gives you time to grow and acquire equipment and expertise to handle more metal types and quantities.
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