Everyone has an image of what a scrap collector looks like, such as the characters in the TV show "Sanford and Son." However, many people do this for a part time business and make decent money at it. The trick is to know where to get large quantites of scrap and finding a good scrap yard that will pay a decent price. With a little legwork, scrapping can be a lucrative full- or part-time job for anyone.
Instructions
1. Collect aluminum cans. Collect them at home, and visit local business and factories and offer to do their recycling for them. Schedule a pick-up to collect cans once or twice a week.
2. Collect steel. Visit local factories and warehouses and offer to take their leftover scrap. Auto repair shops are another great place to find scrap materials. It is a good idea to offer something to the owner. For instance, if you collect all the old rotors from an auto repair shop, pay the owner $1 apiece for them.
3. Collect copper. Copper often pays well and can be found in various plants and factories. Visit all the businesses in your area. Have them set aside all copper they may have and schedule regular visits.
4. Call all scrap yards and find the ones that pay that the most. They all will pay by the pound or ton. Consider how far you want to drive to make this profitable. Also, find out about their hours of operation so you can schedule your trips around your pick-ups and your other job, if you have one.
5. Drive around on trash days and look for appliances that are being thrown out. Appliances often have a fixed rate of pay. Be sure to ask the scrap yard what their procedure is for delivering appliances. For instance, motors may have to be removed beforehand.
