Raise Money for Charity and Help the Environment by Selling Scrap Metal
There are so many good causes to give to nowadays, it can be hard to drum up support for another. Novel or unconventional methods can often encourage people to give to your collection, so why not ask people to donate scrap metal? You might have seen charities that ask people to donate items to be sold, rather than giving money - this suggestion takes that concept one step further. Asking people to donate their scrap metal will capture attention, and can raise large amounts of money, as well as helping the environment.
If you offer to collect any type of metal, not just those that can be sold, then you'll also be helping the environment by recycling anything that can't be sold. This also adds an extra incentive for any donators who have large amounts of metal that they can't recycle themselves.
Read on for some tips on organizing your scrap metal collection. One man's trash really is another man's treasure!
Collecting the metal
When it comes to selling scrap, not all metal is created equal. Some metals will fetch much higher prices than others, and informing your potential donators of this can help you to get the highest value donations possible. Create a simple list of metals, advising where each might be found. For example, scrap copper may come from old cables or pipes, and is worth a high amount. Scrap brass often comes in the form of old doorknobs, kitchen or bathroom taps, or fittings. If a reader has recently had work done in their home, chances are they might have a few of these lying around. Scrap aluminum may come from old wheels, radiators or cables. Having a phone number on your flyers is a good idea - readers can then contact you if they're unsure about the type of scrap they have.
Selling the metal
You should contact a few local recycling centers and ask for a metal price list from each, as well as details on the grade of metal they accept. Grade one metal is pure, uncorroded and not associated with different alloy types, while grade two may consist of multiple alloy metals. Different dealers may accept different types of metal, and different grades. To get the best deal, you may want to sell your scrap to more than one dealer - write down each price list and compare.
Depending on the amount of metal you accumulate, you may need to hire a vehicle to transport it to your chosen recycling center. It's best to gather all of your donations together in one place, then sell and recycle them all at once. This saves you time and money, which would be wasted by making multiple trips back and forth.
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