…as in parts that are beyond use on a bicycle. eg terminally worn out drivetrain parts, cracked/bent bars/stem/seatposts, worn out/pringled rims/rotors/pad backing plates and so on.

Since we had green bins, I have always put the above in them in a no-too-flithy condition. Does anyone know if they are actually recycled as cans etc would be?

Wouldn’t have thought so, and solid objects like that I always took as a big no, no, if not even illegal (damaging to the trucks, etc). But I could be way off the mark?

I’ve been wondering about this for a while. I’ve amassed about 8kg of assorted non ferrous metal bits n bobs, old cut seatposts, chain rings, huge brass mixer tap,copper backed brake pads, old plumbing fittings. Is it worth “weighing them in ” for a couple of quid, or, just take them to the recycling centre along with the garden rubbish ?
The very last thing I want do is give it to one of the shouty men with their rattly old transit.

I keep a box in the garage and when it’s full i juat take it down the tip where they have a big skip for all metals. I assume that this is then taken away to a processing plant, dumped on a conveyer belt where a magnet picks out all the steel and then other metals are sorted by hand i.e. ali and what ever else is unuseable is then land-filled.

Phone your local scrap metal dealers. Stuff like aluminium, brass, copper worth a few quid if you can be bothered to collect up a decent amount – that’s what the shouty men do with it having taken it off your hands

Given the current media frenzy about the high prices of scrap metal driving a massive increase in crime, it’s surprising how difficult it actually is to get enough to be worth the effort.

If you have access to a commercial supply (I work for a transport company specialising in commercial catering equipment, and the boss used to reclaim a lot of stainless from the fridges, for example), you can get some reasonable sums, but you’d struggle to get enough for bike parts to be worth the effort.

Iron / mixed metal currently £140/ton approx, Stainless around £1200/ton & £4000/ton for copper & brass.

Sounds like a lot, but to give you an idea, we’re lucky to get £700 or so for a 3.5ton van full of metal that took 6-8 weeks to accumulate. That was a van full of large stainless panels from fridges and tabling, and a few other bits and pieces.

Oh, and it’s only stainless if it’s non-magnetic…

Trust me, it’s not worth the effort for a few bike parts!

When we rebuild wheels, cut down steerers,replace broken frames etc , we lob the ali into a box, and the money from the scrappy goes towards our christmas night out. £70ish for sticking it in a different box to the recycling waste’s not a bad earner for me.

So that’s £70 for a years worth of scrap from a commercial source…that’s kind of my point, when you scale down to the amount of scrap you’ll generate from home.

ask your lbs if they store up scrap until they have enough to take to the recycling place?

It is a bit silly that there is no provision for recycling of small amounts of mixed metals in the green/black bins.

Next door has an old Morris Marina we dump all of the odd lumbs of scrap metal in. Eventually it will get weighed in with all the junk inside to add to the weight.

Any idea how much a bulkhead from a Trafic/Vivaro van would be worth as scrap (if anything)? I have one to get rid of and it’s a toss-up between the local council re-cycling centre and a scrap metal merchant.

Sounds to me like if ran a LBS I would set up a recycle bins. It might get a few more people to go to the shop, generates a few quid for the Xmas party, and saves the planet !

Re the bulk head, it’s ferrous metal so worth not a lot I’m afraid, about £180 per ton.

The scrapmen who trawl the streets have always been polite and courteous IME. And they come around so often these days that a box of metal bits left on the pavement usually disappears within a few hours. It will then get recycled and somebody gets a few pennies for the effort. I believe this is the “Big Society” in action.

The only time my dogs howl is when the scrapmen play that horn through their speakers.. 🙂

That aside, they were bloody useful the other day when I wanted an old radiator gone – saved me the hassle of taking the car apart and making a trip to the metal bin in the local recycling centre

That’s what the classifieds are for right? Seem some right junk in there the last few weeks.

and then other metals are sorted by hand i.e. ali and what ever else is unuseable is then land-filled.

rough sorting my hand/machine, then eddy current seperators, density seperators, air knifes etc…

have a look at this monster 6000hp:
http://www.metalandwaste.com/Services/fragmentiser.html

Metal processing places are frightening places!

little from scrap processing is landfilled, mainly frag fluff (fibrous textiles from car seats/upholstery etc and even that can go for energy recovery.

Stick it in your recycling bin.

As said above, it’ll go through a magnet, eddy current separator, colour separator etc. All metal has a value, and land filing it costs a fortune so will be the last resort.

To give you an idea, I work for a waste electrical company and we get all sports of crap including mattresses, electric blankets, sofas etc. They all have any metal removed and less than 1% of all that comes to us goes away as landfill. We even send the floor sweepings to China who pay for it and extract tiny amounts of metal from it.

My LBS take all my old cassettes, chains, etc. Doesn’t seem right to put them in the bin.

Selling metal to a scrap dealer is recycling!!!

I’ve got something like 50 kilos of aluminium scrap out the back (motorbike bits), would that be worth weighing in do you reckon?

As said above, it’ll go through a magnet, eddy current separator, colour separator etc. All metal has a value, and land filing it costs a fortune so will be the last resort.

BUT often the first place your kerbside recyclables will go to is an MRF designed to process normal household kerbside recyclables.. i.e. tins, cans, bottles etc not straight to a frag…

They are designed to deal with oddities, but sometime if the bin peopel see you are putting odd things in they will not collect your bin

Options:
1. Save loads up, bulk by material – then visit local scrap metal dealer
2. Take to the Dump,Tip, HWRC, Civic Amenity site – bulk my type and let the guys working there you can non ferrous – they often collect for christmas party, but normally want copper etc
3. Put them straight in the metal skip at above site

if you waste goes to an incinerator, then the ferrous will come out of the bottom and be recycled,,,

if is landfilled.. not lost for ever, will be mined in the future, they already landfill mine for aluminium in the states.

I’ve got something like 50 kilos of aluminium scrap out the back (motorbike bits), would that be worth weighing in do you reckon?

Only if you live close to a delaer and it is not too caked in oily crap.

About 5 minutes away, and it’s all pretty clean. Paint but not filth.

I’ve got something like 50 kilos of aluminium scrap out the back (motorbike bits), would that be worth weighing in do you reckon?

Aluminium @ my local scrappy is £700/ton or 70p/kilo so about £35

Does anybody know what the scrappies are shouting when they walk around the streets sounds like FerrGNUUNNNNNSssSS LOOOOOMMMINAAAAH!!!

I’m going to take some spare (functional) bits to recyce-y-bike and while I’m there ask them if they have scrap metal recycling in place. They deserve e decent xmas party..

I recently scrapped an old agricultural machine. Luckily our ‘shouty man’ is a very pleasant ex-Traveller (fully licenced and he insists on giving receipts – in case he is stopped, mainly).

Pretty much filled up his wagon for £150 – mainly for the brass, but I just wanted rid of the rest. One piece (steel drum/axle) could only be moved by towing…

Does anybody know what the scrappies are shouting when they walk around the streets sounds like FerrGNUUNNNNNSssSS LOOOOOMMMINAAAAH!!!

Ours plays a tune, a bit like the ice-cream truck. Could yours be “Ferrous & Aluminium”? Seems a bit odd as I suspect they’d be much happier with brass/lead/copper