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Earn Some Extra Cash By Collecting Scrap Metal

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Are you looking for a quick way to earn some extra cash? You may want to consider collecting scrap metal. You can turn the metal in at a local metal recycling center, and they will generally pay you a certain amount based on the weight of the metal. Some metals are worth more than others. For instance, you will get a little money for aluminum or steel, but much more money for copper or platinum.

Here are a few ways you can go about finding scrap metal.

Drive around town and look.

Many homeowners put old appliances like stoves and refrigerators out to the street when they are finished with them. These are all sources of scrap metal. If you do not have your own pickup truck, borrow one from a friend. Drive around town looking for old appliances out to the curb; if they are at the curb, then they are considered to be trash, and in most jurisdictions, it is fine for you to take them. (Just check your local laws to make sure this is the case in your area.)

Ask at local businesses.

Another idea is to drive around to local businesses and ask if they have any scrap metal that they need to get rid of. Even if the businesses know they could get money for recycling these items, they may not have the time to take them to the recycling plant. They may be willing to give them to you for free just to get them off of their hands. In fact, some businesses with a lot of scrap metal may even pay you a few dollars to clean it up! 

Some good businesses to visit for scrap metal include hardware stores, discount stores, and grocery stores. Once you find stores that are willing to give you scrap metal, you can come back again and again to get more.

Visit construction sites.

If there is any construction going on in the area, stop by the site and ask to speak to the person in charge. Ask if they have any scrap metal they would like to get rid of. They might have some old pipes they've removed from the structure, some old appliances, or just scrap leftover from cutting building materials. 

Shop online.

Visit online classified ad sites like Craigslist and look for items that people are giving away for free. Some people will list their old, non-functional appliances and cars on the site just because they want them off of their property. Even if you find a car for a hundred dollars, that's a lot of scrap metal -- and you'll make a profit if you buy it and get it to the scrap yard. Just make sure you have the necessary equipment, such as a large truck, to pick up any items you decide to purchase or take off someone's hands.

Visit assisted living facilities.

Drive around to a few assisted living facilities in your area. Many times, these places have a high turnover rate of residents, and the old residents may leave things like pots and pans and old appliances behind when they move to a nursing home. Assisted living facilities usually don't have a lot of storage space, so they will want to get rid of these items as soon as possible and will likely just give them to you if you ask.

If you employ the strategies above, you should have no trouble finding plenty of scrap metal to sell to your local recycling plant. Once you have a few established places where you're regularly finding metal, you can visit them again and again, making the process easier. For more information, visit websites like http://cozzirecycling.com/.


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