Stoves, washing machines, and dishwashers are household staple electronics with a daunting shelf life. When the time comes to trash or replace these items, many people leave them on the curb during a local waste reclamation week.
While this is a legal act of getting rid of such large appliances, curb pick-ups ultimately leave you unfulfilled, lead to e-waste spreading, and prevent you from gaining potential cash.
Scrapping miscellaneous items like large household appliances can be a great way to earn extra cash while contributing to the environment. However, before you take your old appliances to the scrap yard, it’s important to prepare them for recycling properly.
Here’s how to prep appliances before bringing them into Action Metals Recyclers for scrap metal recycling.
Disconnect All Power Sources
Prepping your appliances for recycling can mean getting up close and personal with the internal workings of your equipment. Before digging into any electronics, it’s important to disconnect all power sources to prevent a sometimes deadly jolt or another unfortunate mishap.
Unplugging appliances and shutting off gas and water are critical steps that ensure your safety and prevent any accidents or injuries during the prepping process.
Remove Any Non-Metal Parts
Once you’ve disconnected all power sources, you can remove non-metal parts from your appliances. This includes things like plastic knobs, handles, and doors.
Some scrap yards in Dallas may not accept appliances with non-metal parts attached, so removing them beforehand saves a lot of stress and time in the long run.
What Metals Can You Expect From Appliances?
Steel
Appliances like stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, and dryers are often made with a significant amount of steel. The current steel price is between $0.03 and $0.05 per pound. Most larger household appliances have significant heft, much of which comes from their steel components.
Aluminum
Dishwashers and refrigerators often contain aluminum parts like frames, handles, or other decorative features. Once again, these frames can be heavy, so you’d be wise to take advantage of the current selling price which is a little over $1 per pound.
Copper
Copper wiring, motors, or tubing are common in electronic appliances. Copper is highly valued in the scrap metal market for its electrical conductivity, making it a sought-after metal for recycling. Coming in at a current selling price of $3.84 per pound, it’s clear that leaving your appliances at the curb is literally leaving money on the side of the road.
Brass
Appliances like faucets, valves, and connectors may contain brass, a metal alloy made of copper and zinc. Brass is highly malleable and resistant to corrosion. Brass typically averages at around $2.00 per pound!
Drain the Remaining Water From Your Appliance
Dishwashers and washing machines can malfunction and hold water within the devices even when not used. If you’re recycling a washing machine or dishwasher, it’s important to drain any remaining water before taking it to the scrap yard.
This prevents any water from leaking during transportation and also helps with the recycling process.
You can drain water by running a cycle on the appliance without any clothes or dishes, or by manually emptying any water that may be left in the appliance with a bucket, towel drying methods, or a shop vac that can safely suck up excess fluids.
Time to Cut the Cord!
Once you’ve removed all non-metal parts and drained any remaining water, it’s time to cut the power cord. Your power and extension cords contain valuable copper that can add to the cash you take home. Use a sharp blade to strip the sheathing from the cord if possible. Many scrap yards will pay less for power cords that aren’t stripped.
Aside from saving time, cutting and stripping your cords will make it easier for us to sort the cords and recycle their copper separately.
Load and Sell Your Scrap Metal
You’ve prepped your appliances, and it’s time to load them into your vehicle and take them to the scrap yard. It’s important to secure the appliances properly during transportation to prevent any accidents or injuries.
Tie-down straps or bungee cords are great for securing your appliances in place.
Once you arrive at our secure scrap metal recycling facility, we’ll help unload, weigh your appliances, and sell your sorted scrap metal.
We pay the highest prices in Dallas for your scraps. So, be sure to bring a valid ID to complete your transaction.
Make the Most of Your Old Appliances With Action Metals Recyclers
Prepping appliances for scrap metal recycling is an easy step that can help maximize your cash earnings at a scrap metal recycling facility.
If you’re ready to unload some of your old dishwashers or stoves, Action Metals Recyclers is here to help! Contact us today to schedule your next drop-off or pick-up!
