Frequently Asked Questions about Appliance Recycling

Indianapolis Appliance Recycling 317-244-0700

Indianapolis Appliance Recycling 317-244-0700

Most everyone knows where to go when they need to purchase a new appliance. But not many people know where to bring them once they are old, broken, and not work fixing. Although many choose to place them on the side of the curb, they are soon faced with the reality that their trash service won’t take them.

Fortunately, most appliances can be recycled for their metal components. Your town, or a nearby city, should have a metal recycling center that you can contact for details about getting rid of junk appliances. For now, continue reading to review some common questions about recycling old appliances, and learn where to get started with your own.

Where Can I Safely Dispose of an Old or Broken Appliance?

Occasionally, you can find a used appliance store that will accept old or broken-down appliances, but often times, under several strict or unreasonable conditions. In few cases, they may charge a small fee to take them. Also, some home improvement stores sell used appliances so they buy or accept old ones that are still operational. The best place to safely discard an old or broken appliance is your city’s metal recycling center.

Will Metal Recycling Centers Take Any Appliance?

No. Most metal recycling centers are very hesitant to accept certain appliances that contain hazardous waste or toxic chemicals, such as refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners. However, some companies may accept these types of appliances, but for an additional charge. Other appliances, like plastic dishwashers, are not usually accepted because they contain very little-to-no metal.

How Much Does it Cost to Recycling a Junk Appliance?

In most cases, the costs related to appliance recycling mostly involve fuel costs since many places do not offer free haul away service. You are responsible of getting the appliance to the recycling center on your own if you want to recycle it for free. Otherwise, you can expect to pay a small fee, usually under $25, to have your appliance picked up and hauled off. This fee pays for the company’s overhead costs for haul-away service, including labor, fuel, insurance, and more. But the good news is that many metal processing centers pay cash for junk appliances, especially valuable ones like water heaters, furnaces, dryers, and more. Subtract the cost of haul-away service and you can still profit from recycling an appliance.

Zore’s Recycling

Appliance Recycling Indianapolis IN

Appliance Recycling 317-244-0700

Call Zore’s Recycling at 317-244-0700 for information about appliance recycling in Indianapolis, Indiana. We pay cash on the spot for junk metal, including appliances, electronics, motorized vehicles, construction equipment, power tools, and more! Whether you need to get rid of an old fishing boat that no longer works or is worth repairing, or need to make money from a totaled car, we are the place to start! Call 317-244-0700 for free estimates and information about Indianapolis metal recycling, today.

Which Metals are Not Recyclable and Why?

Nearly all metal and objects containing metal are recyclable. But there are, however, certain metals (most of which are not even accessible by common person) that are not recyclable, or not accepted at scrap metal recycling centers because they are hazardous waste. Continue reading to learn about these particular metals, and where to recycle metal in your community.

Non-Recyclable Metals

Metal Recycling Center 317-244-0700

Metal Recycling Center 317-244-0700

The most common (and obvious) non-recyclable metals are Uranium and Plutonium. These are referred to as radioactive metals. Now unless you are a scientist, physicist, military engineer, or some secret government nuclear power mastermind, you are not going to ever see or come into contact with Uranium or Plutonium. But just as food for thought, they are radioactive metals that are not suitable for recycling because they are extremely detrimental to our health and environment.

There is a third metal too toxic to recycle, and that metal is Mercury. This also includes anything made with or containing Mercury. Lastly, another metal that should not be recycled is lead; like lead-acid batteries and cathode ray tubing found in television sets and computer monitors. Although most scrap metal recycling centers will accept these commodities, they will remove the toxic metal components before the salvaging process. To further understand more about Uranium, Plutonium, and Mercury, and why these metals are not safe to recycle, check out the brief descriptions of each below:

Plutonium – Plutonium starts out brightly-colored silver and gray, but quickly changes to duller colors, even greens and yellows, when exposed to oxygen. It has a high boiling point and is a good conductor of electricity, but a poor conductor of heat. It is brittle and hard, but can be more malleable if combined with another metal. Human exposure to plutonium, for instance through inhalation, can cause genetic impairment, radiation poisoning, lung cancer, and death.

Uranium – Uranium is a heavy and dense metal that is named after the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus. It naturally occurs in rocks and oceans. It was first discovered in a mineral called pitchblende in 1789 by a German chemist named Martin Klaproth. The slow, radioactive decay of Uranium is what heats the Earth’s core, making it an abundant source of concentrated energy. It causes convection and continental drift too. It is found in familiar commodities like yacht keels and airplane counterweights, but it is also used for radiation shielding.

Metal Recycling Center 317-244-0700

Metal Recycling Center 317-244-0700

Mercury– You may recognize Mercury better by its nickname, Quicksilver. It is the only metal that is a liquid at standard pressure and temperature conditions (with the exception or Bromine), and has the lowest boiling point. Like Plutonium, it is a good conductor of electricity, but poor conductor of heat. A person can get mercury poisoning from eating seafood contaminated with traces of mercury, inhaling Mercury vapors, or exposing themselves to water-soluble forms of Mercury, like Methyl-mercury or mercuric chloride. Familiar commodities that use mercury include thermometers, barometers, and fluorescent lights.

Lead– As the heaviest non-radioactive metal, Lead is soft, malleable, and appears as a bluish-white color until exposed to air. It then turns to a dull gray-like color. It is mainly used in today’s society for building construction, lead acid batteries, ammunition, and as a shield for radiation (just like Uranium). Lead is a neurotoxin, poisonous to both humans and animals if ever ingested or inhaled. It can cause brain disorders, blood disorders, and nervous system damages.

To learn which metals can be recycled, contact your local scrap metal recycling center. They will have all the information you need regarding metal recycling and more.

Zore’s Recycling

Zore's Metal Recycling Indianapolis, IN 317-244-0700

Zore’s Metal Recycling Indianapolis, IN 317-244-0700

Call Zore’s Recycling at 317-244-0700 to recycle metal in Indianapolis. We are a family owned and operated company that has been serving the Hoosier communities for over 80 years! That means you can trust that we offer top quality services, 24 hour customer support, and we make metal recycling easy for you! We accept and pay cash for all metal and objects containing metal, including cars, boats, auto parts, appliances, construction equipment, computers, electronics, and much more. Call 317-244-0700 for information about our Indianapolis scrap metal recycling services, today.

Why Did the Price of Aluminum Fall Recently?

Aluminum is a popular and widely-used metal for several industries and markets. Smaller commodities like soda cans, tools, eye glasses, gutters, packaging, and so forth are common aluminum products; whereas, larger ones like airplanes, high-speed trains, cars, trucks, construction equipment, and more make up a huge part of the aluminum market as well. Recently, the price of aluminum has fallen drastically, sparking questions about its changing values. There are several factors, both economic and organic, that influence the price of aluminum and other metals.

Continue reading to learn more about these factors, and why the current value of aluminum might be so low.

Indianapolis Aluminum Recycling
Indianapolis Aluminum Recycling

Factors that Influence the Price of Metal

Because aluminum metal is used in several industries across the world, its demand is constantly changing. Changes in demand are the root of the rise and fall of aluminum prices. The industries that use the majority of alumina in the world are the ones that influence these prices the most, and for a few different reasons. Here are the industries that use the most alumina, or produce the most aluminum, and the reasons their demand for the metal might fluctuate:

Construction and Building

The construction and architectural industries make up a large part of the demand for aluminum. In most modernized countries, more than 25% of all aluminum produced ends up being used in the construction markets. The demand for aluminum increases as residential, commercial, and industrial construction rates increase. And when demand for aluminum increases, the price for it does as well. When construction markets are at a low production rate, the demand for such metal might decrease, rendering lower prices for aluminum.

Transportation

In almost all developed countries, the transportation market makes up a majority of demand for aluminum. Cars, trains, airplanes, buses, and more are all made with aluminum. Car manufacturers like General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford are using more and more aluminum for car production for lighter cars, compact vehicles, and smaller trucks. Vehicles were once made with primarily steel, but now more than 300 pounds of aluminum can be found in current make and model cars and trucks. Since the use of aluminum in automobile manufacturing is becoming more and more popular, the demand will increase, along with the price.

Energy Prices

The cost of energy can greatly influence the cost of aluminum. The reason for this is that the production of aluminum requires a constant supply of electricity. In fact, more than 25 percent of the cost of producing aluminum is energy usage. If the cost of energy increases, it means the cost of smelting alumina does as well. If the production process for aluminum costs more, then the result would be either an increase in price, or a drop in demand.

Aluminum Recycling Services in Indianapolis

Call Zore’s Recycling at 317-244-0700 for easy aluminum recycling services in Indianapolis, Indiana. We are an experienced metal recycling company that offers the most convenient aluminum recycling services around. We accept all commodities made from aluminum, such as soda cans, food cans, cars, construction equipment, appliances, sheet metal, and much more. Call 317-244-0700 to learn how to earn cash on the spot when you recycle aluminum in Indianapolis, Indiana.