Monthly Archives: May, 2026

1. 

   Retired Tech Hardware Is a Goldmine Just Waiting to be Mined

   May 26th, 2026 by SEO DOGS | Posted in Ferrous Metal | 6 Comments

   Did you know that there is always a new piece of technology being released as you read this article? Smartphones are replaced yearly while servers and computers are tossed after two or three years of processing wear and tear. Every iPhone, rackmount server, and circuit board is a collection of valuable resources just waiting to be harvested.

   Think about all of those tech devices that end up in a landfill. Not only does that create an environmental hazard but lost opportunity. What if there was a way to extract all of that copper wire, aluminum, gold, and silicon before retirement?

   Recycling metals from old office computers, cell phones, and construction equipment doesn’t just benefit the environment – it’s good for business.

   Why does the tech industry depend on responsible metal recovery?

   Your smartphone, PC, and home stereo contain more nonferrous metals and precious metals than you may realize. It takes an immense amount of energy and habitat disruption to mine precious metals and metal ores from the ground. Transporting raw materials also adds to your carbon footprint. Pre-consumer recycling like harvesting gold from used tech is one of the easiest ways to drastically reduce your business’s impact on the planet.

   Every router, modem, and server you field upgrade contains copper, aluminum, silicon, gold, and palladium. Facilitating a pipeline to your nearest metals recycler not only prevents these valuable metals from ending up in a landfill but creates an alternative revenue stream when your hardware inevitably reaches retirement age.

   Valuable metals found in tech hardware

   If you have a large batch of old office computers or maybe even a data center closure, you should know what’s inside before you decide to scrap it.

   • Motherboards/Circuit boards | These are the “killer apps” of scrap metal. Thin layers of gold, silver, and copper await inside.
   • Power supply units (PSUs) | Another big one that contains pounds of copper wire and aluminum heat sinks.
   • Hard drive casing | Often made from high-quality cast aluminum, these can easily be separated and sent for recycling.
   • Cabling | Copper wire is everywhere in the tech industry. Everything from your Cat6 Ethernet cables to large power cables is copper.

   Environmental cost of tech metals ending up in landfills

   Heavy metals being leached into the groundwater isn’t the only reason you should consider properly recycling electronics. Did you know that it takes 95% less energy to produce a ton of aluminum from scrap than from raw materials?

   We live in an age where “going green” isn’t just a suggestion. By selling your shredded circuit boards, aluminum scaffolding, and copper wire, you are doing your part to keep these materials in a closed-loop system. It can help your bottom line, but it also encourages more sustainable mining practices and saves space in our landfills.

   Let’s face it, there is an awful lot of aluminum lurking in the tech industry. The rare earth elements used in electric motors and batteries are some of the hardest materials to mine. Recycling what we have takes less energy and protects fragile ecosystems all over the world.

   Step-by-Step instructions for breaking down tech for scrap

   When dealing with any volume of electronics, it’s best to have a system. Taking the time to prepare your metals for recycling will save you time when you drop it off and will earn you more money.

   1. Purge all data | Hard drives don’t need to be tossed in with the aluminum frame. Make sure all of your storage devices have been wiped or physically destroyed. Computers are full of sensitive information. While the gray box a hard drive is made from is pure gold to a scrap yard, that data is poisonous.
   2. Break it down | Grab your wire cutters and screwdriver. It only takes a few minutes to completely take apart a computer or piece of equipment. Separate that aluminum heat sink from the computer motherboard and save yourself some money. Items that are considered “bare metal” earn higher rates when they arrive at the scrap yard.
   3. Sort your metals | Grab a fridge magnet. If it sticks to your metal scrap then it’s considered ferrous and mainly composed of steel. Anything not attracted to a magnet is called “non-ferrous” and contains most of the precious metals found in circuit boards, wiring, and processors.
   4. Bundle your wire | Got a bundle of thick copper power cables? Strip the insulation and resell it yourself! Most yards will pay top dollar for bulk copper wire that has been stripped.

   If you’re not set up to do that yet, don’t worry. Many scrap yards accept insulated wire and still pay a handsome rate for it.

   Quiz | How much do you know about tech scrap?

   1. Where is most of the gold found in a computer?
   2. True or False? Aluminum heat sinks should not be removed from circuit boards.
   3. True or False? Computers use aluminum cabling exclusively.

   (On the motherboard / CPU. False; they should always be separated when possible. False, copper.)

   Resolve your pain points with construction tech recycling

   If you manage a warehouse or large facility with rolling computer upgrades, it can feel like your scrap metal bins are overflowing. Nobody has the time to meticulously sort aluminum from copper wire. However, keeping all of your scrap metals together both decreases the value of your payload and creates unnecessary clutter.

   Imagine if you will the “perfect” recycling yard. When you call to schedule a pickup, they understand your industry, have accessible weighing services, and cater their pricing to your needs as a professional customer.

   Enter Action Metals. 

   Tips for increasing profits when recycling tech metal

   Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when you’re harvesting copper wire and sorting through circuit boards.

   • Keep your CPUs separate | Believe it or not, CPUs are graded differently. Hang onto those old Intel processors in a separate bin.
   • Batteries | While these need to be disposed of properly, many laptops contain NICADS batteries that should be removed from the unit before processing.
   • Look for the Gold | Grab your jeweler’s glasses and scope out that Ethernet cable. Many components in your tech use gold plating; find it, and you’ll find profit.

   Making money from tech metal recycling 

   Every time the price of RAM goes up, your ability to profit from recycled metals decreases. Think of your tech scrap as a revenue stream that offsets the cost of new equipment. By implementing a dynamic storage and sorting system in your office or warehouse, you can change the way your business thinks about “waste”.

   Transforming trash into cash isn’t just good for the planet. It’s how businesses will succeed in the 21st century.

   Call On Action Metals | Industrial Metal Recycling for the Win

   Don’t be afraid to dive in and get your hands dirty. All of that new tech you’re selling comes from someone else’s scrap pile. Start separating your tech hardware today and watch the profits roll in.

   Large-scale computer upgrades and bulk tech recycling should be handled by someone who understands your pain points. At Action Metals, we are experts in industrial recycling for the construction and tech industries. We know your business doesn’t have the extra space to stockpile copper wire and aluminum scaffolding.

   That is why we offer “no mess” pickups and flat-rate pricing based on the real-time market prices for your recyclable scrap. Our lifting equipment allows us to weigh your trailer load in the truck, protecting your profit and keeping your operation running smoothly.

   Our industry-leading weighing process is transparent and designed with your workflow in mind. We understand that you are a professional just like us, and we appreciate that you’re considering recycling your excess metals. Allow Action Metals to take the hassle out of industrial scrap metal and watch your profits grow.

   Frequently Asked Questions

   Q. Can computer cables be recycled with my household scrap?

   Yes! In fact most computer cables are made of copper wire wrapped in plastic insulation. Since they are copper only, be sure to keep your cables in a separate bin from other metals.

   Q. Should aluminum heat sinks be broken off from motherboards?

   Motherboards and aluminum get very different rates when scrapped. If you cannot separate the two then the recycler will have to spend time breaking them apart and grade your entire bundle at a lower rate.

   Q. Does Action Metals offer documentation for our environmental compliance records?

   Absolutely! We understand that many of our industrial clients and facility managers need to provide proof that their valuable metals were recycled responsibly. We are happy to provide those documents. 

   Q. How much gold is in my desktop computer?

   There is a small but significant amount of gold on the contact pins and inside your computer’s processor. While it’s probably not worth taking an old CPU apart to salvage a few grams of gold, scrap pounds of computers at a time, and you’ll be surprised at the returns!

2. 

   Scrap Metal in the Circular Economy

   May 20th, 2026 by SEO DOGS | Posted in Metal Recycling | No Comments

   Manufacturing, as we know it, is often linear: Materials are harvested from the ground, made into a product, sold to consumers, and eventually thrown away. Not only does this practice put pressure on natural resources, but it also creates tons of waste. 

   What if that waste could be recycled back into raw materials? 

   Welcome to the circular economy. The circular economy takes a “waste not, want not” approach to business and manufacturing. Metal is an excellent candidate for circular production because it can be recycled indefinitely without losing key properties. That busted steel beam from your old warehouse or copper piping from your latest remodel may have gone to a landfill, but it didn’t have to. Metals like these are urban ore just waiting to be recovered and melted down.

   Metals Recycling Is Crucial to Our Future

   You cannot have a sustainable business model without closing the loop. Metal recycling is how that loop gets closed. Plastic loses its integrity every time it’s recycled. Glass can only be recycled so many times. Metals like aluminum, steel, and copper can be recycled indefinitely.

   That’s why it’s so important to keep these recyclables out of the landfill. Not only do scrap metals prevent excess waste from taking up space in a landfill, but they also reduce the environmental impact of every new item manufactured with recycled content.

   And don’t even get us started on the energy savings. Recycling metals requires far less energy than mining and milling virgin ore. Let’s take aluminum as an example. Did you know that it takes roughly 95% less energy to create aluminum cans from scrap metal than it does to produce them from raw materials? Every pound of metal you recycle keeps that much less fossil fuel in our atmosphere.

   If you’re an industrial operations manager wondering, “Wait… we have scrap metal just sitting in bins on site?” keep reading. There’s money here you’re leaving on the table if you don’t understand the value of scrap metal to the circular economy.

   Breaking Down the Circular Economy

   Although it’s helpful to think of metal recycling as part of a circular economy, it can be difficult to see how scrap contributes to the big picture. That’s why we’ve put the circular model into five simple steps.

   1. Design and Manufacture – Products are designed with manufacturing and recycling in mind.
   2. Use and Reuse – Keeping products maintained and repairing whenever possible prolongs the lifecycle.
   3. Collection and Sorting – Recycling facilities sort through the scrap they receive to separate types of metal.
   4. Processing and Melting – Scrap metal is shredded and placed into large industrial furnaces to melt it back into a raw form.
   5. Manufacturing – That raw material is then used to create new products from scratch.

   Fun fact: If you’re not sure whether or not the pile of metal shavings in your truck bed is worth hauling to us, try sticking a magnet to it. If your magnet sticks, it’s ferrous metal (like steel or iron). If your magnet doesn’t stick, chances are it’s something more lucrative like copper, brass, or aluminum.

   Earn more money on site or on the job

   Whether you’re a foreman on a construction site or an independent contractor, moving to a circular business model can put money back in your pocket.

   Foremen: Think of all that scrap metal as clutter. A cluttered construction site is a dangerous construction site. We know you’ve seen those ridiculous photos of plywood sheets stacked to the ceiling. While many loads of scrap metal can’t be stacked quite that high, large bins full of structural steel or bulldozed machinery are an eyesore. Prevent dumping fees by having those loads hauled away as soon as they’ve reached capacity. Keep your job site clear and collect a check for all that metal you were just paying to dump.

   Contractors: If you’re in the demolition business or a handyman, seeing scrap metal as cash is music to your ears. Every extra pound of copper or brass you pull out of a client’s house is “found money” that you can count on increasing your profit margins. Treat your scrap like a side hustle, and we’ll treat you like a professional. Before you know it, you could have a full-time business selling scrap metal to Action Metals.

   Take our Scrap Value Quiz 

   How much do you know about scrap metal? Read through our brief introduction to scrap values and take the quiz to find out!

   1. Which of the following metals can be recycled over and over without losing its quality?
      1. Steel 
      2. Aluminum 
      3. Copper 
      4. All of the above 

   1. Recycling one ton of steel conserves: 
      1. 500 lbs of iron ore 
      2. 1 ton of iron ore 
      3. 2.5 tons of iron ore 
      4. 1.5 tons of iron ore 

   Answers: 1. D, 2. C 

   Get the most money for your scrap metal

   Ready to join the circular economy and start making some money? Saving the planet is great and all, but you have to prepare your scrap if you want the mills to pay top dollar.

   Sort your metals. The simplest thing you can do to increase your bottom line is source separation. Never put all of your metals into one big bin. Yes, that copper wire is probably worthless to you now, but if it ends up mixed in with a ton of steel, it can contaminate the load when we melt it down. Place separate bins for ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal.

   Clean it up. Got some copper wire? Take the plastic coating off of it. Got an old gasoline motor? Drain all of the fluids and scrap any large plastic components. The cleaner your load, the more we can pay you.

   Compact it. We love big piles of scrap just as much as the next person. But if you’re an industrial site running several production shifts each day, you might not have the luxury of waiting for that one bin to fill up before scheduling a pickup. Use your compactor or shears to maximize your space, and we’ll maximize your return.

   Wait for the right moment. Okay, your scrap probably shouldn’t be sitting around for months on end. But if metal prices are low, wait it out a little. Trade magazines like Scrap Review will let you know when it’s the right time to sell.

   Sell your scrap metal the right way

   We could never blame you for not wanting to waste time sorting your scrap metal. But there’s more to recycling the right way than tossing every broken shard of metal into one big bin.

   Contamination is the enemy of recycling. Metals are fantastic because they can be reused indefinitely. However, if your scrap is permanently attached to or contaminated by plastics, then we’ll have to spend more time (and money) processing it. That’s why many new companies are designing with disassembly in mind.

   Logistics are also a nightmare. For every ton of steel we recycle, we have to collect it from the facility and transport it to the processing plant. Those trucks can’t run on good intentions. If you’re a facility manager who struggles to simply coordinate pickups with your clients, then you’re likely letting metal pile up until it rusts on site.

   Keep good records. 

   Many of our industrial clients are discovering that it’s actually required to document how they dispose of materials on modern building projects. By working with a scrap metal company that cares about its independent contractors and facility managers, you’ll have a full paper trail that demonstrates your waste was properly processed according to environmental guidelines.

   Welcome to the urban mine 

   We like to think of metals “saved from the landfill” as urban ore. As the prices of natural resources continue to skyrocket, your excess scrap is the most valuable material on the planet. Advances in sorting technology are allowing us to recover more and more metal from electronic waste every year.

   X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) technology and sophisticated robotics allow recyclers to extract individual specks of metal from shredded electronics and mixed scrap. The circular economy is only going to get stronger as we improve our ability to recover metals from junk.

   Work with the experts | Action Metals

   Here at Action Metals, we pride ourselves on making your life easier. Dealing with scrap metal doesn’t have to slow you down. We service both industrial facility managers and independent contractors who need an efficient, hassle-free way to transport their scrap.

   We’ve streamlined our routes to maximize your return and minimize our carbon footprint. We use scale tickets to weigh every load we pick up from you so there are never any surprises at checkout.

   Got questions? Read our FAQ or give us a call directly. If saving the planet were easy, everyone would do it. Let Action Metals take care of the heavy lifting while you focus on running your business.

   FAQ

   Q. What counts as ferrous metal? And what counts as nonferrous? 

   1. Ferrous metals contain iron and are magnetic. Nonferrous metals do not contain iron. Nonferrous metals include aluminum, copper, brass, and lead.

   Q. Why should I recycle metal?

   1. Recycling metal reduces greenhouse gas emissions and prevents heavy metals from leaching into the soil and groundwater of our nation’s landfills. In addition to saving energy over primary metal production, metal can be recycled over and over without losing its quality.

   Q. Is aluminum recyclable?

   1. Not only is aluminum recyclable, but it is also infinitely recyclable. Aluminum cans, foil, automobile parts, and construction materials can all be melted down and reused.