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!