There are a lot of unusual ways in which a person can make some money these days. There are hobbies that can turn in to part time or even full time jobs if there is a market for that product or service. One little hobby or side job that people have picked up lately is recycling metal products. With the way that scrap metal prices in NJ are climbing, collecting and selling metal could easily become a full time job. How does one get started in to the practice to earn some spare change?

Get Organized

The first thing you need when you go out to collect scrap metal is to have a truck or a trailer where you can store it. Pull a trailer as you go out looking for the metal and keep it inside and then as soon as it is full, haul it to the scrap yard and get paid. If scrap metal prices in NJ are a little low, then set the trailer in the garage until they climb and you can receive more money!

To get in to collecting metal, you need to set up a schedule. What days do people in your area set out stuff for trash pickup? Those are the best days to go looking for metal products because people are getting rid of their junk and you can easily spot metal on the side of the road. And if it is put out to the road, you can pick it up for free. It might be courteous to ask before you take it, but when it is placed for trash pickup it is fair game to take.

Check Your Metal

Keep the types of metal you are returning separate from each other. For instance, the aluminum should be kept separate from the copper or the steel rebar you are taking back. The metal needs to be weighed separately from each other so the company knows how many pounds to pay you for at each rate. Keep the metal as clean as possible too, as rusty or mud covered pieces are harder to deal with both in sorting and the returning process.

Finding the Best Price

To check scrap metal prices in NJ, there are a few options. One, you can call the scrap yards and see what the going rate is for the type of metal you are bringing in. If there are multiple scrap yards in your region, call all of them and compare prices. Second, you might be able to go online and see what the going rate is. Whether you have copper, aluminum or some other metal, if you watch the market you can get a better price for it some days.