What metals can be recycled — and what gets rejected
Almost every metal can technically be recycled. Practically, what your local yard accepts depends on what their downstream buyers want, what regulations require, and what's economic to process.
Universally accepted
- Steel — prepared and unprepared, structural, sheet, rebar, appliances (with refrigerants removed)
- Aluminum — sheet, extrusion, cast, cans, foil
- Copper — bare bright, #1, #2, insulated wire (graded by jacket)
- Brass — yellow, red, plumbing, decorative
- Stainless steel — 304, 316, mixed grades
Conditionally accepted
- Lead — accepted at most yards; some restrict to commercial accounts due to environmental rules
- Catalytic converters — accepted with documentation; many states require ID, vehicle title, and a waiting period before payout
- Batteries — lead-acid yes (common); lithium-ion yes at e-waste recyclers, no at general yards
- Pressure vessels — must be cut, drained, and visibly empty
- E-waste — depends on yard; specialty recyclers preferred
Typically rejected
- Refrigerants in appliances — must be EPA-evacuated first
- Materials with hazardous coatings — PCB-containing transformers, asbestos-wrapped pipe
- Radioactive material — yard scales screen for this; rejection is automatic
- Mixed loads with unknown contents — paperwork required before unload
Sorting for max payout
The single highest-leverage prep step is separating non-ferrous from ferrous. Mixed loads default to ferrous pricing for the entire weight, which can mean a 10x payout difference for the non-ferrous portion. Even rough sorting — copper in one bucket, aluminum in another, steel in a pile — captures most of the available upside.