10 Most Profitable Items to Scrap for Profit

The type of money you can make from recycling can be ridiculously high. Many people are entirely unaware of the many ways that they can profitably scrap items and recycle materials. While it may seem icky or gross, there is an incredible amount of money to be made in doing this process. It’s easier than most people think to turn your junk into cash.

10 Most Profitable Items to Scrap for Profit

1. Aluminum

Scrap metal is easily one of the most lucrative kinds of recycling. While you can recycle lots of different metal items, nothing compares to the profit margin that you can achieve with aluminum cans. Every year, Americans throw away over $2 billion in aluminum cans that could be sold to scrap metal dealers. Most people will sell their cans in bulk to these individuals and make more money than they would have selling them at a store. It’s an incredibly easy way to make money from your cans.

2. Copper

Copper is also another valuable kind of scrap metal. If you want to get into the scrap metal business, it pays to pay attention to trends. If copper prices are increasing rapidly, consider selling it instead of trading it for aluminum cans. Just like with aluminum, recycle as many copper items as you can and pocket the difference in profits from your initial purchase price. You could easily make hundreds or even thousands of dollars just from your scrap copper items.

3. Brass

Brass has always been a great way to make money, and recycling instead of letting it sit around is an easy way to do just that. Brass is popular in a lot of different types of products, such as plumbing, hardware, and even automotive parts. When you’re selling this type of scrap metal on the open market, you can expect to get fairly high margins from it.

4. Bristle Brushes

Bristle brushes are incredibly useful byproduct that can be sold scrap. Many people use these kinds of brushes every day on their face and body in order to keep their hair and skin looking nice. You could probably sell your bristles to some body shops because they make such an impact with their customers. It’s also a relatively easy way to make money because all you have to do is reach out and sell them, which anyone can do.

5. Lead

Lead is another profitable type of scrap metal that many people don’t take the time to sell. Scrap lead can sell for $1 per pound or even more on the open market. If you just have a few pounds of lead lying around, you could make some serious money just by selling it to scrap metal dealers. It’s not a complicated process at all. Just clean up your lead and sell it!

6. Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is one of those metals that almost everybody knows about. It can be used to make everything from appliances to kitchenware and even musical instruments. Stainless steel has a lot of different uses, and it’s easy to see why there is so much demand for it. For example, stainless steel is used in the hoods of cars and in bicycles as well. A lot of people use stainless steel products every day, and they are only likely to recycle them if they know they can get a good price for them on the open market.

7. Platinum Jewellery

Platinum is a symbol of luxury. People are known to spend thousands of dollars on jewellery that can be made from platinum. You could easily sell your platinum jewellery to scrap dealers as you part with it for a large amount of money. Plus, many people will want to recycle these objects because they are just not as popular as other kinds of jewellery. The demand for platinum scrap is high, and you could easily make a lot of money off it by selling it in bulk to scrap dealers.

8. Used Appliances

Renting appliances for resale is an excellent way to make some money from your old appliances. Used appliances are actually very profitable in the recycling world because they hold their value. If you have just a few used appliances lying around and can get them sold, there is plenty of profit to be had. When you sell your used appliances for a profit, you will be able to recoup at least half of the price that you paid for them if not more.

9. Used Electronics and Computers

Used electronics and computers are easy to sell on the open market by simply working with a scrap dealer or flea market vendor. Many people do not realize how much money they can make with used electronics until they start using them for business. You can also recycle these items and make a ton of money just by selling them.

10. Old Tools

Old tools make great scrap items. Tools like wrenches, screwdrivers, and hammers are in high demand because they are so versatile. People use these tools for everything from construction work to home repairs. If you’re looking for a way to get rid of your old tools, simply line them up with a scrap metal dealer and you can start making money right away!