How to Recycle Scrap Metal in El Dorado, Kansas

Recycling scrap metal is an easy way to simultaneously make extra cash and help conserve natural resources. The rate you'll get for the metal varies with the type that you sell. Copper, used often in household piping and wiring, is the most valuable. Aluminum and iron are worth the least. Several recycling centers in El Dorado, Kan., can redeem your collection of scrap metal.

• 1

  Separate all wood and other material from the metal. Take care to dispose of any nails, so you don't risk injury. According to the Douglas County Public Works Department in Oregon, material must be 80 percent metal before most recycling centers will accept it.

• 2

  Analyze the type of metal that you have. Prices fluctuate, but according to the personal finance website, Survival Insight, copper is generally is the most valuable, then brass, then stainless steel, then aluminum and then iron. Copper is the color of a penny and turns green as it corrodes. Brass, an alloy of zinc and copper, is yellowish in color -- doorknobs are made of brass. Stainless steel is heavy, non-magnetic and has a dull shine. Beer kegs and old car parts contain stainless steel. Aluminum is lightweight and has a dull, brushed, silvery look. Iron is dark-colored and magnetic; it tends to rust. Though it's only worth pennies per pound, iron is so heavy that the change adds up quickly.

• 3

  Store the metal until you have enough to merit a trip to the recycling center. A few hundred pounds should be enough.

• 4

  Load the scrap metal into a truck and drive it to one of El Dorado's scrap metal facilities. Recycling Solutions is at 415 N. Industrial Road. A To Z Recycling is nearby at 615 N. Industrial Road. King's Can, near the intersection of Southeast Bluestem Road and Northeast Parallel Street, is a scrap metal dealer.