15 year old wanting to sell scrap metal

Hello I want to start selling scrap metal to make a little bit of money. But my main issue is that I only have a bike and could only get somebody to help me get some larger items occasionally. I don't care about riding my bike around the city all day but would it be worth it to ride around scavenging for scrap metal?

Know your local laws, out here you must be 16 years old. And good luck! You will get a workout riding the bike and make some cash as well! Make enough get a gas powered bike, save enough and get a truck when you can!

It can be done at all ages. Folks here having proven it. Members like Olddude, Yunk(I think it was you Yunk!), Mick (rip buddy) on the older side an folks like Hunter, Benny, an others on the younger side.

Grab them cans, or like Benny an WBSTS said, wire, ewaste, things of that nature.

Plenty of advice here on the forums to get you going. Make use of it an you'll go nowhere but up in this field. It's not an easy gig, but it's a great one once you get into it. I love the hell out of it an never regret a day of going full time with it.

Good luck to ya, an while right now we're reading up on you biking your scrap in..in the future hopefuly we'll be reading about you buying that first truck/van/biggerthenabike.

Once again you got a great resource with this forum an it's members, make good use of it.

Sirscrapalot - You can't touch a star if you never bother to try an reach for it. - Not me

Honestly I wish I had been "aware" of scraping much sooner than the age when I did get started. So as far as I'm concerned your all ready way ahead of me as you have many more years to perfect scraping. As for the only have a bike, well we all have to start somewhere and we all do with what we do have. A good habit to get into now at your age (any age), never sell yourself "short". I enjoy riding my bike and 15 was a long time ago for me.

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement! I just went riding around today and I found a fair amount of stuff I could have hauled home if I wanted. Can't wait to get started!!

Hey start hauling it home! I should say check with the bosses (parents).

more advice scar, start saving money. even if its only a dollar a week.

Take your tools with you and scrap as you go.
In the instance of a microwave, get the transformer and plastic coated wire and the little motor underneath that drives the platter around.
Depending on the microwave, there may be more Copper in there too.

That's pretty much how I work. Except I don't even have a bike. I just use a sack and a old car safetybelt for straps to make a backpack. I can haul 110lbs in it..
Since I walk to the spot where the scraps been dropped off at, I scrap out what I can, take that home and clean it down

Most of my scrap is crt tvs, microwaves, fridge compressors and whatever else I find.

But, if you go for the nonferrous stuff, its worth more and weighs less.
But don't leave a mess.

Put fenders on the bike to protect the chain and gears and your butt.

I started scrapping when I was 14, my parents just always drove me to the yard. I started workng for a HVAC company doing odd jobs when I was 14 and thats what got me started. Getting my drivers license made things much easier, but I am glad I had the knowledge of how things worked before I started cleaning out farm sites and taking on larger projects. Keep up the hard work and think of ways to make things work. Determination is the key to being successful in anything.