New Member Cleveland, OH

**GreenAndGrumpy** · 12-29-2020, 12:34 PM

Hello! I am a new member from the Cleveland, Ohio area. I write a blog that includes a lot of recycling topics and thought I could learn some things here so I can advise my readers on what to do with various metals that they might have, rather than throwing them out.

I am wondering if scrap metal dealers will take aluminum foil or not? For months I have been throwing my used metal tins, various scrap metal and aluminum foil into a big box to eventually take to a scrap metal dealer when it's full. I don't expect to make much money, mostly I just hope a scrap metal recycler can use it so it doesn't go to waste. Any advise on this would be greatly appreciated. If I need to post this question in a different section, I can.

**kss** · 12-29-2020, 04:37 PM

Hi and welcome

Some places won't take used foil (like balled up or with food stuffs on it), others will. But with only a box full, I am assuming it would be better for you to just recycle it with your other household recycling at the curb. You will likely spend more in gas getting to the scrapyard that you will get for some bits of alum foil. Alum is about $0.20-0.30/lb so you can weigh it yourself and determine if it's worth collecting. I make frequent trips to the scrap yard and even I don't keep stuff like that or cans or anything. Just not worth it for how light it is vs the space it takes up vs the flies it attracts from having food or liquid particles on it.

**JJinLV** · 12-29-2020, 06:50 PM

Hi and welcome to the forum from Las Vegas! The best way to make sure everything is properly recycled is to bring it to the scrap yard already sorted. For the kind of stuff you're talking about I would separate the things that are magnetic from non-magnetic and then separate the non-magnetic things between foil and not foil. Unless you're saving up at least many dozens of pounds at a time
it won't make much $ difference to separate your aluminums or steels more than that. Remember that with used food tins and foils either store them some place where you don't mind if critters seek then out or give them a quick cleaning so they won't be interesting to critters. There are lots of more kinds of recyclable metals and let us know if you have questions about others as you move along in the scrap metal world.

**Patriot76** · 12-29-2020, 07:36 PM

Welcome to SMF from the Buffalo Commons. Your basic question has been answered by some of the best. There are many metal recycling experts here that could probably answer any question you might have. They will make you an expert in many areas.

Welcome to the club.

**GreenAndGrumpy** · 12-30-2020, 12:11 PM

Thanks for these helpful replies! I would just throw my foil in my recycling bin, but here in my county, they ask us not to include it, cans only. I know it won't make much money, I just hate to throw it out. I also have a bunch of tea tins and coffee tins I've been collecting (which I assume are probably steel?). I figured that at some point when I gather up a lot, I'll take it somewhere.

I did contact a scrap recycler locally and they said they would take aluminum foil at .09/lb. I have been cleaning all my foil in preparation for eventually taking it somewhere to be recycled. I appreciate the tips on sorting and so on.