Iron Recycling

Iron Recycling – Action Recycling recycles steel, cast iron, and all other ferrous metals.

Steel is the easiest to determine because it is magnetic. Often you’ll find older steel items to have a trace or even possibly a significant amount of rust; this is because of its iron base element.

Without treatment or a protective coat exposure to other natural elements such as oxygen and water will rust iron very quickly. Popular items that will be recycled with our iron (ferrous) and steel include appliances, screws, nails, tin sheds, rain gutter and water heaters. Steel is never 100% iron and will contain other alloys, most often just trace amounts that will define texture, strength and hardness, “steel” being the finished product. WE DO NOT ACCEPT REFRIGERATORS, FREEZERS, OR OTHER REFRIGERANT PRODUCTS. Recycling categories include shredder, #1 steel, #2 steel, mixed iron and cast iron.

Although a magnet is a good reference in determining what will be defined as steel, there are other items that will have the same magnetic properties. Tungsten carbide and stainless steel may also be magnetic. Any magnetic stainless, usually 400 series, will be added to our steel material. Tungsten carbide is less common but found mainly in drilling or cutting bits and in most cases will have a dull black or grey look to it. If a drilling or cutting bit has a shiny silver appearance or is old and rusty, this is almost a sure sign of this being a steel product.

Fyi, most storage sheds are steel, not aluminum (check your scrap with a magnet – if it sticks, it is steel, if not, it is aluminum and you will be paid accordingly).