A friend over in Greensboro, NC (who I have never officially met except in cyberspace) has supplied a series on his blog about preparing scrap metals for recycling. Since I got behind in my reference to these articles, I thought I better catch up. So, here they are all at once:

• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9
• Part 10

I hope you found them as informative as I did. Thanks, RecycleBills!

When it comes to recycling metals, it is a good idea to have some basic knowledge of how recyclers separate metals. That way, you can get the most for your scrap. This article is a pretty good primer on basic metal sorting. Apparently, there will be additional information posted so stay tuned.

While some beverage makers may balk at an aluminum bottle (it is a little difficult to see the beverage when the bottle isn’t glass.), it does make for a much greener manufacturing process all the way around.

• In more rural areas, it is virtually impossible to recycle glass in an environmentally or economically efficient way.
• Aluminum bottles would also help recyclers by increasing the volume of aluminum they recycle.
• Most bottles include a paper label which only impedes the recycling process.

I know there have to be negative aspects to aluminum bottles and I’m interested in your thoughts. What possible downsides do you see to aluminum bottles?

If this becomes reality, it would be a definite boon to US recyclers as it provides some additional margin to those shipping scrap overseas. And, as more material begins to flow to China, the supply to domestic mills decreases, allowing the prices to begin to rise. Earlier today, I was asked what gift or wish I would like for Christmas, well, this seems to have risen toward the top.