Are you sitting on a Christmas nest egg made of metal?

30 November 2015

Are you sitting on a Christmas nest egg made of metal?

The Scrap Metal Recycling Association of New Zealand is reminding everyone that the source of a little extra cash for the holidays may only be a short trip to the shed or garage away.

“Metals have value,” says Korina Kirk, President of the Association. “Metals recycling is one of the oldest forms of recycling in the world. Yet, people have forgotten - or may not know - that there are outlets for their used and unwanted metal items.”

“Items like old microwave ovens, lawnmowers, trampoline frames and dis-used farm machinery and tools can be recycled; there are metals recycling operators based throughout the country which will buy these items based on current market rates.

Depending on your location in the country, different metals will have different values.”

“Aluminium cans have always been a popular item to collect and sell,” says Kirk.

“Children have been collecting cans for years to earn pocket money, but adults could also be collecting all metal items to earn extra money.”

“While it may be tempting to simply toss a metal item into a bin for others to deal with, some people may want to collect their metals over the holiday season and sell them directly to a scrap metal yard. Scrap metal yards will accept single metal lots weighing as little as 1 kilogram. However, because of worldwide low market prices that have endured for over a year, some metal items may be taken for recycling but operators will be unable to pay for them.”

The Christmas holiday period is also a time when many people are around home and the farm to do extra chores, like clearing out. “It’s an ideal time to set aside metal items for sale,” says Kirk.

Scrap metal dealers are licensed under the Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act and, as part of every purchase, they will collect formal identification of the person presenting items for sale. Many companies also use video surveillance technology.

“In encouraging people to sell metal items, we want to emphasise that we do not support thieves who steal metals from others for their own gain. That’s why our members also fund the operation of the Stolen Metals Reporting Network. We circulate reports of stolen items to operators so they can recover stolen items and work in conjunction with the NZ Police to lay charges against offenders.”

The Association offers a Find a Member directory on its website at www.scrapmetal.org.nz to help consumers find a scrap metal dealer in their local area.

Some operators may be open for business on non-statutory days during the holiday period, so the Association advises customers to contact operators directly.

Stolen metals can also be reported via this site.

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