Earlier this year, I finally hauled a pile o’ scrap metal to the recycler. For future reference, here’s what clattered down on the scale:
I think the IRONY tag means ferrous bits & pieces in the mix. There’s a powerful motivation to hand them clean copper scrap, although I stop just after cutting off soldered pipe fittings and before stripping insulation.
Memo to Self: Next time, ask about PCBs and gold-plated connectors.
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
120lbs of batteries?!? How did that happen? I dabble with old laptop batteries, but I’m pretty sure that’s more then all the packs that I’ve ever had combined – let alone scrapped :)
I think I’ve refreshed the UPS batteries twice since the last scrap run, the garage burped up an old van battery, and, well, stuff accumulates!
If dead NiMH batteries were worth anything, I’d be rich!
We have to pay a core charge in Oregon for wet lead-acid batteries. IIRC, it’s $5.00 per unit. The usual suspects will take those, but only a couple places will pay for gel-cell batteries. I gave NAPA my UPS batteries rather than hunt the place down. I have to find a place for the DeWalt battery pack. (Usual Amazon packing for the replacements. Air pillows suck, but the retail package held up.)
When we bought our place, the former owner cobbled a 500′ extension cord for the barn with 6-3 UF cable. He got the ground and neutral backwards, so it was even more horrible than you’d think. (Ground was either #8 or #10.) After I got legal power, I stripped the THHN cable out of the UF sheathing, then stripped the insulation. Put the wire on spools (steel rims that didn’t quite fit our truck) and stripped the insulation with a utility knife. All that paid nicely at recycle time. I had a chunk of #6 that still had insulation on, and it was worthless in comparison to the bright copper.
Our local meth heads were burning cable to get the bare copper. I think the scrap yards devalued the burnt copper and put a stop to that.
The railroads (BNSF and Union Pacific) have the state convinced that ALL railroad scrap must have been stolen. Rather annoying, since I have remnants of broken rail, spikes and whatnot that long predate the merger of Burlington with Northern Pacific, much less Santa Fe. The mill site was sold off for development in 1970, after spending 50 years as a mill/company town. One piece gets used as an anvil, while the rest get used in the garden when we get our serious frosts in June. Had to use the 25 x 60′ chunk of poly a few times this year. Then it got hot.
IIRC, I kept the van battery for Dangerous Experiments and ate the return fee; it probably came out square after all these years.
As far as burning cable goes, they should try modafinil: slower rush, more attention to detail, better outcomes, and lower toxicity.
A big cuppa green tea hits my limit, so …