A week of scrap, sorted and graded

This is what happens to metal after we collect it. Bright copper wire in one crate, brass fittings in another, stainless separate again, cylinders and electric motors in their own piles.

Sorting matters because grades are worth very different money. A mixed load gets paid at the lowest grade in it. Anyone weighing your metal in as one heap is doing themselves a favour, not you.

If you have collected a quantity of metal — a plumbing strip-out, a workshop, a farm shed — send a photo and we will tell you what it is worth before we move it.