In everyday conversations, people often refer to a product as tin. The truth is, a lot of what people think is tin is actually steel, painted with a thin layer of tin or some other protective coating to stop it rusting. You can find this type of thing in old household items, on roofing panels, and the majority of food cans. Pure tin on the other hand is very rare and only sometimes seen. Knowing the difference can be a big help when trying to figure out what to do with something that might be tin.
Recycling of Tin Scrap. At our place in Davenport, we come across this a lot and most of what is brought in with the labelling of tin is actually steel that has been coated in a thin layer of tin. And you know what, that’s perfectly alright. Steel is one of the most recycled materials in the world and the tiny bit of tin on it doesn’t make a difference to how it gets processed. We weigh it, we take it in, and we pay you according to the current market price of steel.
However, if you do come across something that is actually solid tin like industrial rubbish, old pewter stuff, or specific alloys then you can expect to get a lot more for it. When we get these kinds of things in we test them, or take a good look at them, and make sure we give you a fair price. Even though pure tin is really rare for most people, it does turn up now and then, especially in estates and when people are cleaning out old homes.
For most of the people who live in Davenport the most common thing that gets sent to us to recycle is food cans. Soup cans, vegetable cans, pet food cans and so on. Emptying them, giving them a quick rinse to keep the bugs away while they are stored and then packing them up in a bag or box for us to take is about it. You don’t need to bother taking the labels off, although if you have loads of them it might make it easier to store them. But to be honest we don’t need them to be crushed, just bagged up and on their way.
Curbside recycling is often the easiest way for people in Davenport to get rid of their food cans on a regular basis. Most of the local programs accept steel cans and process them in the same way as we do. If you have a big load of them, say from a restaurant, or food service place, then its quicker to just bring them by us instead. Depending on how heavy your load is, you might even get a small payment out of it.
Other places that can be a source of tin scrap include old roofs, baking sheets and electronic waste. Tin solder is sometimes found in old computer hardware and gets processed as part of the e-scrap recovery process. The boards get sent off to specialist places that can get all the metals back out of them, but we don’t do the solder ourselves. If you are planning on bringing in electronics just let us know and we’ll make sure the right people deal with them.
Loads of people are unsure whether aerosol cans are made of tin or steel. And the answer is. Steel makes up the majority of them. But no matter what they are made of you should empty them completely before recycling them. We can’t stress this enough. An unemptied can in our machinery is a serious safety risk. If you are unsure about it just leave the nozzle open for a bit outside and make sure its safe before bringing it in.
We get a lot of questions about vintage tin toys, old signage and other decorative items. In some cases these things can be worth a lot more as antiques than as scrap metal. Before you decide to bring them in its worth doing a bit of research first to see if they might be worth something. If they are too damaged to be worth anything then its just as well to weigh them in at our Davenport yard.
Eco Way Recycle handles all of our tin scrap recycling, and we make its nice and easy for people in Davenport. Just turn up with your stuff, let us weigh it and we’ll pay you a fair price for it. No hidden fees, no gimmicks, just a simple drop off.