As I read up on auto recycling and see that up to 30% of a junk auto can end up in landfill. Lately I’ve been seeing lots of tractor trailers hauling crushed autos and cubed autos on roads around me. Is auto recycling doing that good or is it me?
Is it me or….🤔
- Thread starter 53' Stude
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There's a lot of plastic in newer cars, but 30% sounds high, the crusher/shredder is pretty good at getting all the metals out.
I’m going by what Wikipedia says
I'm a little skeptical of things Wikipedia says-they might be right on this one, I didn't factor in tires, rubber, things of that nature. I know the local shredder puts everything but tires in the local one, with sometimes EXPLOSIVE results!
Neighbors, community leaders look for solutions to stop explosions at Newport scrap metal yard
Loud explosions caused by shredding at a local scrap metal plant have rocked a Newport neighborhood for years, but now the issue is getting more attention.
www.wcpo.com
So, is auto recycling on the increase? That’s basically what I was asking. Not asking about landfill stuff
There is a Nucor mini mill about 20 miles from where I live. If you are not familiar with what Nucor calls a mini mill, it does not make steel from ore, but rather entirely from recycled steel. It has been in operation since 1981, so I am very accustomed to seeing trucks and trains loaded with crushed cars passing through on the way to this mill. So it makes it hard for me to say if it appears that more steel is being recycled.
I’ve heard prices are up ($160/ton last I heard), so apparently scrapyards are selling their excess parted out inventory. There’s a constant flow of loaded semis going to the one I listed, they seem to always be busy blowing things up!
I have no idea whether this site is credible or not, but the information seems consistent with other sources. The price of shredded ferrous scrap is way up. I personally know tow operators who as of a couple years ago told me it wasn't worth bringing the mobile crusher out to clear out their storage lot, as steel prices were so low. As Bullwinkle indicated, I would infer that the recent history of low scrap prices led to a buildup of scrap cars sitting in the yards of tow operators and vehicle recyclers, and that the current spike in scrap prices has been an incentive to get that backlog crushed and sold.
www.scrapmonster.com
Shredded Scrap Price United States $US / MT
Shredded Scrap Price United States, World Export Market, China Mainland, Europe United States $US / MT. Current Shredded Scrap Prices . Shredded Scrap Historical Prices, Shredded Scrap Price Charts, Shredded Scrap Price Calculator and News
www.scrapmonster.com
A few years ago scrap metal prices had crashed. Interesting to know that at least the ferrous scrap has rebounded.
I do see quite a few trailer loads of flattened cars on the highway. The manager at pull-n-pay said scrap car prices were hovering around $100-110 per ton a few months back. Most places were only paying $50-70 per vehicle. The manager joked that he's surprised that their checks don't bounce. By the time you pay hauling fees from Denver to Utah they can't be making much. Schnitzer Steel owns pull-n-pay. In 2019 the USA threw out 13 million vehicles, which is unacceptable. Half were still roadworthy and should have been repaired.
From what I heard there is a trade war between Australia's mining industry and China, so instead of getting mined iron ore they are looking for scrap steel now.
We have Nucor Steel fifty miles north of us so scrap whatever doesn't get at chance at rusting away.
