Policies

Schnitzer’s Metals Recycling Business has the following policies for suppliers of raw scrap metal.

Source of Scrap Metals

Our operations receive scrap metals from a wide range of suppliers and industries. A large amount of material comes from industrial accounts – businesses that generate large quantities of residual metals from manufacturing processes. In addition, large quantities of recyclable metal comes from auto part recyclers and smaller, owner-operated businesses, while others are generated by large, one-time opportunities such as the demolition of steel-constructed buildings or other structures like bridges.

Schnitzer's Metals Recycling Business has the following policies for suppliers of scrap metal.

Materials We Accept If Prepared As Described

  • Appliances: ALL electrical components and compressors must be removed.
  • Automobiles: ALL fluids, including refrigerants, must be drained. Tires, batteries, lead wheel weights, mercury switches, and undeployed air bags must be removed.
  • Air conditioning compressors: MUST be removed from item, cut in half, and drained.
  • Drums, barrels and other containers: MUST be thoroughly cleaned and open for inspection. Gas cylinders, including air bottles, shock absorbers, and propane and other gas tanks, must be cut in half.
  • Cable and wire: MUST be cut in 3-foot lengths, or coiled and banded with 3/4-inch steel banding in at least four places.
  • Metal banding: MUST be cut in 1-foot lengths.
  • Chain-link fencing: MUST be cut in sections no larger than 18 feet by 4 feet.
  • Aerosol cans: MUST be empty and crushed or punctured. Plastic caps must be removed.

Materials We Do Not Accept

  • Refrigerants (including CFCs and HCFCs) in refrigerators and air conditioners. Please note that Clean Air Act regulations (§608(b)(1) and §608(c)) prohibit any release of refrigerants to the atmosphere, and require persons handling refrigerants to follow specific procedures. Our customers are REQUIRED to sign a statement certifying that all refrigerants have been properly removed (40 CFR §82).
  • Asbestos or asbestos containing materials, such as pipe insulation and surfacing material commonly found on I-beams, tanks, and other structural and demolition debris (40 CFR §61.150).
  • Oils, gasoline, other petroleum products and antifreeze. This includes hydraulic fluids, gear oils and grease. Hydraulic equipment must have hydraulic hoses removed and cylinders cut open and drained.
  • Lead-acid batteries or battery parts, including automobile batteries (40 CFR §273).
  • Items that contain or have contained PCBs, including small capacitors, fluorescent light ballasts and electrical transformers or transformer components (TSCA and 40 CFR §258 and §261).
  • Automobile airbags, which contain sodium azide (40 CFR §261).
  • Paint cans or other paint containers.
  • Fluorescent lights, neon, high intensity or mercury vapor lights.
  • Circuit boards or items containing circuit boards.
  • Any material containing hazardous or toxic substances.
  • Military scrap of any kind, unless approved in advance.
  • Explosives or explosive residues.
  • Radioactive materials of any kind.
  • Tires, wood, dirt, yard debris, concrete, asphalt, glass, rubber, or other non-metallic materials.

This list is not inclusive; other items not listed may be inappropriate for recycling as scrap metal.

Our Commitment to Preventing Metal Theft

We do not accept scrap metal that we cannot confirm as legitimate. Schnitzer realizes that metal theft is a growing problem in many of our markets and it impacts all of us. We are doing everything we can to prevent metal theft including:

  • Training our employees to know what to look for.
  • Inspecting loads very carefully.
  • Documenting all transactions.
  • Getting to know our customers.
  • Cooperating with local law enforcement.
  • Participating in industry coalitions to explore solutions to this problem.
  • Advocating increased security of high value metals, including materials at construction sites, utility installations and even public art displays. Metal is valuable and we must secure it just as we do with other valuable assets.
  • Encouraging metal theft to be reported so our employees can be on the lookout for the materials that were stolen.
  • Encouraging comprehensive solutions that involve utilities, public agencies, law enforcement, agriculture firms, construction firms and metals recyclers.
  • Working with state governments to support legislation that helps solve the problem but that doesn’t interfere with legitimate recycling transactions.

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