Recycling in Chicago: Metals

When people talk about “the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle,” they usually think of plastic, paper and bottles, but metals should be added to that list, says a large Chicago metal recycler. Processing recycled metal takes less energy than mining and purifying new metal. Recycling a single aluminum beverage can save enough energy to power a 60-watt bulb for more than four hours, notes the website of Marcells Paper and Metal INC., which serves corporate clients on the northwest side.

Metal prices are high in the Midwest, but Chicago prices are highest in the nation, says Joe Skowronski, owner of Greenway Metal Recycling on the northwest side. Greenway is another recycler for manufacturers.

“Chicago is the mecca for scrap,” Skowronski said in a telephone interview. Making steel from scrap takes roughly 50 percent less energy than making it from iron ore, which must also be mined.

“Demand is very strong because supply is short for steel mills to make new product. Orders are really strong for manufacturers and the lead time to get new steel is extremely high: eight to 12 weeks,” he said. "The reason is pent-up demand since the drop in both demand and supply over the last year."

Cast iron and other heavy metal used in steel is ferrous – a magnet will be drawn to it – and it is strong enough to use in bridges and skyscrapers. Even rusted or corroded ferrous metals can be recycled, according to the Greenway website. Greenway turns all its ferrous metal into new products.

Non-ferrous metals like aluminum, copper, brass, lead and zinc contain less than 1% iron, so they are pliable, nonmagnetic, rust-resistant, used for wiring and electronics, roofing, gutters and pipes. Non-ferrous metals do not lose their chemical properties during recycling, so they can go through the process endless times, according to Greenway. For that reason, Skowronski says that smaller recyclers and so-called “alley peddlers” fill an economic – and an ecological -- need.

StreetWise Vendor A. Allen, for example, used to recycle aluminum cans (See column, page 14). “People make an honest living by doing that; aluminum goes for a very good price,” he said. Some of his friends even read the newspaper stock market pages to see how the commodity was trading.

Yet another reason for recycling is ecopolitics: the United States is not self-sufficient in these commodities.

Bauxite is the ore used to make primary aluminum required for airplanes because of its consistency. According to Alcircle.com, Guinea, Australia and Brazil have the largest reserves, but the United States imports its bauxite from Jamaica and South America, according to eia.gov, the website of the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Making primary aluminum is electricity-intensive but making secondary aluminum (used in beverage cans and automobile engine blocks) is less so.

The United States is the world's fourth largest producer of copper, of which there are 200 years of resources left, according to copperalliance.org. It imports iron ore from Brazil, Canada, Sweden, Chile and other nations.

Here are a few recyclers that take items from the public, from among more than 15 found in a Google search. Aluminum went for about 35 cents a pound, but cans generally 40 cents; copper was about $2.80 to $3; stainless steel 35 cents.

Abco Metals Co., 1020 W. 94th St., Chicago; 773.881.1504; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; www. abcometalsil.com. Abco also works with corporate customers who might want collection containers at their sites.

Abco takes non-ferrous scrap metals; if it attracts a magnet, it contains iron, so they don’t accept it. What they do want is scrap aluminum and cans, copper, lead, tin, zinc, brass, gold and silver. Look for insulated copper wire, old copper or new aluminum gutters, aluminum or copper radiators or the brass steam valve from cast iron radiators; brass plumbing fixtures or railings, lead water lines, stainless steel sinks, faucets.

Central Metal Recycling, 5618 W. Fillmore St., Chicago; 773.345.8610; 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7-11 a.m. Saturday; www.centralmetalrecycling.net.

Central takes all iron and ferrousgrade metals; all grades of aluminum including cans; solid copper and insulated wire; brass, stainless steel; metals from house renovations. This recycler between I-290 and Roosevelt Road “values every pound of your business whether a few pounds or a truckload,” according to its website. Its clients include industrial or commercial customers doing inventory write-downs or plant reconfiguring, environmentally conscious homeowners who are remodeling or replacing appliances, or full-time scrappers, “the classic Chicago alley metal collectors who provide an invaluable service to our communities and municipalities.

“These hard-working folks prevent tons of recyclable material from filling our landfills. We treat the full-time scrapper with the friendliness and professionalism they deserve with minimal waiting, while paying top prices for their collected materials.”

JayBen Scrap Metal West, 2910 W. Carroll, Chicago; 7 a.m. -4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. - noon Sunday. JayBen Scrap Metal South, 6301 S. Bell Ave., 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday, 7 a.m. -2 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.- noon Sunday; Chicago Scrap Iron and Metal North, 4555 W. Grand Ave.; 7-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday; 773.533.4200; jbscrapmetal.com.

JayBen accepts aluminum (even pots and pans), aluminum cans and rims, brass, cell phones, computers, copper, die cast, electric motors, electronics, laptops, lead, nickel, precious metals, stainless steel, steel, steel case batteries and zinc, even scrap from home renovations.

JLG Recycling, 3252 W. 31st St., Chicago; 773.321.9734; 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon Sunday. JLG takes aluminum and steel among a variety of scrap metals. Bring identification.

South Chicago Iron and Metal, 1313 W. 74th St., Chicago; 733.488.1313; 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.- 1 p.m. Saturday; scimco.com.

South Chicago’s website says it purchases scrap from the public with a technology that allows them to pay well and deter theft. The site accepts aluminum cans, wheels and siding; car batteries; copper wire and pipe; electric motors; appliances, radiators and catalytic converters, pots, pans.

car batteries. Even old cars (with title) are accepted at a rate of $200 per ton. The fluid is removed and pumped to a liquid storage facility.