Think of it like retail backwards.
Meaning when you buy a widget you pay a certain price. Some will sell it at a lower price than others.
So we have retail, wholesale, distribution, manufacturers
Guess where most stand-at the retail level.
Scrap works the same way.
Little Ma & Pa operation-sells to bigger yard, or if they have the volume they sell to a broker of that one metal group.
In turn that yard will sell to a smelter, which will sell to another or directly to a manufacturer.
You can phone around and get a sense on what the demand is for cans, the hard to transport, silly, wasp infested items. I could put 10-15 tons in a bin of metals-cans a ton or bit over.
Time consuming to brick them, baling was another option, them just holding them till one had enough to sell was a pain.
The lowly can-had to processed/shredded/delaminated/bricked/smelted. Just can't dump cans into the pot as it would just go up the chimney basically.
The biggest thing that I can suggest is trust-that being get paid for what you separate-and for the weight that bring in.
You have a pounds of X the small-large platform scales can go in increments of 1/2/5/10/20lbs so where do you get weighed up.
Small mixed get weighed on the inside scales. Now if it's a floor scale, electronic,, do the simple test.
One should be able to see the scale read out, so stand on each corner of the scale, then in the middle.
The 5 weights should be the same. If not a load cell isn't correct (or the company isn't) Just go to another yard.
I had an independent weight company come in 4X a year to certify my scales-they didn't make an appointment they just showed up in the middle of any business day.
Everything waited until they finished and posted up the findings for the scale.(Above each scale)
(Most yards get a certified scale-nobody rechecks that scale-unless they are ripping off the world and the authorities check the weights out/or the law requires an update.)
Yes it sucked to be half way through the weigh up-but I was the only scrap yard that did this. Why?
Because I treated everything honestly-I didn't want to loose, and the scrap belonged to the customer until they signed the form and they were paid.
I was the second biggest yard in the eastern part of the GTA, the biggest was a company that did small/med/big a feeder yard.
The biggest margins are in zinc, lead, cans, insulated wire is probably being the highest.
Earn the trust of the yard and it works both ways as they will trust your loads.
Separate the metals, ask questions on how you can get a better price.
I was an open book when it came to educating the customer. Reason being is it made me money, less separation, cleaner product. quick in/out =$$$
I went toe-to toe with the biggest yard for 10yrs in pricing. Still they could out do me by 5-10cents a pound on stuff if they wanted to apply pressure on me. I worked on 8-10cent margins during those 10yrs.
So you think you're getting ripped off when you sell a bag of cans/or any other product, think about this.
You sell a 100 lb of copper to me for $1.00 a pound. 100x$1.00=$100.00 in your pocket.
I had to separate, put it in a bin/tote, store it, transport it, sell it. Sometimes had to wait a few days to get my money even, and always paid by cheque-not cash like you got. My final take was $110.00
Now I had a mortgage, taxes, heat, wages, utilities, fuel .........They list is endless for expenses and running costs. Just the back pocket visa was tipping 15-20K a month for fuels/parts/.......
So in the scrap world it works like this "If it was easy-It would have been done-Scrap 101"
When I started out processing my own scrap, driving over the scales, fighting for my loads, I was lucky to get $10 per hr for cleaning scrap up good enough to sell. But if I put enough hrs in-I made money.
I owned the yard for 13 years my weeks were still 85-100hrs a week-I wore out-sold-retired at 48yrs old. Yes one can make it on scrap.
Honesty was the best policy
Funny little story: While sitting in the office of the former owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs he told me that he made his first money in scrap. How?
"I climbed over the Cherry St yard's back fence when I was a kid-took some scrap-went around to the front and sold it back to them"
Folks look down their noses at the lowly scrap truck driving around picking up any thing metal to sell. I tip my hat at that person as it's a hard, honest days living. Many customers were those types, drove from morning to dusk, had a mortgage, paid the bills, went to church on Sundays, and I would trust them with the till if I turned my back as they looked after mine in turn.
I have no secrets-nor do I tell no lies.
Is Construction business is still booming here in the Atlanta Metro , but materials are getting harder to find like certain roofing Shingles , & Wood. 
, brought it back & talked for 3 hrs & he ended up knowing a few people that I knew , even one of my oldest friends . Yes ; he had issues & I could not live with him but I enjoyed being / talking with a person who was "Real" & not trying to please society . All in all , I'd like to take him some brew every now & again & a Joint or 2 & take spit .
