During construction, renovation, and demolition projects at residential and commercial sites, many metal waste materials are generated and need to be removed. If you have the know-how and equipment needed to remove and haul off this waste, you are in the perfect position to offer your services to these businesses by offering to cut and grind any metal that needs to be taken out and to dispose of it. These metals may appear in the form of iron, bronze, brass, steel, tin, copper, aluminum, pipes, siding, fencing, doors, appliances, furniture, fixtures, and more. While the contractors involved in a project may view these materials as trash, for you they are valuable commodities!
Many state and county organizations have enacted ordinances that require that all recyclable products generated by construction be disposed of in an environmentally friendly recycling manner instead of letting these materials take up more room in a landfill. You will want to familiarize yourself with the requirements in your community. If these ordinances apply to your area, your services would be all the more valuable since those running the construction, demolition, and renovation projects will be responsible for making sure that these materials are disposed of in a manner which will not slow down their project and that will still fulfill their legal obligations to the state or county. Construction businesses would much rather employ your service than pay penalties for disposing of their metal materials in an inappropriate manner!
Depending on the metal being recovered, you may even be able to make more money by the recycling of these materials. You will want to be familiar with the recycling facilities in and around your area to make the most profit possible.
Also, keep in mind that people in residential areas also have metal that they will need disposed. You will likely be able to reach these people via online community boards or by signing up for services such as Freecycle where people advertise items which they wish to get rid of at no cost. While they will not be paying you to pick up these metal items, you will likely still be able to make a pretty profit by selling the metal by the pound to your local metal recycler.
Your first plan of action will be to get yourself in touch with the people who are looking for you! You could advertise your services on your own website listing the metals you are willing to retrieve, the methods you are able to employ to remove these materials, as well as a set fee per hour, or per pound, of materials moved. No matter which media you choose to use to advertise your services (online or off), be sure to provide a local phone number, as well as email address, so that your potential customers can request estimates or ask about specific details of the services you are available to offer. Also, be sure to list the localities that you would be willing to travel to and when you are generally available to perform these tasks.
You may also want to advertise your 'per hour' services by running a visible ad in a local phone directory. List your business with any applicable online business directories. You may also advertise by printing up flyers and posting them in places where professionals and nonprofessional people in your area (who would be more likely to need your services) would more likely frequent. Be sure to include popular lunch places and coffee shops! Most post offices and grocery stores also have bulletin boards that they will allow you to place an advertisement on. Be sure to take advantage of any public bulletin boards in your immediate area to find the people who are looking for you and your services. In no time at all, you will have built up a large client base, many by word of mouth as they witness your professional services in action!
Resources:
http://www.freecycle.com/
http://www.wentworthrecycling.com/
http://www.constructionbusinessowner.com/topics/environment-and-compliance/
http://www.smartgrowth.org/Default.asp?res=1280
http://www.metalworld.com/
http://www.recycle.net/
http://www.jrsappliance.com/appliances/recycling/whatwerecycle.cfm
April 16, 2009
