Metal recycling near me: how to find a licensed yard or collector by postcode
Type your postcode below and the directory lists the scrap dealers, recyclers and collectors registered in your area. Before you load the van, five minutes of sorting with a magnet and a quick licence check will change what you are paid and keep you on the right side of the law.
Metal recycling near you: key facts
| Who recycles metal | Scrap yards and metal merchants that buy over the weighbridge, collectors who come to you, and the authorised treatment facilities that take whole vehicles |
|---|---|
| The licence to look for | A scrap metal dealer licence from the local council, and a waste carrier registration if they collect. Both are public records |
| What you need | Photo ID and proof of address, recorded by the dealer, and a bank account, because paying cash for scrap is illegal |
| What pays best | Copper, then brass, then aluminium, lead and stainless steel. Steel and iron pay least but are bought by the tonne |
| The one tool to bring | A magnet. Anything it sticks to is steel or iron and goes in the cheap pile; everything else is worth sorting by metal |
| What yards will not take | Sealed gas bottles and cylinders, anything with asbestos, oil or fuel that has not been drained, and anything they suspect is stolen |
How to find metal recycling near you
The directory lists the waste and recycling companies registered in each UK postcode area, grouped by what they do. For metal, start with the scrap and waste dealers, who buy by weight, then the recycling and recovery companies, some of which run their own yards. Open a company for its registered office, map and website, and phone before you travel: opening hours, the metals they take and whether they accept walk in customers vary from yard to yard. If you have more than a car boot load, our guide to scrap metal collection explains who will come and fetch it and how that changes the price. If it is a whole car, you need an authorised treatment facility rather than an ordinary yard, covered in scrap yard near me.
Yard, collector or recycler: which do you need
A scrap yard buys metal over a weighbridge, pays by grade and is the right choice for anything you can deliver yourself. A collector fetches metal from your premises; for a few hundred kilos of steel the collection may be free and you are paid nothing, while for a van of copper or aluminium a collector will pay, less than the yard rate, to cover the journey. A metal recycler or processor buys larger, regular quantities from businesses, often by the tonne under a standing arrangement, and is the right call for a factory, a demolition contractor or an electrician with a steady flow of cable. The directory shows all three; the company page says which it is.
Sort before you go
A yard pays for a mixed load at close to the rate for its cheapest part, so sorting is the best paid work you will do that day. Run a magnet over everything. Whatever sticks is steel or iron and goes in one pile. Of the rest, separate copper (pipe, cable, cylinders), brass (taps, valves, fittings), aluminium (cans, frames, wheels), lead (flashing, pipe) and stainless steel, which mostly does not hold a magnet. Take steel fixings off aluminium and brass; take plastic and rubber off everything you can. Our guides to copper, aluminium and stainless steel and the magnet test explain what the magnet gets right and where it misleads you.
What you will be paid
Scrap prices follow the world metal markets and change through the month. Our scrap metal prices page shows this month's figures for each metal, with separate pages for copper, brass, aluminium and the rest. Yards quote below those benchmarks, by a margin that depends on the grade and how clean the metal is, and they pay per kilo for non ferrous metals and per tonne for steel. Ask for the grade and the rate to be written on the ticket, and if you have a regular flow, ask two yards: rates differ more than most people expect.
The checks: licence, ID and no cash
Every scrap metal dealer in England and Wales needs a licence from the local council, either a site licence for a yard or a collector's licence for a round, and councils publish the registers. A dealer must verify and record the name and address of everyone they buy from, so bring photo ID and something showing your address, and must pay by bank transfer or cheque: paying cash for scrap has been illegal since 2013. A yard that offers cash is unlicensed or breaking the terms of its licence, and metal sold there has a way of being asked about later. A collector also needs to be on the public register of waste carriers to carry metal that is not their own. Our guide to recycling companies near you has the three checks that cover every kind of waste company.
Things yards will not take
Sealed containers of any kind, including gas bottles, fire extinguishers and fuel tanks, because they can explode when cut or melted; anything containing asbestos; engines, gearboxes and machinery that have not been drained of oil and fuel; fridges and other appliances holding refrigerant gas, which must go to an electrical recycler under the WEEE rules; and lead acid batteries at many yards, which are hazardous waste and have their own route, explained in our guide to battery recycling near you. Phone first if anything on your load is unusual.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find metal recycling near me?
Enter your postcode in the search on this page. The directory lists the scrap dealers, recyclers and collectors registered in your postcode area, with a map, website and phone number for each where it has given one. Phone before you travel to check hours and what they take.
Do scrap yards pay cash?
No. Paying cash for scrap metal has been illegal in England and Wales since 2013. A licensed dealer records your photo ID and address and pays by bank transfer or cheque.
What metal is worth the most at a scrap yard?
Copper, followed by brass, then aluminium, lead and stainless steel. Steel and iron pay the least per kilo, which is why a magnet test before you go matters: anything the magnet sticks to belongs in the cheap pile.
Will a scrap yard collect metal from me?
Many will, and the directory marks the collectors. For a small amount of steel the collection is usually free with no payment; for a van of copper, brass or aluminium a collector will pay, a little below the yard rate.
What will a scrap yard not accept?
Sealed gas bottles and cylinders, anything containing asbestos, engines and machinery that have not been drained, fridges and freezers holding refrigerant gas, and at many yards lead acid batteries, which are hazardous waste with their own route.
Do I need a licence to take my own scrap to a yard?
No. The dealer needs the licence, not the seller. If you carry other people's metal as part of a business you need to register as a waste carrier, and a round of collections needs a collector's licence from the council.