Possible Untapped Sources for Tungsten Carbide Scrap
Hobbyist and professional recyclers alike are learning that tungsten carbide recycling is big business. However, if every recycler in your area is already on the lookout for the stuff, you've got some stiff competition. However, since carbide scrap is so profitable:
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It's worth looking for other sources, so you can get your share while it's still available for free or next to nothing, and
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All the free and cheap stuff will likely stop being up for grabs within the next decade or so.
When the, "cash for gold," demand started, you could still pay a nice price for tacky gold earrings and chain fashions from the 80s and then resell them to gold buyers for a decent profit. Now the public is well aware of their scrap gold's value and it's much harder to turn a profit like this.
If scrappers in your city are very tuned into the value of tungsten carbide scrap, it might be a good idea to expand your search. Check out other cities in your area, suburban areas and rural towns nearby. Driving three to five hours out of your way to pick up several truck fulls of old tools and things from an abandoned warehouse someone's about to tear down or sell, might be well worth your time.
In addition, there's a chance that people like the warehouse owner won't realize the value of the junk they have. Many people still see tungsten scrap as a pile of dirty aluminum, steel, iron and other cheap metals and broken tools, (not something worth spending their time to haul to the junkyard).
A 2009, "Newser," article listed the worst recycling cities in America. Unfortunately, according to the "GreenHome.Com," blog, there hasn't been much change since that time. In fact, GreenHome added several new cities to the list, from the, "Men's Health," magazine listing in 2012! The most current list of worst recycling US cities is:
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Oklahoma City, OK
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Indianapolis, IN
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San Antonio, TX
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Philadelphia, PA
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Houston, TX
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Wichita, KS
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Las Vegas, NV
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Colorado Springs, CO
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Billings, MT
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Lubbock, TX
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St. Petersburg, FL
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Detroit, Missile, K
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Lincoln, NE
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Aurora, CO
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Louisville, KY
These cities might fare so poorly because their residents are more focused on other issues they find more pressing like amassing wealth or, (on the opposite side of the spectrum), keeping their head above water financially. Many times cities that lead the way in recycling do so because citizens make sure to put pressure on policy makers to do this.
Though these statistics are unfortunate for society as a whole, as a scrapper, it wouldn't hurt to start hunting in any of these cities that's close to you. You might find more sources for carbide scrap than you'll ever find in your home town.
Contact us any time you're ready to buy or sell tungsten carbide scrap. We can help you out right away!