By recycling metals, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint by conserving natural resources and saving energy. For instance, recycling a ton of aluminum conserves up to 8 tons of bauxite ore while eliminating the use of 14 megawatt hou... more

So what types of metals are able to be recycled? This includes everything from iron, steel, and aluminum, to copper, stainless steel, lead, zinc, brass, bronze, magnesium, and tin.

According to the Steel Recycling Institute, the overall recycling rate of steel exceeds 80 percent. Steel food and beverage cans have the highest recycling rate, with each container on average composed of at least 25 percent recycled steel.

Scrap metal recycling can recover copper and lead from radiators and electronics; platinum from automobile catalytic converters; gold from computer electrical boards; silver from used photographic film.

Did you know that non-ferrous metals (metals that won't stick to a magnet) have far more value than iron or steel? As such, it would be best to spend some time segregating them before heading off to the recycling center.

Ask your plumber to give you your old copper tubes back, as they are made from a valuable non-ferrous metal and can be profitably recycled at your local metal recycling company.