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Ferrous and Non Ferrous  

Scrap metal is divided into two types: ferrous and nonferrous. Ferrous scrap metal consists of scrap iron and steel. This type includes scrap from old cars, household appliances, steel beams, railroad tracks, ships, food packaging and other containers. Nonferrous scrap metal is scrap metal other than iron and steel. Nonferrous scrap metal includes aluminum, which includes foil and cans, copper, zinc.

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Cardboard 

Cardboard is a good source of fiber for recycling. It can be compressed and baled for cost effective transport to anywhere in need of fiber for papermaking. The baled boxes are put in a hydro puller  which is a large vat of warm water for cleaning and processing. The pulp slurry is then used to make new paper and fiber products.  Mill and corrugators scrap, or brokers, is the cleanest source for recycling. Several technologies are available to sort, screen, filter, and chemically treat the recycled paper.

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Plastics

The majority of manufactured polymers are thermoplastic, meaning that once the polymer is formed it can be heated and reformed over and over again. This property allows for easy processing and facilitates recycling. The other group, the thermosets, cannot be re-melted. Once these polymers are formed, reheating will cause the material to ultimately degrade, but not melt.

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