A Scrappy Job

When we started talking about having our roof replaced, my dad said, "Be sure to have them leave the aluminum shingles. They're worth something as scrap." As we talked to different companies and got prices, we mentioned to each of them that we wanted the shingles to be left behind. One contractor kind of scoffed at us and told us we would only get seven or eight cents per pound at a scrap yard. We knew this wasn't the case, and decided not to go with him in part because as he spoke to us, it was clear he had been counting on cashing in on the scrap metal. The company we decided to go with was more than happy to accommodate our request, and the men who did the actual work were great about stacking the shingles as neatly as possible on our patio.

We weren't sure how many trips it would take to haul all of it away, and we managed to get it done in three. We might have been able to do it in two, but we erred on the side of caution, not wanting metal flying off the truck as Keith drove down the highway. Keith strapped each load down before setting off.

The scrap ended up going to two different recycling centers; the first two loads to one place, and the last to another that was a little farther away because the first closed before Keith could get back with the last load. It ended up being over 600 pounds of aluminum, and the places paid $.60 and $.56 per pound, so we recouped about $370 of our roofing cost. We were hoping for closer to $1 per pound, but my dad tells me that if there were still nails and such in it, it wouldn't have been considered "clean" aluminum and therefore brings a lower price. So we could have spent a day going through it and yanking the nails out, but I think hauling it off "as is" was the better option for us. For a morning of loading and driving and a few gallons of gas, I'd say it paid off.