Non-ferrous scrap metals - copper, aluminium, brass, lead, and cable - are the most valuable materials sitting unused in UK and Irish homes, garages, and workshops. This guide explains how people across the UK and Ireland are turning everyday scrap into a reliable side income in 2026, and how Blancomet's collection and drop-off service makes the process straightforward.
In 2026, copper scrap pays £4.50–£6.20/kg at UK and Irish yards, aluminium fetches £0.60–£1.10/kg, and brass brings £2.20–£3.80/kg. A typical home renovation generates £70–£250 in scrap metal value; a working electrician can earn an extra £1,500–£4,000 a year from cable offcuts alone. Finding a licensed scrap metal collection near me is all it takes to start converting unwanted metal into cash.
Most people walk past it every day – old copper pipe under the sink, a bag of stripped wire from last year’s rewire, a set of corroded alloy wheels against the garage wall. To the untrained eye it is junk. To anyone who knows current scrap metal prices, it is money. The UK scrap metal industry is worth over £5 billion annually, with non-ferrous metals commanding 3–10 times the per-kg rate of ferrous steel.
Blancomet operates depots in St Albans, Leeds, Dunfermline, Gateshead, and Dublin, offering same-day payment, trade collection accounts, and clear per-kg pricing that tracks the London Metal Exchange (LME). Whether you are a homeowner clearing a loft, an electrician finishing a rewire, or a garage generating alloy wheels every week, there is a straightforward path from that scrap to your bank account.
| Material | Yard Price/kg (£) | Common Sources | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright copper wire | £4.80 – £6.20 | Electrical rewires, stripped cable | Strip insulation fully to achieve this grade |
| Mixed/stripped copper | £4.20 – £5.50 | Plumbing pipe, mixed wiring | Clean and dry achieves the upper end |
| Insulated cable | £1.20 – £2.80 | Armoured cable, flex, twin & earth | Price varies by copper content % inside |
| Aluminium sheet/extrusion | £0.60 – £1.10 | Guttering, window frames, offcuts | Keep separate from steel and plastic |
| Brass (fittings, taps, rod) | £2.20 – £3.80 | Old plumbing fittings, valves | Remove iron/steel fittings before selling |
| Lead (flashing, pipes) | £0.90 – £1.30 | Roof flashing, old supply pipes | High density – small volumes weigh well |
| Alloy wheels (clean) | £0.30 – £0.55 | Garages, tyre centres | Remove tyres and centre caps |
| Lead-acid batteries | £0.15 – £0.35 | Car batteries, UPS units | Must be undamaged and unspilled |
Table 1: Non-Ferrous Metal Price Guide, UK & Ireland 2026. Prices track LME daily rates and vary by grade, volume, and condition.
Residents and tradespeople around Lyon Way, St Albans can sell copper, cable, and aluminium scrap directly to Blancomet‘s St Albans depot for same-day payment, with copper grades currently paying £4.50–£6.20/kg – meaning even a modest home renovation can generate over £100 in recoverable value.
Older properties in St Albans are a rich source of non-ferrous scrap. Victorian and Edwardian homes still carry original copper plumbing – a full bathroom refit can yield 8–14 kg of copper pipe alone, worth £35–£85. Add the cable from a partial rewire and a single job can easily generate £150–£300 in total. For DIYers doing smaller work – replacing a boiler or stripping an old kitchen – even 3–4 kg of copper pipe and a bag of old brass fittings earns £20–£40 at the yard.
Householders and small businesses in the Ballycoolin, D11 area can bring aluminium, copper, and cable scrap to Blancomet’s Dublin depot for fast payment – aluminium scrap currently pays €0.55–€1.30/kg depending on grade, and copper from household clearouts or small jobs brings €1.50–€6.00/kg.
Dublin households generate more non-ferrous scrap than most people realise. Aluminium builds up through drink cans, old window frames, and guttering. Copper accumulates from plumbing work and appliance disposal. A household collecting consistently over six months can reasonably accumulate 15–30 kg of mixed non-ferrous materials worth €30–€100.
For small businesses in D11 – tradespeople, light manufacturers, fit-out contractors – the volumes and values are significantly higher. Always confirm your buyer holds the appropriate EPA waste facility permit and ask for a receipt to ensure the transaction is fully traceable.
UK and Irish electricians generating regular copper and cable offcuts can earn an additional £200–£800 per month by selling scrap to Blancomet – for a busy sole trader, that adds up to £1,500–£4,000 a year, with no additional work beyond collecting what the job already produces.
Every rewire, consumer unit replacement, or commercial first-fix produces cable offcuts, stripped wire, and sometimes copper busbars or transformer windings. Understanding cable grades is where the real money is – the difference between selling mixed cable and bright copper wire can be £2–£3/kg.
| Cable Type | Copper Content | Yard Price/kg (£) | Preparation Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright copper wire (stripped) | 99%+ | £4.80 – £6.20 | Strip all insulation cleanly – top grade |
| Twin & earth (stripped) | ~65% | £3.00 – £4.20 | Strip outer and inner sheathing for best return |
| 3-core flex (unstripped) | ~45% | £2.00 – £3.00 | Strip if volume justifies it – significant upgrade |
| Armoured cable – SWA | ~25–35% | £1.20 – £2.00 | Steel armouring reduces copper % – strip if worthwhile |
| Telecom / data cable | ~10–15% | £0.50 – £1.00 | Low copper content – valuable in high volume only |
Table 2: Cable Scrap Value Guide for Electricians, UK & Ireland 2026. Per-kg figures vary with LME copper spot price movements.
Setting up a trade account with scrap metal collection near me at Blancomet means collections are scheduled to fit your work diary – fortnightly or monthly – with a consolidated payment that makes scrap a consistent, predictable income stream rather than an occasional errand.
Garages and tyre centres near Blancomet’s Leeds, Dunfermline, and Gateshead depots can generate consistent extra income by selling alloy wheels (£0.30–£0.55/kg), lead-acid batteries (£0.15–£0.35/kg), and other non-ferrous scrap through a single scheduled collection – a busy tyre shop removing 40–60 alloy sets per month can generate £350–£900 from scrap alone.
Alloy wheels accumulate fast. Each full set (four wheels, no tyres) weighs approximately 28–40 kg; at £0.40/kg that is £11–£16 per set. Twenty sets a month is £220–£320 with minimal effort. Lead-acid batteries – each weighing roughly 13–20 kg – add £40–£140 per month for a garage regularly changing 15–20 batteries.
Clean separation is the key: sorted loads attract higher per-kg rates across the board. On £500 a month in scrap income, sorting properly adds £75–£125 at virtually no extra cost.
Copper prices on the London Metal Exchange have traded at £7,200–£9,400 per tonne in 2026 – near multi-year highs – meaning even small quantities of copper pipe, wire, or cable are worth more at the yard than they have been in years.
The reason for this is structural, not temporary. Global demand for copper is surging as renewable energy infrastructure accelerates. Solar installations require approximately 5 tonnes of copper per MW of capacity. Offshore wind turbines use 8–15 tonnes each. Electric vehicles carry roughly four times as much copper wiring as combustion-engine cars. This supply-demand gap is expected to persist well into the 2030s – explored in detail in Blancomet’s guide on the role of non-ferrous metals in renewable energy technologies. Aluminium follows a similar trajectory, and since recycled aluminium uses 95% less energy than primary production, manufacturers actively seek quality scrap – which is good news for anyone with material to sell.
Identifying non-ferrous metals is simple – hold a fridge magnet to any piece of metal. If it does not stick, the material is almost certainly non-ferrous and worth far more per kg than steel or iron. Copper is orange-red (or green-grey when oxidised). Aluminium is lightweight and silver-grey. Brass has a dull golden tone. Lead is very heavy and soft enough to scratch with a fingernail. Once you can spot these materials, clearing a property or a workshop floor looks very different.
The simplest step anyone can take today is to book a scrap metal collection near me through Blancomet and let a trained team assess and weigh what you have. There is no obligation, and knowing what your materials are worth costs nothing.
| Seller Type | Scrap Generated/Month | Est. Monthly Income (£) | Top Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY homeowner (active renovation) | 5–15 kg | £25 – £90 | Copper pipe, brass fittings, aluminium |
| Electrician (sole trader) | 10–30 kg | £50 – £180 | Stripped copper wire, cable offcuts |
| Plumber (sole trader) | 8–20 kg | £40 – £125 | Copper pipe, brass valves, lead flashing |
| Garage / tyre centre | 80–200 kg | £90 – £450 | Alloy wheels, batteries, copper brake line |
| Small factory / workshop | 50–300 kg | £80 – £600 | Aluminium offcuts, copper bus bar, brass swarf |
Table 3: Estimated Monthly Side Income by Seller Type, UK & Ireland 2026. Figures are illustrative ranges based on current per-kg rates and typical material volumes.
Identifying non-ferrous metals is simple – hold a fridge magnet to any piece of metal. If it does not stick, the material is almost certainly non-ferrous and worth far more per kg than steel or iron. Copper is orange-red (or green-grey when oxidised). Aluminium is lightweight and silver-grey. Brass has a dull golden tone. Lead is very heavy and soft enough to scratch with a fingernail. Once you can spot these materials, clearing a property or a workshop floor looks very different.
Whether you have a bag of stripped copper, a garage full of alloy wheels, or a van’s worth of cable offcuts – Blancomet makes it straightforward. Same-day payment. Licensed. Fair per-kg rates that move with the market.
1. How much is scrap copper worth per kg in the UK in 2026? Bright copper wire (fully stripped) fetches £4.80–£6.20/kg at UK scrap yards. Mixed or partially stripped copper pays £4.20–£5.50/kg, and insulated cable ranges from £1.20–£2.80/kg depending on copper content. Prices move with the LME copper spot price daily – always request a per-kg quote before travelling to the yard.
2. What non-ferrous metals does Blancomet accept? Blancomet accepts copper (all grades), aluminium (sheet, extrusions, cans), brass (fittings, taps, rod), lead (pipes, flashing), zinc, alloy wheels, lead-acid batteries, and all cable types including armoured, telecom, and household flex. Collection and drop-off are available from St Albans, Leeds, Dunfermline, Gateshead, and Dublin Ballycoolin.
3. Does Blancomet offer scrap metal collection near me? Yes. Blancomet offers scrap metal collection near me across its UK and Ireland depot network. Book a collection or arrange a drop-off via the contacts page. Minimum volume thresholds may apply – check directly with your nearest depot.
4. Are copper prices going up in 2026? Yes. LME copper has traded at £7,200–£9,400/tonne in 2026, near multi-year highs. The driver is surging demand from EV production, solar panels, and wind energy cabling. This trend is expected to continue as global clean energy targets accelerate – making it a strong time to sell any copper or cable scrap you have been holding.
5. Do I need to prepare my scrap before selling it? Preparation consistently increases your payout. Stripping copper wire to bright grade adds £1.00–£1.50/kg. Keeping aluminium separate from steel, removing fittings from brass, and cleaning oil from surfaces all achieve higher grades and faster processing at the yard.
5 Rosemount Park Drive
Rosemount Business Park, Ballycoolin Dublin, D11 FVH2, Ireland