I’m going to be replacing my window motor and window regulator in a few days. I was curious as to if these parts are recyclable or not. Also curious about spark plugs too. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Our recycling scrap place takes motors, I never thought about spark plugs, but worth asking… It seems so much more could potentially be recycled, Spray paint cans etc. Our curbside pickup for recyclables is aluminum plastic and glass only. Hazardous waste does rechargeable batteries only lead acid nicad etc, alkaline batteries are considered garbage.
In my area, there is a city-run facility . . . part of the sanitation department, actually . . . that accepts spray paint cans, old paint, used motor oil, coolant, batteries, old electric/electronic items, such as tvs, vacuum cleaners, etc. It’s free, and they don’t ask any questions
Are you referring to an automotive scrap yard? I don’t really know where anything is in my area, to be honest.
I might have one of those in my area, but I don’t know for sure.
Metal recyclers (sometimes called scrap yards) take steel, iron, alumin(i)um, brass, copper; some take electric motors (and pay for them). When I lived in Santa Monica the city took them if you brought them to the yard; same in Cedar Rapids.
Looks like I have to do more research
Auto repair shops have scrap bins for recycling metal.
I"m sure any one of them would allow to toss your scrap into their bin.
Tester
That is not enough metal to be worth making a trip to a recycling center, the motor might be worth 50 cents. You will consume more fuel delivering this to a recycling center than what could be saved by recycling. I save my metal until I have at least $20 worth before making a trip. Give these parts to someone that collects metal or throw it in the trash (our shop does not collect parts that small).
As stated in previews posts, the scrap yards will probably be minimal profit, but if you enjoy it going somewhere other than a landfill, to me worth the cost of the trip.
You need to check your city and/or county websites
But if they’re anything like mine, the websites are extremely hard to navigate 
I would be holding on to the bad parts until I have a lot to dispose of. Thank you all for your inputs. I don’t even care if I get paid. I just want to recycle
Whether or not there is profit is not the point, depending on how far you have to travel to recycle, this may be an act of consumption rather than conservation.
1 Like
One good thing about cars, much of the stuff is recycled. A new Mercedes may be 1/4 somebody’s junked Ford Escort, just melted down, re-configured and re-purposed. My metal recycler place would take all of that I think, including the spark plugs.
I like taking stuff apart, so me, if the window motor no longer worked, I’d disassemble it, & save the brushes, springs & bushings. Sometimes the magnet wire they use to wind the coils in small motors can prove useful too, especially if it is the very small diameter type. If lucky there might be some good permanent magnets inside too.
2 Likes
I’m sure I live near something. I already have a place I recycle my cans and bottles. They might take the parts too. I really need to do more research…ugh
Check the yellow pages for metal recyclers and/or salvage yards. That’s where they take stuff like this. I’ve never been paid or wanted to get paid for anything I dropped off except for a trailer load of aluminum. When I get a pile and its in my way I just take it down and they take it off my hands.
I, unfortunately, do not get yellow pages
They’ve gone on-line; try Yellow Pages. I keep the last-published copy on my bookshelf.
Before the city started taking metals, I saved mine up in boxes in the garage, including steel cans (cleaned out and flattened). When I was going somewhere else anyway and had a few extra minutes I’d swing by one of the recyclers, once every year or so. They paid for everything, including the steel cans (perhaps 8¢/pound). They paid significantly more for the alumin(i)um rims discarded from my bicycle, brass plumbing fixtures, copper wire, stainless steel. The money was nice to have but wouldn’t have warranted a trip. I’m happier with the city recycling department making the money on it.
1 Like
Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out later on today
One other way to handle scrap metal is to give it to scrap metal “scavengers” that cruise neighborhoods the day before trash pickup day. I don’t mean people who raid the recycle bins for aluminum cans. Sometimes people put out “junk” that won’t fit in the trash bins but has recycle value and people will collect these items. Our city only takes certain kinds of metals in the bins and not auto parts.The guys I talk to will take any scrap metal so when I have scrap to get rid of I will flag them down if I see them. My scrap is mostly old auto parts (including old window regulators, spark plugs, brake rotors, etc.), plumbing pipes and fixtures, old nuts and bolts, and other miscellaneous metal. Saves me the trouble of disposing small quantities myself, recycles perfectly good metal and helps out the scrap collectors. I know not everyone can do it this way but it’s how I do it.