Among scrap metal haulers, driving around city streets on the eve before garbage night is a well-known way to get unwanted metal. This is far from the only method of acquiring scrap metal, though. If you pick up scrap metal and haul it to a scrap metal buyer, here are some lesser-known places to check for unwanted metal.

Along Riverbanks

In the spring and fall, rivers sometimes have a variety of metal debris along their banks. As rivers flood, they pick up debris that's sitting near them and wash it downstream. Some flooded rivers are strong enough to move metal items, which wash up downriver on the riverbank. If left unclaimed, this debris can often be picked up.

Riverbanks are a largely seasonal source, for they usually only flood in the spring and fall. They're frequently overlooked by other scrappers, though, so they can be bountiful sources of scrap metal when it's the right time of year.

Local Baseball Parks

Local baseball parks where youth play games frequently have a collection of baseball bats that have been left behind and forgotten. Some of these bats may be wood, but many will be made from aluminum. Many parks will give these bats to anyone who wants them as long as the bats have been unused for a while.

Aluminum won't fetch the highest price at a scrap metal yard. At the time of writing, Scrap Monster reported that scrap aluminum was getting between $.060 and $.065 per pound (depending on the particular region and type of aluminum). Getting and bringing in a bunch of baseball bats is one of the easier hauls that a scrapper will make, however.

Unfortunately, local baseball parks are usually one-time sources. While they frequently have a collection of left-behind bats, these are acquired over several seasons. Thus, you'll have to wait a few years before a park will have lots of bats to pick up again.

Shooting Ranges

Many gun owners who go to shooting ranges don't pick up their used shells, leaving them behind for anyone who's willing to bend down and get them.

Picking up individual shells may seem tedious, but shells are often made of brass. Brass, of course, commands a decent price. Scrap Monster placed yellow and mixed red brass prices between $1.74 and $1.98 when this was written.

As an added benefit, shooting ranges can serve as regular sources of scrap metal. Unlike baseball bats that are only occasionally forgotten, gun owners who don't pick up their shell casings leave the casings behind every time they shoot.

Old Commercial Buildings

The roofs of old commercial buildings don't always have scrap metal on them. When they do, however, the haul is typically large.

Commercial buildings' air conditioners are normally located on the buildings' roofs. When HVAC technicians work on these buildings, they regularly leave old parts that they take out on the roof. They don't want to haul the parts down, and the parts aren't damaging anything on the roof. Moreover, the parts aren't visible from below, so it makes little difference if they're left behind.

For the scrapper who's willing to haul these parts away, the reward is sizeable. The parts are often old compressors and fan motors, which have to be large on commercial air conditioning systems. They may have a variety of metals in them, but the sheer size of these parts will make them fetch a nice price.

Electronics Repair Stores

Electronics repair stores will keep many of the components they remove from computers and other devices. Most will get rid of power cords and chargers, though. They'll toss them in the dumpster, as these are inexpensive and not typically repaired.

Power cords and chargers can be easy and regular sources of scrap wire. It can either be left as insulated wire or stripped of the surrounding material to get a higher per-pound price. For more information, visit websites like http://www.bigdaddyscrap.com.