The Purpose of This Book

This is a book about a very special kind of trash-trash that contains precious metals.
Handy & Harman has had over a century of experience in recovering precious metals from this kind of scrap. Through this book, we want to share our knowledge with you. We want to help you detect, collect and protect your valuable scrap-and, above all, to achieve the highest possible return for it.
We hope that you enjoy, and profit from, this “Book about Trash.”

The Treasure in ‘Your Trash

If you use precious metals in your manufacturing operation, gold, silver and platinum group metals can be recovered from your “trash.”

Finding The Buried Treasure

If your company makes components or products that contain precious metals, your manufacturing operations will generate valuable scrap.

Collect and save those lathe turnings, milling and drill press chips, the blanking scrap from stamping machines, edge trim from slitting machines, slag from casting crucibles. Collect the dust from grinding wheels and buffing operations as well as the wheels and buffing pads themselves. Don’t overlook wiping rags, workmen’s clothing and shoes-they may be saturated with reclaimable precious metal particles.

And remember, if you’re making products, you’re bound to be making some scrap as well. (Nobody’s perfect.) If your usable components contain gold, silver or platinum group metals, your production rejects will contain the same metals in the same proportions.