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How to Recycle Electric Motors
Check local acceptanceRockaway Recycling (NJ, October 19, 2026) pays $0.40/lb for small electric motors under 30 lb, $0.60 for alternators and starters, $0.30 for sealed units, $0.25 for copper transformers, and $0.05 for aluminum transformers. Paz Metals (PA, August 14, 2026) pays $0.28 for electric motors, $0.28 for sealed units, and $0.40 for AC compressors. A 20-lb small motor is worth about $5.60 to $8.00 whole. Call your yard.Last reviewed October 19, 2026
Quick answer
Sell electric motors to a scrap yard whole. Rockaway Recycling's October 19, 2026 board pays $0.40 a pound for small motors under 30 lb and $0.30 for sealed units. Paz Metals posted $0.28 for both on August 14, 2026. Copper windings make up 7-18% of a motor's weight, but pulling them out nets only about $4 more on a 20-lb motor before your labor, so skip the teardown unless you have a pile. Keep extra steel off the motor. Before you go, confirm that a local recycling center accepts the material in its current condition.
- Recycling route
- Check locally
- Typical value
- Rockaway Recycling (NJ, October 19, 2026) pays $0.40/lb for small electric motors under 30 lb, $0.60 for alternators and starters, $0.30 for sealed units, $0.25 for copper transformers, and $0.05 for aluminum transformers. Paz Metals (PA, August 14, 2026) pays $0.28 for electric motors, $0.28 for sealed units, and $0.40 for AC compressors. A 20-lb small motor is worth about $5.60 to $8.00 whole. Call your yard.
Motors removed from appliances, tools, pumps, HVAC equipment, cars, machinery, and industrial systems. Scrap yards buy them as their own grade, priced by weight, because the steel body holds copper windings. Sealed compressors, alternators and starters, and transformers each carry a different price.
Where to Recycle
- Scrap metal yards
- Appliance recyclers
- Industrial equipment recyclers
- Electronics recyclers for small device motors
How to Prepare
- 1Unplug the motor, cut power, and remove batteries or attached electronics
- 2Drain oil, coolant, or other fluids from attached equipment
- 3Keep the motor whole. Yards pay by weight for intact motors, and stripping the copper out is time-consuming
- 4Remove loose steel brackets, bases, and frames. Extra steel on a motor lowers the price at the scale
- 5Sort by type: small electric motors (under 30 lb), alternators and starters, sealed units and compressors, and transformers pay different rates
- 6Check the housing with a magnet: a magnet sticks to steel and cast iron and not to aluminum, and yards pay differently for each
- 7Bring a photo ID and call ahead to ask whether the yard buys motors as a separate grade
Special Instructions
Do not cut into sealed compressors, energized equipment, or motors contaminated with chemicals. Refrigerant equipment must be processed by a qualified handler first.
Environmental Impact
Motor recycling recovers copper windings and ferrous and nonferrous metals for manufacturing.
Official guidance and resources
Accepted items and drop-off rules can vary by location. Check the destination before you go.
- EPA: Recycle common materials, including metal
- Rockaway Recycling: scrap metal prices (NJ, October 19, 2026)
- Paz Metals: scrap prices (PA, Aug 14, 2026)
- Rockaway Recycling: small electric motors
- Okon Recycling: scrap electric motors, copper content and housing
- iScrap App: scrap metal laws by state (seller ID and record rules)
- EPA: standardized recycling material terms
Donation & Take‑Back Options
Estimated value: Rockaway Recycling (NJ, October 19, 2026) pays $0.40/lb for small electric motors under 30 lb, $0.60 for alternators and starters, $0.30 for sealed units, $0.25 for copper transformers, and $0.05 for aluminum transformers. Paz Metals (PA, August 14, 2026) pays $0.28 for electric motors, $0.28 for sealed units, and $0.40 for AC compressors. A 20-lb small motor is worth about $5.60 to $8.00 whole. Call your yard.
FAQs
What is the electric motor scrap price per pound?
Rockaway Recycling paid $0.40 a pound for small electric motors on October 19, 2026, so a 20-lb motor is $8.00 there. Paz Metals posted $0.28 on August 14, 2026, which is $5.60 for the same motor. Alternators and starters paid $0.60 a pound at Rockaway that October morning.
Is it worth stripping the copper out of an electric motor?
Usually not. Copper is 7-18% of a motor's weight, so a 20-lb motor holds about 2 lb of copper. At the October 19, 2026 #2 copper median of $5.28 a pound, that copper plus 18 lb of steel at the August reference rate of $0.08 totals about $12, versus $8.00 sold whole at Rockaway's $0.40. You gain about $4 for the time it takes to cut and unwind the windings, so skip the teardown unless you have a pile.
What is a sealed unit and what does it pay?
A sealed unit is the sealed compressor from a refrigerator, freezer, or air conditioner. It pays about $0.28-$0.30 per pound, less than most open motors. Do not cut it open, and have a certified handler remove refrigerant from the appliance first.
What is the difference between electric motors and transformers?
Both hold copper windings around a steel core, but yards price them separately. Rockaway Recycling pays $0.25 per pound for transformers with copper windings and $0.05 for transformers with aluminum windings.
Where can I sell or recycle electric motors near me?
Take them to a scrap yard that buys nonferrous metal. Call first and ask whether the yard pays for motors as a separate grade and what size limit it sets. Search our directory for scrap yards in your city.
Related recycling guides
Recycle electric motors
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