Turning old metal into new money

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - This week for our Living Green with NewsChannel 18 Segment we went to the Oscar Winski Company in Lafayette to show you a way you can go green and make some money at the same time.

At first glance the yard at the Oscar Winski Company looks like nothing more than random piles and piles of metal, but there is organization to this perceived chaos.

"I think for those in the know they understand this is a good way to make money and it is also good for the environment," said Bluestein.

Vice President of Metals Recycling David Bluestein says about 15,000 tons of metal comes across the scales every month at Winski in a variety of forms.

Giant cranes help sort the metal that comes in. Some of it is grabbed and crunched into cubes; all of it will be eventually melted down and reused.

"It is a constant circle of materials coming in, being recycled and going back out into industry and being used as new product. It is as renewable as it gets," said Bluestein.

Matthew Martin made some cash for his scrap metal. He had some siding left over after a recent construction job.

"We got paid to do the job and we got to keep the metal so we brought it down here to recycle it, said Martin. “It put a little extra money in our pockets to pay for gas."

Bluestein said large corporations also take advantage of what Winski can do. Some of the metal here is used by local companies like Wabash National and SIA. Bluestein said bringing it here sure beats tossing it out.

"Why put it in the landfill when you can bring it here, let us do the right thing with it,” said Bluestein. “Let us turn it into new product and you even get paid in the process."