Solder and Solder Dross Recycle Program

If you regularly purchase Indium Corporation bar solder, we will take back contaminated solder and dross, verify the material, and immediately ship freshly-made bar solder back to you. You pay for processing the dross and contaminated solder back into bar solder and pay the return freight when it is shipped back to your faciity.

• Optimize your inventory and cash flow by ensuring that metal is turned quickly
• Avoid tying up cash that would be spent buying additional metal inventory
• Avoid fluctuations in the metal market because you retain ownership of the metal being recycled

Tolling Pricing

The Tolling program pays a set price per pound of actual metal processed. Since dross contains both metallic and non-metallic components, such as oxygen in the form of metal oxide, the amount of metal returned as bar solder will depend on how much solder metal is in the returned dross.

For example, if 1000 lbs. of dross is sent to us and the metallic content is 80%, then 800 lbs. of bar solder will be sent to you and you will be billed on your blanket purchase order an amount equal to 800 lbs. times the tolling charge per lb.

The advantage of this program for solder bar users is that the tolling charge is typically much less than the cost of the metal itself. Electrolytically recycling metal that you already own minimizes inventory and cash flow, and protects you from fluctuations in the metals market. Electrolytic recycling yields metal that is at least as pure, and typically more pure, than grade-A virgin metal. Silver-containing dross costs more to process than tin-lead dross because it requires an additional electrolytic step.

General Logistics

You may use your own sealed dross containers, containers supplied by another solder reclaim company, or an Indium Corporation supplied container. For quantities of 500 lbs. or more Indium Corporation will pay the incoming freight to our facility in Elk Grove Village. Customers using the tolling program pay the return freight for the new bar solder when it is shipped back to your facility.

Tolling Flow Chart:

If you are a solder user with less regular dross generation, you can still take advantage of Indium Corporation's assured and documented solder recycling. We will:

• Purchase your solder dross and contaminated solder
• Assay the material
• Pay you for the value of the dross and contaminated metal
• Send you a certificate confirming that the metal was properly recycled and not put in a landfill

Acceptable materials for recycle:

• Tin-lead and lead-free soft solder and solder dross containing major components of tin, lead, silver, and copper with virtually any minor metal contaminants
• Unopened jars of solder paste
• Other soft solder alloys that contain greater than 1% bismuth, zinc, cadmium, or other metals "may" be acceptable but must be evaluated on a case-bycase basis. If the solder is known to contain these other metals then the solder or dross should be segregated from normal solder and dross.

Unacceptable materials:

• Opened and waste solder paste jars
• Wipes contaminated with solder paste
• Dross contaminated with large amounts of oil or other organic materials.
• Non-solder related recycle material

Assured Recycling Pricing

With the Assured Recycle option, Indium Corporation purchases the material outright. The value of the material to be recycled is determined based on an assay that we perform upon receipt of the metal. Since solder dross generally includes both nonmetallic oxygen (as metal oxide) and a small amount of organics from flux, both the metallic content, as a percentage of total weight, and the metallic components must be analyzed.

• Dross with a higher percentage of metal is worth more than dross where the metal has been squeezed out.
• Dross that has a reclaimable amount of silver or gold is worth more than drosses that do not contain precious metals.
• Although Indium Corporation will pay for reclaimable precious metals, we cannot pay published market price because we must involve a secondary reclaim company that specializes in precious metals reclaim.

Indium Corporation can help make arrangements with a licensed waste handler to take back large quantities of used solder paste jars and wipes. Because we cannot accept this waste in our facility, you must ship the waste jars and wipes directly to the third party waste handler, who will then reclaim the metal and plastic from the jars and wipes.

Assured Recycle Flow Chart:

1. Make sure all containers are sealed to prevent leakage or spills. Can lids must be secured.
2. Identify your company and the material on the packing slip.
3. Containers must be labeled with the Indium supplied or comparable labels. Examples of proper labels can be found here.
4. Material must be banded and wrapped securely on a pallet.
   Attach the Indium Corporation supplied labels only after the material in the cans has cooled to room temperature.
5. For shipments of 500 lbs or more, Indium Corporation will pay the freight. Send the shipment "freight collect," note Third Party Billing to Indium Corporation c/o Transportation Insight, PO Box 23000, Hickory, NC 28603 and use one of the following specified carriers.
   
   Companies located in the southern states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida should use AAA Cooper Transportation @ 888-547-3887.
   
   All other states should use Old Dominion @ 800-611-6335.
   
   Destination:
   Indium Corporation
   80 Scott Street
   Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007
   Attn: Solder Recycle
   Phone: 847-439-9135
   
   Sample Bill of Lading
6. If you are shipping 1000 lbs or more of lead-containing material, then the trucking company will need a #9 placard for the truck. Most truckers have these available; however, we will supply them at no cost if you need them.

Using Shipping Containers

• Use green buckets for lead-free.
• Use black buckets for tin-lead.
• Include a maximum of 75 lbs. of material per bucket.
• To avoid destroying the labels, apply labels to the side of the buckets after the buckets are full and are at room temperature.
• Seal buckets tightly to avoid accidentally spilling material.

NOTE:
We CANNOT accept empty solder containers, rags, wipes, etc. If the shipment contains these items, the shipment will be refused at the dock and the entire shipment will be returned at your expense.