If you've been putting off cleaning your basement, now may be a good time to start. Your old christmas lights, lawn chairs, and extension cords are just a few of the items that could earn you some cash at Atlantic Metal Recycling in East Wareham.

The company opened its newest location on Cranberry Highway three weeks ago and has already collected hundreds of pounds of metal.

“Metal recycling is big business,” said Manager Greg McPhee. “It’s a two-fold operation. It cleans up the streets and it helps give people income with the economy being down.”

Customers can bring in scrap metal off the streets and from their homes or job sites.

“It’s environmentally friendly and the price of metal is high right now,” McPhee added.

McPhee said they have a large repeat-customer base that includes tradesmen and people who collect discarded metal from roadways around town. He said anyone with metal is welcome to visit and turn it in.

Once the metal is weighed it is sorted by type, chopped up, and sent to companies for repurposing.

Even items that seem unlikely to bring in any dough can be worth some money, McPhee pointed out. The company once received an eight-pound statue worth $15.

Due to the high prices of raw materials, the metal recycling industry has become subject to crime, with customers attempting to cash in on stolen materials. McPhee said Atlantic Metal Recycling takes preventative measures to deter criminals.

The company has gone digital with its system. From weigh-in to payout, the entire process is electronic, which McPhee said deters crime by recording and tracking all of the items brought in.

The company chose Wareham for expansion after business took off at its flagship location in Hanson.

“On a Saturday, Hanson gets 120 people in six hours!” McPhee explained. “We saw a need in Wareham. The closest scrap metal places are on the Cape and they don’t pay as much.”

Atlantic Metal Recycling is located at 3127 Cranberry Highway in East Wareham. The phone number is (508) 759-3900.