The short answer
Old roof lead is taken off site, sold to a scrap metal dealer and melted down, then cast and rolled into new sheet or other lead products. Lead recycles repeatedly without losing its quality, so very little goes to landfill. Who benefits from the scrap value is a matter for the quote: ask whether the roofer keeps it or credits you. Offcuts and waste should leave the site tidy and be handled by someone entitled to carry them.
The journey from roof to furnace
When a flashing, valley or flat roof covering is stripped, the old lead is peeled off in sheets and pieces. It is sorted from other waste on site, because mixed rubbish has no scrap value and lead needs separate handling. The roofer bundles or boxes it and takes it away in a vehicle, normally to a scrap metal dealer who weighs it and pays by weight, depending on the market that week. The dealer sells it on to a smelter or a refiner. There the lead is melted, impurities are skimmed off, and the pure metal is cast into ingots, which are then used for new sheet, batteries and other products. A sheet of lead that has been on a roof for a century can become a sheet on another roof, which is one reason the trade values the metal.
Why it is not simply thrown away
Lead is a hazardous material when it ends up in the wrong place, so it is not meant for general waste. It is also too valuable to throw away, which keeps most of it in the recycling stream. Lead is one of the most recycled metals. The reasons people ask about its fate usually include a concern about environmental harm, and the answer is that proper recycling captures the metal, and it does not leach into soil from a skip. Our wider guide to whether roofers still use lead deals with the questions about the material itself, and the handling side is in whether lead flashing is dangerous.
Who owns the scrap?
The old lead belongs to the property owner unless the contract says otherwise. Many roofers treat the scrap value as part of the arrangement and adjust the price accordingly, and some quote a lower labour figure because they will keep the lead. Others credit the value to you on the invoice. Neither is wrong, but you should know which applies before the work starts. The amount varies with the weight, which for a large roof can be considerable, and with the metal price, which moves. If the scrap value is significant, ask for it to be stated on the quote.
On a listed or period building, the old lead may have historical value. Original leadwork sometimes carries marks, dates or plumbers' initials scratched into it, and the conservation officer or the owner may want to keep it. Speak up before it is stripped, and ask the roofer to set aside anything of interest. Our page on leadwork on period and listed homes deals with that side of the work.
Waste rules and your own protection
Anyone who carries waste for a living should be entitled to do so, and the waste should go to a facility that is allowed to take it. As the householder, it is sensible to ask the roofer where the waste goes and to keep the paperwork if you get any, because a rogue operator who dumps rubbish can leave the householder with questions. A reputable scrap yard will issue a weighbridge ticket, and a good roofer can show you one if you ask. Keep the paperwork with the invoice. Our page on lead theft from roofs explains why the legitimate scrap trade asks for ID and checks the source of the metal, and why it matters that your roofer sells lead properly.
What it tells you about the roof
The state of the lead as it comes off can be useful. Thin, cracked or pitted sheet confirms that the old covering was near the end of its life, while lead that is still thick and supple suggests the failure lay in the fixing or the build-up rather than the metal. If you are curious, ask the roofer to show you a piece. It also helps explain why a replacement may use a different thickness. Lead stored on site before it is collected should be kept off the ground and out of children's reach, and sheets should not be left leaning against fences or garden walls where they could be taken.
Offcuts, dust and tidiness
Offcuts of new lead go the same way as the old, and should be collected at the end of the job. Dust from cutting chases and from old lead paint is a separate waste stream, and should be cleaned up and bagged. We leave a site cleared and take the waste away, including lead, and nothing is left in your garden or skip. If you are worried about anything in your own loft, ask us to look at it on the survey.
Details of our work with lead sit under the lead roofing and leadwork hub, the homepage lists everything else, and you can phone 01256 213956 with a question about the quote.
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