Download article as a PDF. In most states and jurisdictions, security deposit laws allow a landlord to deduct from a security deposit for any damage or excessive dirtiness, but not for any expected, normal wear-and-tear.
Nonmetals also have high electron affinity. This means that it is energetically favorable to add an electron to a nonmetal. So, nonmetals can be easily reduced. Metals tend to have low electron affinity so it is more difficult to add electrons (or reduce them). In short: Metals have low ionization energies and low electron affinities so they are readily oxidized. Nonmetals have high ionization energies and high electron affinities so they are readily reduced.
A non-ferrous metal is any metal that does not contain iron. Most of the time non-ferrous metals are a non-magnetic metal. If a magnet does not pull to the metal you are testing, it is a probably a non-ferrous metal. Non-ferrous metals are more valuable than ferrous metals and should be separated to get the most return for your metal. A couple of popular non-ferrous metals are copper, brass, and aluminum.