Html form coding... the information in the form needs to be sent to an e-mail.?

i took html class a few semesters ago and learned about forms but never learned all the different ways to send the form information. all we learned how to do was when hitting the submit button is a webpage popping up. i enjoy webmaking and my friend wants me to whip up a web page for his upcoming business. he just wants something very simple, not too fancy. its for his scrap metal business. i was thinking i could have a form on the webpage where people and companies can request him to pick up scrap metal. and then the info would be sent to his e-mail. i think thats much better than making them copy and paste an e-mail. do i need a special server for this? or can i do it with code? please help. thanks