Most of the metal we use comes from the ground and then goes back to the ground when we’ve finished using it, and more specifically to landfills. While non-ferrous and ferrous scrap can be handed over for further processing. The fact is that mining takes more money than recycling scrap metal, so why not give new life to the metal and use what we already have, rather than throw it in a landfill, polluting the environment?
Benefits of scrap metal recycling
Using recycled metals instead of mining to create new ones reduces CO2 emissions. Add to that an 86 percent reduction in air pollution and a 76 percent reduction in water pollution. In fact, scrap metal can even help detoxify industrial wastewater.
Reusing scrap metal helps create a circular economy in which we can continue to benefit from metals that have already been reused.
There are many ways to use scrap metal, and the economic and environmental benefits of recycling it outweigh the sometimes difficult process of separating different types of metals during recycling.
Using less energy
Scrap metal requires a much lower melting point than ore metal, which reduces both financial and environmental costs. The metal can even be made stronger than it was originally, allowing the product to last longer. The use of an electric arc furnace, which can be fed with almost 100% steel scrap, makes it stronger and more durable for use in products such as structural beams.
The future uses of used metal are quite varied. Recycled metals are the main element of the transportation industry. Products made from recycled metal are used in the construction of roads and tracks, as well as for vehicles.
Automobiles are the most recyclable metal products, as millions of them end up in service every year. This is fueling the automotive industry and, be it a financial benefit or an environmental benefit, the result is clear, more cars are being recycled. Steel from cars is separated from other materials and crushed, then melted and reused. About 25 percent of car bodies are made from recycled metal, but this percentage could be even higher.
