Did you know that traditional mining produces a number of environmental hazards, including poisonous runoff, groundwater pollution, habitat destruction, and unstable geological conditions? Metal recycling helps reduce the need for virgin ore, thereby cutting down on mining.
Scrap metal recycling promotes a healthy environment of trade among various countries outside of North America. In the year 2007 alone, scrap metal recycling accounted for 38 million metric tons of material exported to countries such as South Korea, Germany and India.
Recycling metal scrap isn't the only way to get value and save the environment. You can also repurpose metal scrap for things like artwork or perhaps a new project. You can even breathe new life into rare, serviceable metal parts that find their way to a salvage yard.
When it comes down to it, the amount of energy saved using recycled metals compared to primary ores is significant. It’s estimated that the energy savings are up to 92 percent for aluminum, 90 percent for copper, and 56 percent for steel.
Junk vehicles that have been rusting out can usually be towed for free as long as you have the title. The metal is usually paid for as well since automobile metal is easily recycled.
War-time recycling drives were the start of organized recycling programs all around the world. But landfills started to come about after WWII in the 1940s and 1950s. Perhaps people were tired of conserving, or maybe it was just easier to throw something away, but landfills started quickly filling.
Did you know that the concept of recycling is thousands of years old? Archeologists have found evidence of the ancient Romans recycling bronze coins to create statues.
Are you aware that metal is not a renewable resource? Eventually, the supply of metals will run out. Therefore, recycling metal helps provide for its sustainable use. Recycling metals also considerably lowers emissions and the cost of production.
Spread the word - steel and aluminum are 100 percent recyclable and can be used an infinite number of times! Every ton of steel recycled conserves 2,500 lbs. of iron ore, 1,500 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone, reports the Steel Recycling Institute.
It's a good rule of thumb to already have metal for recycling sorted out before you get to the facility that will be buying the material. Consider taking the time to sort.
Certain products, such as tin, paper, plastic and glass are easy to remanufacture. Processing these materials becomes highly efficient, so it’s certainly worthwhile and profitable to collect items made of these materials.
According to the Steel Recycling Institute, the overall recycling rate of steel exceeds 80 percent. Steel food and beverage cans have the highest recycling rate, with each container on average composed of at least 25 percent recycled steel.
Do you know the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals? Apparently, ferrous metals are metals that have traces of iron in them and will therefore stick to a magnet. Non-ferrous metals, on the other hand, have no iron in them and are thus not attracted to magnets.
To provide an idea of how much aluminum is recycled annually in the US, imagine this: if all aluminum scrap were used solely to produce standard soda cans, the line of cans would stretch more than 25 million miles — the distance from Earth to Venus.
Let's test your recycling knowledge: What is the most recycled material in the world? If you guessed aluminum, guess again. Based on statistics released by the scrap recycling industry, the most recycled material in the U.S., and worldwide, is steel.
Each ton of steel recycled can save 1.5 tons of iron ore, .5 tons of coal, 40 percent of the water used in production, 75 percent of the energy needed to produce steel from raw ore, 1.28 tons of solid waste, reduction of air emissions by 86 percent and reduction of water pollution by 76 percent.
One prominent benefit of recycling scrap metal is that it conserves natural resources. In fact, recycling one ton of steel can conserve 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal, and 120 pounds of limestone.
The metal recycling industry is a very positive resource on an environmental level, but did you know that it is also a major source of employment? In 2007, there were 50,000 people who helped to run this industry and 137,000 people in the recycling business as a whole.
Did you know that the United States recycles more than 150 million tons of scrap metal materials annually? This includes such metals as iron, steel lead, copper, aluminum, brass, bronze, magnesium, and tin.
It’s important to check with your recycling service before attempting to recycle aerosol or paint cans, chemical containers, aluminum siding, or furniture. Some carriers do require that you separate metals. You can use a magnet to determine was is aluminum and what is not.
Don’t forget, old home electronics contain many metals. Computer components are made of lead, mercury and other harmful metals that can damage the environment if they are just discarded.
So what types of metals are able to be recycled? This includes everything from iron, steel, and aluminum, to copper, stainless steel, lead, zinc, brass, bronze, magnesium, and tin.
Recycling your waste metal is a great way to take part in saving the environment. By educating yourself as to which metals can be recycled, you will be able to greatly reduce your carbon footprint.
For recycling purposes, non-ferrous metals refer to any metal or alloy that doesn’t contain iron. The category encompasses familiar metals and exotic alloys, but the most common examples include aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, tin, lead, and zinc.