The Importance and Value of Scrap Metal Recycling

• 10 May 2023
• by Melbourne Metal Recycling
• 0 Comments

Scrap metal recycling consist of the salvage and processing of scrap metal from when a product or structure is at the end of its life cycle. The recycling process itself generally involves retrieval, sorting, baling, shearing, smelting and brokerage.

For the most part, scrap metal recycling is more Eco friendly than processing or extracting virgin material. And in comparison, it also generates more jobs. Scrap metal recycling is also a project done by certain business persons like scrap metal collectors and environmentalists. As well, there are a large variety of companies in the scrap recycling industry, both large and small.

Numerous Benefits

Scrap metal recycling has numerous vital benefits and plays a valuable role in supporting both economic and environmental results. For example, it is highly effective in supplying raw material for new products, limiting metal scraps from landfills, is an effective use of resources and supports a considerable lower carbon footprint.

Supplies Raw Materials

Scrap metal recycling provides ferrous and nonferrous metal as raw materials for new production to refineries, steel mills, traders, smelters and foundries across the world. As well, the final products is just as durable and upholds to the highest standards in quality.

Limits Metal from Landfills

Scrap metal recycling frees up quite a bit of landfill space. Generally items are quite bulky and not pleasing to the eye. In fact, metal recycling encourages more productive land uses.

Greatly Utilizes Resources 

Overall, scrap metal recycling use less energy and is more efficient than refining and extracting raw metals with the use of traditional mining processes. In truth, mining creates numerous environmental hazards such as unbalanced geological conditions, pollution of our groundwater, toxic runoff and habitat destruction. As well, the majority of mining requires large amounts of fossil fuels. However, scrap metal recycling does require fossil fuel, just not to the mass extent that mining does.

A Low Carbon Footprint

Recycling scrap metal is one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. In fact, the environmental benefits include substantial reductions in Co2 emissions. Studies show that for every ton (100,000tn) of scrap metal steel made there are 97Ktn of CO2 is saved.

Types of Metals

Basically, there are two types of scrap metals that are recycled – nonferrous metal and ferrous metal.

Ferrous metal is comprised of some degree of iron. In fact, the name ferrous is derived from the Latin term meaning iron.

Non-ferrous metal is devoid of iron. The scrap metal includes copper, nickel, zinc, aluminum, lead.