Metal scrapping and recycling has been practiced for a long time, and with the growing concern over the environment, expect this to continue. And rightly so because contrary to what some may believe, metal scraps can still be used and is actually more efficient than using new metals.
Scrapping and recycling metals is necessary for many reasons, from proper landfill use, resource management and cost reduction. While most people know that paper and plastic can be recycled, you can do the same with metal.
The Need for Recycling Metal
All metals have a finite lifespan as far as usability goes, and even the best maintained metal will eventually have to be replaced. Iron and other types of metals tarnish and rust. But does that mean those metals are now useless and should thrown away? No, as it is possible to recycle and reuse them again.
Scrap metal consists of tarnished, waste and/or rusted metal, or basically any metal that is deemed no longer usable. These metals are ideal for recycling because they can be used again, and this applies to metals for vehicle scraps, surplus components, junk metal etc.
There are different types of scrap metals and the recycling process varies. Commercial and residential metals are often smelted so they can be mixed with other types of metals. These metals can be used and reused several times, and that means savings in thousands or millions of dollars.
The recycling industry is growing at a rapid pace, now worth billions of dollars. This will only get bigger as the metal recycling industry is growing. This only goes to show how vital recycling is and why companies practice it.
Resource Management
Scrap recycling metal centers makes it possible to reuse resources, manage resources and minimize environment damage. Compared to mining and refining metals from fresh ores, this approach is more practical and effective. Even though it’s called scrap these metals are actually useful and leads to efficient resource management.
Cost Effective
Recycling isn’t just good for the environment but also for your bottom line. It costs a lot of of money to process and refine metal, so by recycling scrap metal, manufacturers are able to cut down on costs, and the savings can be passed to you.
So if a car manufacturer recycles metal, they can make cars at a lower cost, and the same applies to canned goods and other products that use metal. As metal recycling facilities improve, more metals can be reused.
Economic Benefits
Much of the focus is on the environmental benefits of recycling and scrapping metals, but they’re also good for the economy.
At the very least the government saves money on waste management. Disposing of tons of metals doesn’t come cheap. By recycling iron, steel and other metals, money can be saved or used elsewhere, not to mention the fact that this helps a government’s environmental protection plan.
Job Opportunities
Recycling and scrapping metals requires workers, and these facilities employ thousands of workers. Recycling metals is gaining popularity around the world and this makes a huge difference not just in the bottom line of these workers but the economy and the environment.
Energy Conservation and Management
Recycling metals play a huge role in energy management, consumption and conservation. Natural resources are finite so recycling makes sense. The process doesn’t use up a lot of energy and resources compared to virgin ore mining.
Studies have shown that recycling saves money in several aspects. On the average, recycling metals leads to 56% energy savings for steel, 90% for copper and 92% for aluminum. To give you an idea of the savings, recycling a single aluminum can save energy to run a 60W bulb for four hours.
Emissions Reduction
Recycling metals isn’t as energy extensive as extracting metals. Mining for metals poses environmental risks like groundwater pollution, toxic runoffs, health hazards and produce scars on the environment that may take centuries to heal.
By recycling metals, a lot of these potential hazards can be avoided. In addition to those mentioned above, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced as well as air pollution. So it isn’t just good for the environment but also for your health.
Recycling metals is more practical than mining. It is efficient and doesn’t scar the environment the way standard mining does. Aside from not causing groundwater pollution, there is no need for open pit mining. Open pit mining generates greenhouse gases, and that is one of the things that can be avoided by recycling metals.
Conclusion
These days you’ll find recycling being done for a lot of products, so why should metals be an exception? It doesn’t take a lot of effort to recycle or scrap metal and the benefits to the environment are immense. And has been demonstrated time and again, the benefits extend to you.