Metal recycling is the process of taking waste metal items and processing them to create new metal materials. The recycled metal products can be used and recycled many times as needed. There are two types of metals that you can recycle: ferrous metals, which contain amounts of iron, and non-ferrous metals. Iron and steel are ferrous metals. Copper, brass, titanium, and aluminum belong to the non-ferrous metals category.
More people today know that they can recycle various metals and items that contain metal they find in their homes. Some people are now making scrap metal collection as their alternative income source. You can get paid for most scrap metals you bring to a scrap metal recycling facility.
Aside from the financial benefits, there are several other benefits when you bring scrap metals for recycling.
Advantages of metal recycling
In today’s world, recycling has become more essential to help meet the goals of reducing landfill utilization, efficient management of limited resources, and cost reduction. There are still many people who do not know that metals can be recycled and used as new metal materials because they are more accustomed to recycling plastic materials and paper products.
Here are the more pertinent advantages of recycling metals.
It helps save energy
Recycling uses less energy to turn scrap into new metal, which is a far better solution than harvesting new resources from the earth. There are no additional processes to perform because the metal is already there and waiting to be modified. Here are some facts, available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website:
- The recycling of steel in the U.S. saves energy that is equivalent to the electrical power used by about one-fifth of U.S. households per year.
- One aluminum beverage can that is recycled saves energy that can run a 14 watt CFL bulb for 20 hours. It can run a television for two hours and a computer for three hours.
Aside from reducing greenhouse emissions, the energy savings is passed down to consumers through cheaper products.
It conserves natural resources
The Earth’s natural resources are diminishing. Instead of digging for more raw base materials, the recycling industry can use the metals that already exist. Recycling reduces the water consumption of metal producing factories. It preserves the environment and protects wildlife. Mining for new base metals is an expensive operation, and using new metals raises the price of products.
Reduces the growth of landfills
You keep out existing metals from landfills when you recycle. This is an essential factor because it takes a long time for metals to biodegrade. Moreover, landfills have limited space and taking out things that can still be reused can make a big difference in using landfills more efficiently.
It provides economic benefits
Recycling scrap metal contributes to the U.S. economy because it is one of the country’s top products for export.
Aside from these important advantages, recycling can put some extra cash in your pocket while you get rid of the metal scraps occupying space around your house.
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