The Benefits of Recycling Scrap Metal

Metal, either ferrous or non-ferrous, is a highly recyclable product and can be highly profitable to a scrap metal collector and seller. However, monetary benefits aren't the only positives to recycling scrap metals.

Read about three other benefits of recycling scrap metals.

Reduces the Cost of Energy

Creating metal materials utilizes a lot more energy than recycling scrap metal; from ore mining, processing, shaping, and treating the metal, the total energy cost could double.

For example, aluminum is produced from ore with multiple minerals called bauxite. Manufacturers extract the ore and then process it extensively to isolate the aluminum metal. The aluminum goes through further processing using vast amounts of heat and electricity to create the final product. However, with recycling, aluminum is cleaned and remelted, which saves a lot of production energy.

According to the National Institutes of Health, recycling aluminum uses 95 percent less energy than manufacturing it from raw materials.

Additionally, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recycling steel and tin cans will save between 60 to 74 percent of its production cost. Recycling just one aluminum beverage can conserve as much energy to run a TV for 2 hours, a computer for 3 hours, and a 60-watt incandescent bulb for 20 hours.

Conserves the Environment 

Recycling scrap metal helps divert non-biodegradable waste from metals and metallic products disposed of in landfills into more practical use. If these metallic byproducts, such as lead, are left disposed of in landfills, they contaminate the soil and any adjacent waterway, leading to adverse health effects.

Additionally, mining ore can lead to acid rock drainage where water and oxygen interact with sulfur-bearing chemicals in the ore, also causing serious health risks from contaminated water.

Secondly, recycling helps conserve natural ore. The planet has a limited supply of metal ore, and recycling negates the manufacturer's need to drill for more, which protects the remaining non-renewable resources like iron, coal, and limestone.

Recycling minimizes gaseous emissions since most dioxide emissions are present during the production process. As the metal ore goes through manufacturing, the processing equipment emits dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrous dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, which lead to air pollution. However, with recycling, there's less processing, resulting in less gaseous emissions.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has stated that recycling metal can cut gas emissions by over 300 million tons. The Northeast Recycling Council also reports that using recycled steel limits water pollution by 76 percent, water usage by 40 percent, and air pollution by 86 percent.

Lastly, recycling helps to preserve the natural habitat of wildlife. Without mining or ground excavations, there's no damage to the environment or the surrounding habitats that support wildlife and land for commercial or residential use.

Builds the Economy

Recycling plays a significant role in uplifting the economy through job creation, tax returns, and an increase in revenue. Recycling has created over 1.1 million jobs and led to 37 billion in annual payroll.

A recent study by The Institute for Scrap Metal Recycling (ISRI) also states that recycling created 500,000 jobs in the industry, with tax receipts adding up to over $10 billion from a revenue of approximately $90 billion across all the 50 states.

Additionally, with recycling, the cost of metal is significantly lower than the price of virgin metals derived from raw materials. This makes it easier for consumers to purchase metals for their investment projects.

Bottom Line 

Recycling scrap metal offers many benefits from the conservation of ore, preservation of the environment, reduction of energy costs, and improvement of the economy, not to mention a source of income for some.

Be a part of these great benefits by selling your scrap metal. For more information about our scrap metal services at Big Daddy Scrap, contact us today.