The benefits of scrap metal recycling
Recycling is becoming increasingly important for society and industry, as it helps achieve cost-reduction goals, efficiently manage limited resources and reduce landfill load. We are used to hearing about the three principles of recycling (reduce, reuse, recycle) applied to paper, plastic, bottles, cans and cardboard; yet many still do not know that metal can also be recycled. Metal recycling reduces pollution, saves resources, reduces waste going to landfills and prevents habitat destruction caused by mining new ore.
Scrap metal recycling companies are like above-ground mines, rich in resources that can be reused to preserve the environment, and at significantly lower costs than mining and refining metals from primary ores.
Although regulations classify scrap metal as waste, its true value lies in the possibility of reuse. End-of-life vehicles, household appliances, bridges, industrial equipment and other metal products do not become worthless waste at the end of their service life — they become valuable secondary raw material.
Scrap metal is one of the most important resources in the circular economy. It can be melted down and recycled countless times without losing its quality and technical properties. Thus metal continuously returns to circulation, turning into new products and reducing the need to extract ever more raw materials from nature.
Benefits for the environment
Metal recycling preserves natural resources by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and consuming less energy than producing new metal from primary ore. Producing new metal generates significantly more greenhouse gases than manufacturing products from recycled metal. These emissions can affect climate change and also create harmful air pollution in cities, causing potential respiratory health problems for you and other residents. The US Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) reports that metal recycling in the USA can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 300 to 500 million tonnes.
Moreover, using scrap metal instead of primary ore produces 97% less mining waste and consumes 40% less water, according to data from the US National Institutes of Health.
