Benefits of Scrap Metal Recycling
Posted on: 22 September 2020
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Many people are ignorant of metal recycling. When the term recycling comes to mind, the first thing you will think of is paper, plastic, cans, and bottles. However, metal can also be recycled. More than 2% of the waste found in Australian landfills consists of steel. Here is a review of the benefits of scrap metal recycling to help you appreciate why it is an important practice.
Reduces Emissions
The scrap metal recycling industry uses less energy and is more efficient compared to refining and extracting raw materials using the traditional mining process. Mining involves several environmental processes like poisonous runoffs, groundwater pollution and environmental hazards. As a result, there are physical scars on the environment like habitat destruction, groundwater pollution and inconsistent geological conditions. It takes years before the environment can heal from these processes.
Scrap metal recycling involves less fossil fuel inputs and is less energy-intensive when compared to mining. Industrial Scrap Metal Recycling can save you 13.4 MJ of primary energy and 1.5kg of CO2 emissions. Additionally, recycling plants do not require large mines to function.
Conserves Ore and Energy
Recycling scrap metal can significantly lower the demand for natural resources. This is a great way of promoting energy conservation. The more metals that are recycled, the fewer people drill the earth for natural ore for producing new metals. Therefore, recycling helps preserve important ores. For example, taking your car to a recycling plant instead of the landfill will save 1134kg of iron ore.
There is also a lower amount of energy needed for industrial scrap metal recycling than for extracting ore. The amount of energy saved by recycling metal will depend on the metal. For example, recycling a single piece of aluminium can save enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for up to 20 hours or to run a computer for 3 hours.
Creates Jobs
Recycling metal is beneficial to Australia's economy. You can earn cash from recycling metal. All you need to do is find some discarded household metals and take them to a recycling plant in exchange for money. The amount of money you will get will vary depending on the metal and the amount you want to recycle.
Additionally, the scrap metal recycling field creates employment for those working in those recycling plants. Experts estimate that the scrap metal recycling industry provides 36 times more jobs than burning scrap metal. This industry also creates 6 times more jobs than disposing of metal in a landfill.
To learn more, reach out to a local metal recycling plant.