metal scrap types of metal
12
Jun

What Makes Industrial Scrap Metal Unique?

When you think of the word recycle, the processes that industrial scrap and ordinary scrap go through are pretty different. Industrial scrap companies go through unique processes and challenges in their recycling process.

There’s a general lack of information about this unique process, so, naturally, many people are hesitant to recycle industrial scrap. However, we’re here to talk about what makes industrial scrap metal unique and how you can make the most of your industrial scrap.

The Types of Metal

Most of the scrap metal that gets recycled is ferrous. However, the kind of metal a recycling company will have to work with depends largely on what their local industry is using. So, recycling companies can also get non-ferrous metals.

Some scrap metals can also be coated with other substances, such as plastic, making it challenging to identify the metal and its value. If you’re planning on selling your industrial scrap, you should know how much you’ll get in return for it. Coated metals or mixed metals go for the lowest prices. So, if that’s the bulk of your scrap, you should know how to separate metals.

Most industrial scrap metal recycling companies will accept all kinds of metals and also help you identify what metals you’re dealing with. Hence, it’s always a good idea to work with a scrap metal recycling company. Otherwise, you can get a bit confused and may get underpaid for your scrap.

A Sea of Metal

If you’re in the industrial sector, the chances are that you have a lot of scrap metal. We’re talking heaps of scrap metal. So, handling this scrap metal becomes difficult.

Unlike ordinary scrap, industrial scrap tends to be quite heavy. In fact, there are 130 million metric tons of scrap metal recycled every year. However, you also can’t leave scrap metal lying around your factory since it takes up a lot of space. So, what do you do?

Scrap metal recycling companies should be able to take care of your scrap metal. Due to the heavyweight nature of this scrap, most companies offer handling, storage, and pickup services that you can take advantage of.

Saving Energy

Recycling scrap metal is excellent for the environment because the recycling process uses 90% less energy than making metal from scratch. The more scrap metal we recycle, the more recycled metal we have for use, and the less new metal we have to produce.

If you’re in the industrial sector, chances are you use a lot of metal. As someone relatively new to the idea of recycling scrap metal, you may be hesitant to use recycled metal. However, there’s really no reason not to use recycled metals.

Recycling aluminum alloys have many environmental benefits. Recycling just 1 tonne of aluminum saves 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. To put this into context, 1 tonne of carbon dioxide is what you would emit if you drove over 3500 miles.

Economic Benefits

Not only does recycling scrap metal benefit the environment, but it also benefits the economy. In the US, nearly half a million people are employed in just the scrap metal recycling business.

The scrap metal recycling industry generated economic activity worth over $100 billion every year. So, by choosing to recycle your scrap metal, you’re playing a role in helping your economy.

Final Words

Scrap metal recycling is a good counter to the many adverse effects the industrial sector has on the environment. Of course, on its own, scrap metal recycling is not enough, but it’s an initiative most companies should take.

However, scrap metal recycling is a unique process. So, it’s best handled by people who are familiar with it. That’s why it’s always better to partner up with a scrap metal recycling company than figure it out alone.