Steel: More than a little
| 18 April 2011
| Share |
The scrap metal industry in North America has been recycling the scrap metal of steel for over 150 years. Steel as a recycled product has become a mere necessity in construction and vehicle developments, as previously used steel is required to produce more. At least 25 percent, and up to 100 percent, of all steel is recycled metal. With this demand for recycled steel only growing higher, why haven’t you started recycling yet?
The product of steel is all around us. We interact with it daily in our cars, office buildings, food packaging and more. It also happens to be the most prominent kind of metal found in industrial and municipal solid waste. More than 1,000 factories in the United States process steel, with most being located in the Southeast or Great Lakes regions. The U.S. generated about 2.3 million tons of steel in 2009, and in 2008 the steel industry recovered and recycled more than 14 million tons from automobiles.
Recycling steel can be both beneficial to your neighborhood as well as to your bank account. As the demand is high, recycling centers usually offer competitive prices per pound of scrap steel. While you try to save money, you can also feel good knowing you are doing your part to save the ecosystem. It is often heard that “every little bit helps.” With steel, you are doing more than a little. Generated as an alloy from iron and carbon, steel is made by heating solid iron fuel with iron ore and limestone in a blast furnace. This process is long, energy consuming, and greenhouse gas releasing. Recycling steel decreases all of these negative environmental effects on a noticeably dramatic scale.
Most steel recyclers recover their scraps like steel cans from the neighbor’s curbside. When transported to an experienced recycling center, the steel will then be properly and safely separated from other reusable scraps. After separation, the steel is crushed into giant bales and shipped over to steel mills. The steel mill is the agent who combines your recyclables with other steel scrap and melts it in a furnace to generate new steel.
The process of recycling scrap steel, and any scrap metal, is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, it is really quite easy. Whenever you feel you have enough for a healthy cash trade, simply bring it in and the rest is done for you. Local recycling centers like Atlanta’s own Marietta Recycling Corporation is more than willing to take scrap metal off your hands. Bring your stash in today to help the Earth, and your wallet, “go green.”
| Share |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
