Recycling Your Scrap Metal

Participate in Our Recycling Program, Make Some Green

Scrap metal is one of the most diverse commodities in the recycling industry and is in high demand across the globe. Many countries are willing to pay top prices for the important metals your company has no use for. In fact, raw scrap steel and other metals were among the top recyclable materials exported to more than 150 countries worldwide in 2007. When you participate in the scrap metal program at Complete Recycling, you not only profit from the value of your recyclables but also from the value your company adds to the environment and economy.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports metal material disposal made up about 8% of the municipal solid waste generated in 2007 in the United States. That comes out to about 20 million tons. Of that, the United States recycled approximately 7 million tons of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. That’s about a 35% recovery rate. The agency estimates this eliminated greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing more than 4.5 million cars from the road for a period of one year.

Recycled metals account for a large part of the country’s overall supply. One statistic shows that every 2 out of 3 pounds of steel made in the United States derives from ferrous metal scrap. Non-ferrous scrap metal recycling in particular is an important part of resource conservation. Reports reveal that recycling copper metal-based materials produced more than 30% of the world’s copper source in 2005, and used significantly less energy than mining virgin elements from the ground.

In 2007, non-ferrous metals were among the highest percentage in recovery rates at about 69%. This was mostly due to the 99% recovery rate of lead in lead-acid batteries. And when it comes to the recovery process, most of the water used in steelmaking is recycled (about 95% according to the Steel recycling Institute or SRI), so water is typically returned cleaner than it was when taken from its source. In fact, nearly all hazardous waste once made by the steel industry is now recycled for beneficial use.

Steel typically produces less waste output when used in building homes. SRI reports that using steel frames to construct a house generates only enough waste from a construction site to fit into one garbage can. And steel is the most recycled material in the world, says SRI. But only the North American steel industry has been able to increase production and reduce energy demands at the same time.

Contact Complete Recycling today to uncover scrap metal recycling. Learn more about what elements make up scrap metal steel by discovering the grades of scrap metal your business may have for your corporate recycling programs, too.