Industry

Advantages of scrap metal recycling

One of the most important aspects of sustainability is reducing the number of resources that you use. Scrap metal recycling in Des Plaines, IL, is an excellent way to do this, and it can even be profitable.

Reduces greenhouse gas emissions

Scrap metal recycling in Des Plaines, IL, is, in a word, eco-friendly. It reduces the need for mining and transporting raw materials to manufacturing facilities and then shipping finished products to consumers. When you recycle scrap metal, you’re making it so that you can further reduce our carbon footprint by not producing new materials when you could just be reusing what you already have.

Another advantage of scrap metal recycling is that it helps keep toxic waste out of landfills by providing an alternative disposal method when it would otherwise be buried underground or burned into ash at industrial sites (which requires other energy use). By reusing old products rather than creating new ones from scratch, you’re helping save energy and reduce emissions into the atmosphere.

Helping preserve natural resources

The first and most obvious benefit of metal recycling is that it reduces the need for mining. Mining uses a lot of energy and often has negative consequences for the environment.

Mining also requires significant energy—for instance, it takes about 20 kWh per tonne to mine coal from underground mines and around 60 kWh per tonne from open pit mines. This means that if you recycle aluminum cans instead of throwing them away, you save about 90% of the energy needed to produce aluminum from ore (which is one reason why recycling saves money).

Metal recycling also uses less energy than producing new metals through mining processes, or smelting recycled materials into virgin forms can require up to 50% less energy than producing virgin metal products because recycling allows us to reuse raw materials without needing additional refining processes.

Reduces the need for landfills

Recycling scrap metal makes use of waste that would otherwise be discarded in landfills and incinerators. Landfills are not a sustainable solution. They consume vast amounts of space and generate harmful greenhouse gas emissions through the decomposition process. Landfill space is limited, and if too much material is dumped into them, they can overflow and be toxic to the environment around them.

Furthermore, many types of scrap metal can be recycled into new products or materials—in fact, recyclable materials account for between 50% and 80% of all municipal solid waste (MSW). Recycling is, therefore, an important way to reduce the need for landfills by minimizing the amount of waste you create in the first place.

Enhances efforts for a cleaner earth

Recycling is one of the easiest and most beneficial ways to reduce waste and make an impact on the environment. The process of recycling involves breaking down materials into their original components so they can be used again or sold as raw materials in order to make new products. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, recycling can also help save energy by making it possible for manufacturers to use recycled steel instead of mining new metal from the earth.

Reduces energy consumption

When you consider the energy cost of producing new metal, as well as the transportation costs, it’s easy to see how much less energy is used when recycling scrap metal. In fact, it’s estimated that recycling one ton of steel saves 533 kilograms (1,175 pounds) of carbon dioxide emissions.