7 Essential Reasons Why You Should Recycle Scrap Metal

Recycling is a big topic in society at the moment, and rightly so. Experts say we can’t continue using up the planet’s irreplaceable natural resources at the scale that we have in the past, and we can’t continue dumping massive amounts of waste – waste that often ends up harming the environment. One of the answers to these problems is recycling, including scrap metal recycling.

The things we buy, use, travel on, live in, and visit often contain metal, but those things don’t have an infinite life. At some stage, they will become surplus to requirements, so it’s important to think about what we do with the metal that we no longer use. Below are seven essential reasons why you should recycle scrap metal.

That’s right, it costs you nothing to recycle your scrap metal, but there is more. Many scrap metal recycling facilities, including here at Metal Harvest, will pay you for the scrap metal that you recycle.

So, not only is recycling scrap metal free, but you can also get paid for doing this environmentally friendly thing.

It also couldn’t be easier to recycle your scrap metal. Take our services here at Metal Harvest as an example. You can bring your scrap metal to us, or we can arrange a one-off collection at your home or business. We can even schedule a regular collection of scrap metal if your company produces a large amount.

The effectiveness of recycling varies from material to material, but scrap metal recycling is one of the best. This is because most metals can be recycled multiple times and still retain their quality. This makes it even easier for those metals to be reused once they have passed through the recycling process.

The metals that we currently mine around the world are limited, i.e., once we remove everything that is in the ground, they are gone. It doesn’t make sense to use and discard such limited resources when there is the option to recycle.

It is also worth mentioning the cost of mining metals, as mining is a considerably more expensive process than recycling.

There is a range of other problems associated with the mining industry, particularly when you compare it with scrap metal recycling. This includes the amount of energy that is used by the mining industry to mine, process, and transport the metals it takes out of the ground. This high use of energy also produces high levels of CO2 emissions.

Scrap metal recycling, on the other hand, uses less energy than mining and it produces considerably lower levels of CO2 emissions.

While metals are an essential requirement for a huge range of applications, the mining industry causes considerable damage to natural habitats. This isn’t just in New Zealand, either, as mining for metals is a truly global business.

By recycling scrap metal, we can reduce the amount of new metal that we need to remove from the ground. This, in turn, will reduce the need for mines, particularly new mines in locations that are currently untouched by the impact of mining operations.

Items that contain metals, including electronic waste, can cause significant damage if discarded irresponsibly, as many of these items contain substances and materials that are toxic to the natural environment.

The scrap metal recycling industry has effective processes for responsibly dealing with these toxic substances to ensure they don’t end up causing harm.

Just like recycling paper and plastic is now a habit, we should also get into the habit of recycling scrap metal. Every batch of scrap metal that is sent for recycling is one less batch that will cause harm to the environment. Also, every item of scrap metal that is recycled reduces the need for new metals to be mined.

So, why not have a look at the items that you are throwing away as well as other items in your home or business that you no longer use. Do they have scrap metal? If so, why not recycle them so they can be used to manufacture something new.