When you are completing scrap metal recycling, you must ensure the metal is recycled properly to protect the environment. Millions of tons of scrap metal are recycled all over the world each year, and making sure that they are used in a safe way will assure proper and beneficial recycling.
Categorize Your Metal
When you are recycling metal, you should categorize and separate the two metal types so that the recycling part is made easier. Some recycling plants only accept one kind of metal, so knowing what is accepted can help you plan where you will recycle them. The two types of metal are ferrous and non-ferrous. Ferrous metals are metals that have even a small percentage of iron, while non-ferrous metals are any other metal that does not have any iron.
If you want to go a little further, you can categorize as obsolete or prompt scrap metal. Obsolete scrap metal comes from things such as household appliances, automobiles or vehicles parts. Prompt scrap is simpler and usually comes from commercial sites where clippings and stampings are made.
Ferrous Metal
Ferrous metal, as stated above, is the type of metal that does not contain iron. Choosing to recycle ferrous metal means that less new metal has to be mined, reducing the amount of emissions that are harmful to the environment. As a citizen, it is your responsibility to recycle metal cans—which are usually thrown in the garbage. Most of the ferrous metal recycled includes things like cars, appliances or metal that comes from a commercial building.
Nonferrous Metal
There is much less nonferrous material to be recycled, but a small amount is worth more than ferrous metal. Nonferrous metals do not lose their value or become degraded through recycling, meaning that they can be recycled an infinite number of times. When you choose to recycle nonferrous metals, you are also contributing positively to the preservation of the environment.
Collection
You may need to call collection sites to see which kind of metal they process. While some collection sites provide both kinds of metal recycling services, calling first will ensure that you are not bringing over materials that they cannot accept. The reason for this specialization is that it helps keep different metal types separate and free of contamination. If you bring over the material, the collection site will make sure that the recycling process is completed in a safe way.
