How Does Scrap Metal Recycling Benefit The Environment?

Nearly 60 million metric tons of scrap metal are recycled in the United States annually, according to Statista. The most common types of scrap metal recycled in the US are iron & steel, followed by aluminum, lead, copper, zinc, and many other metals. The scrap metal industry is so popular because it has two primary benefits: residents & businesses can sell their scrap metal to earn some quick and easy cash, and the metals that are recycled can be melted down an infinite number of times and molded into new products. Not only are recycled metals cheaper to purchase than never-before-used virgin metals, but the scrap metal recycling process is much healthier for our environment than the creation of new metals. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the reasons why scrap metal recycling is beneficial to our environment!

Reduces Carbon Emissions

Companies are placing more and more emphasis on recycling all raw materials to meet aggressive “zero to landfill” standards. Recycling metal minimizes emissions and air pollution, making it a more environmentally friendly option than traditional disposal methods. You too can help your company meet its carbon reduction objectives by recycling metals!

Reduces Pollution

When metal scraps are not properly disposed of, they may hurt the environment. For instance, if your laptop is disposed of in a landfill, the lead from the battery may leak into the soil, which then enters our water supply. Furthermore, the energy needed for mining, processing, and transportation leads to a significant amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses being released into the environment. Recycling is a far more sustainable choice because it only utilizes a small part of the resources needed for mining!

Maintains Resources

Metal goods can be recycled an infinite amount of times after they have served their initial purpose. For this reason, producing new products from recycled scrap metal is a much more sustainable practice than mining the Earth for materials to create virgin metals. Some resources on our planet are depleted by the creation of new metals due to incessant mining, however,  metal recycling aids in the preservation of those resources.

Reduces Energy Usage

More energy and fossil fuels are used to create new metals than are used to recycle old ones. Recycling metals is far more environmentally friendly than mining for new ones because recycling uses less resources than mining does. The majority of metals can be recycled endlessly without losing any of their quality, having both positive environmental and financial effects.

Contact Second Street Iron & Metal!

​If you’re ready to start recycling scrap metal in the Greater Boston area, Second Street Iron & Metal is here for you! Our facility, located just north of Boston in Everett, is in the perfect location to accommodate the entirety of the Greater Boston area! We strive to give our clients the best prices for all kinds of scrap metal! Give us a call at (617) 387-1188 or fill out the contact form on our website, and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible!