According to the most recent data available, for the last few years, an average of 630 million tons of steel gets recycled yearly. That’s right, 630 million tons! For reference 5 million tons is equal to 715,000 African Elephants. That’s a lot of weight. Furthermore, we all know recycling is great for the environment. It reduces the amount of carbon that is produced each year by reducing the amount of natural resources needed to create more steel.

But did you know how much of a reduction of carbon occurs when you recycle steel? The answer might surprise you. As per best estimates, every ton of scrap that is recycled results in a savings of nearly 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide.

​As it stands now almost 85% of all end-of-life steel products are recycled. The United States are one of the largest steel recyclers in the world, with 130 million tons recycled in the most recent year data was available.

Are you a local company with heaps of steel ready to be recycled? Contact Second Street Iron & Metal to learn how we can help!