Recycling Metal

Metals are valuable materials because they can be used in many ways. A variety of metals can be found in the home: steel and aluminum in cans and aerosols, lead on the roof, copper on the pipes, and gold and silver in jewelry.

Where metal comes from

Most metals cannot be dug straight from the ground. A metal usually occurs as an ore; for example, iron is found in iron ore and aluminum occurs as an ore called bauxite. The ores are found in rocks that have to be quarried or mined from the ground. Then the ores have to be crushed and transported to factories, where they are heated to high temperatures to extract the metal.

Easy to recycle

Recycling metal is much easier compared with extracting the metal from rocks. Metals are very easy to recycle, and they can be recycled over and over again. Waste metal is tipped into a large furnace and heated to a high temperature so that it melts. The molten metal is poured into a mold to make an ingot. The ingots are stored until the metal is needed to make something. Then it is melted again and reshaped into a new object.

Helping the environment

Recycling metal helps the environment. A lot of fuel is used to remove the rocks from the ground and then transport them around the world. More fuel is needed to extract the metal from the rock. In comparison, melting down old metal takes much less energy.

The extraction process creates air and water pollution, too. Mining and quarrying damage habitats. Often, quarries are located in attractive parts of the countryside, and they create unsightly scars. Recycling metal takes place locally, so the metal does not need to be transported far.

If you are not sure where to bring your metal items for recycling you can contact your local Environmental Protection office or seek for consultation from the local waste hauling companies. Very often Dumpster Rentals and Roll Off Service companies offer recycling programs as a part of their services. In Arizona, for example, you can contact local Phoenix Waste Removal & Recycling , in Washington call East Side Hauling /dumpster-rentals-seattle/ and in California folks from Atlas Disposal will be glad to help you with your metal recycling in Sacramento, CA .

• Published: 2012-11-20T18:56:24-08:00
• Author: Anna Krupp, Dumpsters & Roll Off Container Consultant