3 Ways Scrap Metal Recycling Promotes Environmental Sustainability
Posted on: 11 August 2021
Would you like your business to do more for the environment? You could start by recycling the waste metals in your scrap yard instead of dumping them in the landfill. Besides the obvious savings in lowered production costs, you will promote environmental sustainability. Scrap metal recycling reduces the resources extracted from the environment as metal ore and as energy. It helps in reversing the harmful effects of climate change, including wildfires, droughts, and floods. How does it help?
1. Reduce the Need for New Metal Ore
Extracting new ore damages the environment in different ways. Digging mines destroys natural habitats for animals and reduces forest cover. Loss of forest cover leads to reduced absorption of greenhouse gases.
Refining metallic ore also consumes huge amounts of power. Much of this power is derived from burning coal fuel, releasing huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. All this contributes to global warming.
Mining and refining metals use strong organic chemicals and corrosive acids. These chemicals are highly toxic to the environment for both plants and animals. They interrupt marine life when they get into water bodies and also make the land unproductive.
Scrap metal recycling cuts down on demand for new metallic ore by a large percentage. All metals are recyclable and retain their properties after recycling. The good thing is that metal can go through infinite recycling and remain useful as new metal. It is also important to remember metal ore is a finite and limited resource. Recycling conserves this useful material for future generations.
2. Reduce Green House Gas Emissions
The buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to global warming and its disastrous effects like droughts and wildfires. It has also impacted global weather patterns, with more extreme weather events like strong storms.
Scrap metal recycling reduces the greenhouse gases emitted in getting metal from ore to the final customer. Apart from refining, the metal supply chain consumes energy in transportation by ship and trucks. Recycling metals produces greenhouse gases, but it only produces a fraction of what is needed for new metal.
3. Reduce the Need for Landfills
Waste disposal in landfills is a waste of land resources and a danger to the environment. Toxic chemicals in landfills seep into underground water sources, making the water unusable. This is an unfortunate thing because the world is also facing water scarcity.
Scrap metal recycling reduces the need for big scrap yards and landfills. It promotes the efficient use of land resources and helps keep natural landscapes intact.
Are you looking for ways to make your business environmentally friendly? Start by putting your scrap metal to better use with scrap metal recycling. To get help with recycling, contact a company like Gutterman Iron & Metal Corp.
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