What Happens to Your Metal When It’s Recycled?

Recycling scrap metal makes for a greener Earth as professionals properly dispose of materials so that others can repurpose them. If your company utilizes metal and recycles leftovers, you may occasionally wonder what happens to your metal when it’s recycled. Keep reading for a better understanding of the process and why recycling metal is essential.

Step 1: Collecting

Before workers can sort or clean metals, they must collect them. Scrap yards may partner with construction, railroad, or other industrial companies and buy unwanted metals from them. Doing so makes this process easier.

Step 2: Sorting

When you recycle metal, it goes through a sorting process. First, workers in the facility must sort the metals according to type. Most use scrap-handling magnets to make this process quick and easy since these will lift any metals containing iron. The sorting process allows workers to separate iron and non-iron metals before categorizing them according to weight and color.

Workers must keep the scrap handling magnets clean to ensure they continue functioning properly. As bits of debris collect on a magnet, the magnetic field may face adverse effects, which creates complications for workers using the equipment.

Step 3: Cleaning

Once workers sort the metals according to type, weight, and color, it’s time to clean them. While washing scrap metal down may sound odd, this process removes any dirt or other non-metal material from the surface.

Step 4: Compacting and Shredding

The compacting and shredding processes are among the final steps this scrap material goes through when you recycle it. The metal goes on a conveyor belt so that machinery can break it down to make the melting process easier.

Step 5: Melting

Finally, workers place scrap metal inside of a furnace to melt it into a liquid. They then pour this liquid metal into molds. After this, the recycling facility can sell it to varying manufacturing plants where it can eventually find new purposes.

Reasons To Recycle Scrap Metal

Understanding a few reasons to recycle scrap metal is as important as knowing what happens to your metal when it’s recycled. Properly disposing of scrap material is better for the planet, as it encourages manufacturers to reuse resources. Additionally, companies save money. So, by recycling, you don’t just help the earth and community; you also benefit your company as a whole.

Additional Resources:

Gold

Asteroids

Bitcoin

Potassium

Magnesium

Black Hole

Atoms

Cells