Know Your Metals: Understanding The Metal Recycling Process

Certain metals can be recycled repeatedly without causing changes to the property of the metal. Ferrous steel is one of the most popular metals recycled, while gold, silver, aluminum and copper are also metals that are commonly recycled. Metal is a valuable resource, and scrap metal recycling is done to preserve the environment and make some money at the same time. When metals are recycled, they can be used again and again in a wide range of industries. Whether you run a construction site and need ferrous steel recycling services as part of your cleanup after a demolition, or you are looking to turn a few vehicles into scrap metal for extra money, it's important to know your metals and what can be recycled.

Ferrous Steel and Recycling Services

As the most widely recycled metal, steel comes from a wide range of sources. The metal from junk cars is primarily ferrous steel. Farm equipment, large steel structures and ships are all sources of steel that can be recycled. Despite the fact that the properties of steel don't change during the recycling process, less than half of the junk steel in the United States is actually recycled into new materials.

Ferrous Vs. Non-Ferrous Metals

Ferrous metals are really combination metals that contain some iron. This gives the metal a magnetic quality, making it easy to pick up large quantities of the scrap metals using magnetic equipment. Aluminum, copper, tin and lead are non-ferrous, and they don't have a magnetic quality. These metals are still very valuable, and can be recycled to make new products without damaging the quality of the metal.

Keeping Metal Out of Landfills

Once you understand that all metals can be recycled, it's important to make changes to how you deal with metal you no longer need. Instead of throwing away metal products, get them to a recycling center. You can contact metal recycling services to see what types of appliances are handled by their center. Know that when metal ends up in a landfill, it becomes a wasted resource. It isn't going to decompose, and the metal will sit in the landfill forever instead of being useful to someone else.

Ferrous steel recycling services give you the opportunity to manage your junk metal. No matter how much junk metal you have for recycling, it's important that you keep the metal out of a landfill and get it recycled instead.

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