Why You Should Recycle Scrap Metal: 5 Environmental Benefits

Each of us can see the effects of global warming with our own eyes, that’s why most of us are no longer discussing whether we need to do something about it, but how to do it. Recycling is one of the easiest and most popular ways of helping the environment. It’s free, time-effective and can make a huge difference.

How can you recycle scrap metal?

When you think about recycling, the first thing that probably comes to your mind is plastic. Maybe glass and paper as well. But surprisingly, many people forget about metal. Think about it. How many metal products and devices do you have in your house? Yet, since you only replace such household appliances once in a while, maybe even every few years, it’s no wonder it can get confusing. If you’re wondering how you can throw them away, along with the rest of scrap metal you’ve accumulated over the years, don’t worry – the answer is very simple. You just need to find your local scrap yard. In case you’re unable to take your metal items to the designated place yourself, there’s a possibility of arranging a scrap metal pick up.

Why should you recycle scrap metal?

In this day and age, no one is going to argue with the fact that recycling is very important. However, it’s one thing to say you should recycle to protect the planet, but it’s much more important to be aware of what it is you’re saving it from. By finding the best methods of waste disposal, you can make a positive change. It concerns all types of materials, but especially metals. Metals can be recycled over and over again without losing their quality, which makes them very valuable. Recycling metal offers many financial and environmental benefits, as it’s an important factor in:

1. Saving natural resources

The amount of metal we have access to is limited. With every day of mining, we reduce the resources we have left. Recycling metals can slow this process down, but we don’t recycle nearly enough to stop it. And since recycling uses a lot less energy than we need to mine and process the new materials, it would also allow us to conserve the resources needed to produce that energy.

2. Avoiding toxic leaks

Electronic waste can become a big problem if it’s not processed in the right way. For example, if your laptop ends up in a landfill, because it wasn’t disposed of properly, substances such as lead from the battery can start leaking into the soil. You may not think it’s much of a problem. After all, how much damage can one laptop make? But think about how many people have laptops and what would happen if all of them started leaking toxic substances into our water systems.

3. Lowering CO2 emissions

Mining, processing and transporting metals requires a lot of energy. And since this energy isn’t green, it results in huge amounts of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. Even if this is not directly connected to mining, you have to count it in the environmental cost of the whole process. By recycling, we can limit the amount of energy needed and effectively reduce the level of CO2 emissions.

4. Saving natural habitats

There are very few processes as damaging to the environment as mining because creating a mine site is impossible without destroying the surrounding habitats. And we can’t forget about the risk of soil and water contamination that comes with the whole process. That’s why limiting the number of mines will be very beneficial.

5. Conserving energy

The more energy we use, the more CO2 is emitted during its production. Even though energy from renewable sources is getting more and more available, it’s still not enough. Recycling uses only a small percentage of the resources needed for mining, so it’s much more sustainable.

Most metals can be recycled indefinitely without any loss in their quality. This means it’s not only environmentally, but also financially, beneficial to reuse them time after time. Think about all the products containing metal in your house. Do you really need all of them? Maybe it’s time to give some of them a new life?

Author bio: Rachel Connolly is a young wife of a wonderful husband and a mother of two great daughters. She is deeply interested in green living and recycling. Rachel believes that we should take care of our planet before it will be too late.