Recycling Stainless Steel 101

Stainless steel recycling programs have started taking off in many areas in the past few decades, and for good reason. The demand for stainless steel has doubled in the past ten years with production topping out at twenty-five million tons per year worldwide. Stainless steel is an iron alloy containing nickel and chromium–two metals that are scarce, making recycling programs all the more important in order to avoid depleting the earth’s natural resources.

With stainless steel being a mixture of different types of metals, it makes for a remarkably strong and temperature-resistant material; this makes it optimal for performing under severe environmental and chemical conditions. Stainless steel’s physical properties make it one of the best materials for construction, automotive, and transportation use.

The process of recycling stainless steel is a fairly easy type of metal to recycle, as it is 100% recyclable, with no degradation. The recycling process is similar to processes used for other ferrous metals:

1) Sorting : separating magnetic from nonmagnetic products.

2) Baling : compacting product into large blocks in order to make transportation and handling easier.

3) Shearing : hydraulic machines that cut down the large blocks of steel into smaller pieces.

4) Media separation : sorting ferrous metals from other material by use of shredders using magnetic drums.

5) Melting : the recovered metal is put into a furnace and melted down, allowing it to be poured into casters and reshaped into slabs or flat sheets in order to be made into new products.

By recycling stainless steel, we are cutting down on the waste ending up in landfills, therefore preserving the planet’s natural resources and playing an important part in the community.

At Scrap Mart, we aim to provide the best recycling services for our customers. Along with having the ease of drive on scales, we provide the highest pay-out for your recyclable scrap metal from your home, business, or organization. For more information on our recycling programs  contact us  today!

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