5 Environmental Benefits to Recycling Metal
There are multiple reasons why recycling scrap metal is a worthwhile hobby. You already know the financial benefits of recycling metal. Do you know about how your efforts benefit the environment?
Consider these five reasons why your hobby reaches far outside yourself.
Emissions
Creating materials from virgin metal ore creates far more greenhouse gas emissions than recycling used metal. These emissions can contribute to climate change as well as air pollution, which can lead to respiratory problems, particularly in the cities. Recycling metal may reduce these emissions by 300 to 500 million tons.
Waste
Recycling metal means there is far less metal left in the landfills. Everyday items in landfills , such as tin cans, metal wiring, pipes, and steel products, can all be recycled and made into new materials. When left in landfills, these items can contribute to the release of methane gases, which leads to air and groundwater pollution.
Natural Resources
When you recycle metal, you help reduce the mining of the limited natural resources that are non-renewable. Recycling provides manufacturers with the metal they need for their products while skipping the mining process.
Energy
The mining of virgin metal ore requires far more power in the drilling, refining of the ore, and other mining processes. Recycling previously used metal requires far less energy. For example, it takes 95% less energy to recycle an aluminum can than it does to make from fresh materials, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Economy
While the economic benefits are not directly environmental, a healthy economy can contribute to a healthier environment. Recycling metal produces more jobs. The National Institute of Health also says that recycling creates 36 times more jobs than sending the metal to the incinerator and six more jobs than sending it to the landfill.
Your new hobby just went from fun and lucrative to also beneficial to everyone else. Be sure to contact us for more information on how we can help.
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Benefits of Recycling Scrap Metal
