Environmental Benefits of Recycling Steel 

Metal scrap pile at business site for Metal Recycling Service Illinois

Environmental Benefits of Recycling Steel 

Whether you’re an individual with scrap metal or steel on your property, or a business owner who’s trying to find an effective solution for steel scrap management, it’s important that you know about the environmental benefits of recycling steel. While most people know that steel recycling supports the local economy and helps to support local jobs—and that they can get paid for their scrap metal—few understand that recycling steel is also a more sustainable option. At Scrap Metal Services, LLC, we are proud to be a global leader in scrap metal recycling, and we are committed to maximizing our sustainability impacts and minimizing our footprint. Here’s what you should know about the environmental benefits of steel recycling—if you have any questions or want to recycle your (steel) metal products, call us directly today.

Steel Can Be Recycled Again, and Again, and Again…

One of the things that makes steel such a sustainable metal is that it can be recycled not just once, not just twice, but multiple times throughout its lifetime. Indeed, steel can be recycled over and over again without losing the strength and durability for which it’s known. This means that it can be used in a variety of industries for numerous applications without its quality being compromised. When steel is recycled like this, the need for new metal mining is significantly reduced.

Recycling Steel Reduces New Mining Projects

When steel is recycled and becomes part of the circular economy, there is less of a demand for new steel products; on the other hand, if steel is thrown away and sent to the landfill, there is less steel in the economy, and therefore more steel is required to strike a balance. When new steel is required and it cannot be obtained through steel recycling, it must be mined. Mining can be incredibly destructive to the natural environment and natural habitats, result in the extraction and use of natural resources, lead to the release of toxins and pollutants, use large amounts of energy and water, and can be associated with labor violations in some cases. 

Recycling Steel Conserves Natural Resources, Water, and Energy

It would be untrue to say that steel recycling has zero carbon footprint or that it doesn’t use any energy or fossil fuels; it does. However, the amount of energy, fossil fuels, water, and natural resources that are used to recycle steel products is less than the amount of those same resources used to mine new steel. Keeping steel in circulation, then, is a more sustainable option that supports planetary health.

Learn More About Steel Recycling Today

To learn more about scrap metal recycling and steel recycling, please call Scrap Metal Services, LLC. We are a leader in steel recycling and look forward to working with you!

What Happens to Scrap Metal After It’s Recycled? 

A pile of bronze scrap metal representing how our Indiana scrap metal recycling center can help you manage your scrap.

What Happens to Scrap Metal After It's Recycled? 

Most people know that recycling is really important. Recycling saves water and energy, prevents materials from being disposed of into the landfill, and keeps materials in circulation so that they can be used again. Recycling also helps to create and sustain local jobs. 

But while you may know that recycling is important, you may be unsure about what actually happens to scrap metal once it’s recycled. At Scrap Metal Services, LLC, we can answer all of your questions about the scrap metal recycling process and even offer recycled metal products for sale at our location. 

The Scrap Metal Recycling Process

First, it’s important to understand what happens when scrap metal is recycled — what does the process look like?

When you bring in scrap metal to a recycling facility for processing, the first thing that will happen is that the metal will be separated into ferrous (iron-containing) and non-ferrous (non-iron-containing) materials. Then it will be weighed. You’ll then be paid cash for the drop-off!

After metal is separated and weighed, it will be cleaned and sorted according to type (aluminum, steel, etc.). Then, the metal will be melted and tested for purity and contaminants. 

Finally, the metal will be cooled and shaped. 

What Happens After It’s Recycled?

Once metal has been cooled and shaped, the recycling process is complete! The metal will be shaped into usable metal products, like plates, coils, billets, tubing, alloys, sheets, cast iron, pipes, and more. Purchasing recycled metal is usually less expensive and also a great way to support the recycling process!

Choose Scrap Metal Services, LLC for All of Your Metal Processing Needs

If you have scrap metal on your property in the form of raw scrap, equipment, machinery, or other metal-containing materials, you can sell your scrap metal to us for cash. We will responsibly recycle your scrap metal.

If you need to buy ferrous and non-ferrous materials post-processing, we can help with that, too. Visit our facility to view our inventory and get the products that you need. 

We work with individuals as well as businesses in a variety of industries, including steel service centers and much more. 

To learn more about our services, scrap metal recycling, and what happens to scrap metal after it’s recycled, call our team directly today or send us a message online at your convenience. We are here to serve you.

Who Benefits from Scrap Metal Recycling?

recycling metal concept for finding a good scrap metal recycling center near me.

Who Benefits from Scrap Metal Recycling?

The majority of home and business owners throughout the United States are quick to take their unwanted materials–many of which contain salvageable ferrous and nonferrous materials–to the dump. However, these individuals should be taking their unwanted items to a scrap recycling center, and for good reason: scrap metal recycling benefits everyone.

Why Is Recycling So Important?

The benefits of recycling are myriad. Three of the tops reasons that recycling matters include:

  • Recycling helps the planet. Whether you’re an environmentalist or not, there is no doubt that recycling keeps products out of the waste stream and mitigates the necessity of metal mining and new production. Indeed, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that in a single year, recycling and composting prevented 87.2 million tons of materials from being disposed of, preventing the release of about 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air. That’s the equivalent of taking more than 39 million cars off the road for a year.
  • Recycling stimulates the economy. Recycling does more than just help the earth (and subsequently, the humans who inhabit it); it also stimulates the economy. A 2016 report concluded that for every 1,000 tons of materials collected and recycled, $76,030 in wages and $14,101 in tax revenues were generated.
  • Recycling creates jobs. Finally, recycling helps the economy and individuals by creating jobs for workers across the nation. One report found that the scrap metal industry generated over 150,000 direct jobs and 323,000 indirect jobs in a single year and that the overall U.S. recycling industry employed about 1.25 million people in a single year.

So Who’s Benefiting?

When asked who’s benefiting from scrap recycling, the answer is obvious: everyone! A strong economy, job creation, and reduced carbon dioxide in the environment are advantageous for everyone in the United States, regardless of where you live or what you do.

There’s Cash in it for You, Too

What’s more, when you choose to recycle your unwanted scrap materials with Scrap Metal Services, LLC, you’ll get more than the feel-good sensation that comes with knowing that you’re doing the ethical thing; we’ll also pay you top dollar for your scrap! This is an easy way to pad your pockets or add money to your business’s coffers.

Call Scrap Metal Services, LLC Today

To learn more about scrap metal recycling and how our company can serve you, please reach out to us directly. We have locations throughout the United States and provide comprehensive on-site and transportation services depending on your needs. Reach our Burnham, Illinois location by phone at 708-730-1400 or contact us by sending us a message directly. Our scrap metal recyclers are ready to serve you!

Metal Prices Are on the Rise – Recycle Your Scrap Today

dollar bills indicating an increase in price for scrap metal with scrap recycling center in your area.

Metal Prices Are on the Rise - Recycle Your Scrap Today

Metal prices throughout the world are on the rise, making scrap metal more valuable. If you’ve been thinking about recycling your scrap with a trusted scrap recycler near you, now’s the perfect time to do so. At Scrap Metal Services, LLC, we base our cash offers on current metal values; you can maximize your payment by recycling with us while prices are booming.

Ferrous and Nonferrous Market News

According to iScrap App, which tracks metal and scrap prices globally, as of February 28, 2019, the steel national average is up by $123.00 per ton, and the copper national average is up by $2.24 per pound. As steel and copper prices increase, it’s predicted that the value of some other metals will follow suit, too.

The trend isn’t limited to February of the current year; instead, data shows that steel (and other metal prices) have been continually increasing over the last year. In fact, the major categories of steel purchased by manufacturers and producers have increased between 18 – 25 percent over the past year.

While the higher metal prices can be damaging for U.S.-based manufacturers who rely on steel imports from other countries to do business, there is an upside: rising metal prices (and tariffs) are pushing companies that need metal for production needs to turn to U.S.-based metal processors. This, in turn, has a direct effect on scrap metal prices in the U.S., driving prices up as demand increases.

Sell Your Materials Today

It’s impossible to predict how tariffs and global steel prices will affect scrap metal prices in the future, but today, scrap metal prices are strong, and as such, it’s recommended that you sell scrap materials now while the market is robust. Note that big things are happening in terms of metal prices, as the United States and China are sketching the details of a deal to end the trade war.

Scrap Metal Services, LLC Is Ready to Buy from You

At Scrap Metal Services, LLC, we are passionate about scrap metal recycling. If you have ferrous or nonferrous materials and items on your property, including farm equipment, machinery, and more, we want to be of service. When you call our trusted scrap recyclers, we will manage all of the logistics associated with processing your scrap, including transportation, weighing, and metal separation. We not only are a trusted name a global leader in the scrap recycling industry, but we also pay top dollar in cash for your scrap.

To learn more, please contact us by phone or online today. We have locations nationally.

Environmental and Economical Benefits of Scrap Metal Recycling

sustainability concept for metal recycling work with our scrap metal company in Illinois

Environmental and Economical Benefits of Scrap Metal Recycling

Recycling scrap metal rather than taking it to the landfill is the just smart thing to do, period. In fact, not only can recycling be great for the earth–after all, recycling limits the amount of natural resources that have to be extracted and utilized–but it also has numerous economic benefits, too. Consider some of these environmental and economic benefits of scrap metal recycling–

Recycling Saves Natural Resources

One of the most pressing reasons why our team at Scrap Metal Services, LLC is passionate about recycling is that recycling saves natural resources. There is only a limited amount of metal ore found on the planet, and once we’ve extracted it, it’s gone. What’s more, extraction practices are harmful, energy-intensive, costly, and destroy habitat and pollute the air and water. Soil, plants, animals, water, and air are all tainted when we mine for metal ore – recycling is a better option.

Recycling Keeps Harmful Toxins Out of Landfills

Many metal-containing items that are recycled contain dangerous toxins, such as lead and mercury. When these materials are processed in the property facility type, these toxins can be separated and properly disposed of. Unfortunately, these materials–and the toxins they contain–often make their way into landfills, where the toxins then contaminate our soil and water. This can have a major disruptive effect on wildlife and the earth, as well as human health.

Recycling Generates Export Sales

Recycling scrap metal is good for the economy and generates billions of dollars in export sales every year. This means that through recycling of metal, America remains more competitive on the global scale.

Recycling Employs People

The recycling industry, including the scrap metal recycling industry, is one of the top employers in the country, providing jobs for tens of thousands of workers on an annual basis. In fact, according to Ecocycle.org, recycling and reuse creates at least nine times more jobs than does sending materials to landfills and incinerators, and up to as many as 30 times more jobs!

Do the Smart Thing for the Earth, the Country, and Your Business

By recycling your scrap metal, you can be an active participant in helping the environment, supporting American jobs, and even improving your own business’ economic situation – at Scrap Metal Services, Inc., we pay top dollar for your scrap!

To learn more about how we can help and why you should work with our scrap recycling team, please call us at 708-730-1400 today, or send us a message directly.