What Happens To Scrap Metal If It Doesn’t Get Recycled?
If you’ve found yourself with a surplus of metal items that you need to get rid of, you have two primary options: throw them away like normal trash or sell them to a scrap metal recycling facility for their scrap value, where they will be recycled and eventually turned into new metal products. While recycling your scrap metal seems like the clear and obvious choice, millions of tons of scrap metal still end up in landfills across the country each year. In this article, we’ll talk more about the negative effects that are caused by people failing to recycle their scrap metal! If you have any additional questions about scrap metal recycling or are looking to sell & recycle scrap metal in Massachusetts, please contact our team at Allied Recycling Center today!
Wasted Natural Resources
There are a wide range of industries that use recycled scrap metals to create new products: appliances, ductwork, plumbing, cars, airplanes, construction, and even furniture like lamps, tables, file cabinets, etc. Recycled scrap metal is also commonly used in packaging, especially in the case of aluminum. Recycling scrap metal provides these industries with material that doesn’t have to be mined from the earth. Wasting scrap metal by letting it sit in a landfill rather than being repurposed means that an already limited natural resource becomes even more strained. Additionally, the cost of mining and processing new metals increases when scrap metal isn’t recycled. New metals cost more than recycled metals, so when you send your scraps to the local landfill rather than allowing them to be repurposed, you might be increasing the cost of goods manufactured in the future.
Landfill Crowding
Many landfills in the United States are projected to reach capacity by 2035. Significant amounts of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are taken up by scrap metals. According to the EPA, 10.5 million tons of steel ended up in MSW landfills in 2018. By recycling scrap metal instead of letting it consume landfill space, you can help to prolong the lifespan of MSW landfills and reduce processing costs!
Pollution & Habitat Destruction
As everyone knows, recycling is beneficial to the environment, but most do not why recycling metal specifically is beneficial. There are three major ways that scrap metal that has been thrown away rather than recycled hurts the environment. First off, a lack of recycled scrap metals means more metals have to be mined using machinery that tends to pollute the surrounding environment. Secondly, mining for raw materials destroys natural habitats around the dig site. Finally, scrap metal that is sitting in landfills can release toxins into soil and water supplies, which harms both humans and wildlife.
Sell & Recycle Scrap Metal at Allied Recycling Center in Walpole, MA!
If you have any questions about scrap metal recycling or are looking to sell scrap metal for the best prices in Southeastern Massachusetts, please don’t hesitate to contact our team at Allied Recycling Center! Call us today at (508) 668-8699 or fill out the contact form on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!