When it comes to recycling steel, many people question the advantages and disadvantages that come with it. As it’s the most recycled material on Earth, there is a strong probability that you use recycled steel everyday – so it can’t be all that bad, right? In the list below, we have taken a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages that you should be aware of:
Advantages
- Saves Energy & Resources
Recycling steel reduces consumption of other valuable resources. Did you know that every tonne of recycled steel saves 1.5 tonnes of iron ore, .5 tonnes of coal and 40% of the water normally used in the production process? This also means that less energy is used to mine these other resources, saving even more. - Fewer Landfills
Having a larger amount of metal recycled means that there is more space available in our landfills. Ultimately, this means that we will have need for fewer landfills in the long run. This results in a more pristine environment (not to mention a better smelling one – landfill is stinky!) as well as less health concerns associated with trash. - Strength
Steel can be recycled over and over again without losing any of its innate strength. Some materials can be recycled, but they become slightly weaker each time they go through the process until they must simply be thrown away. Because steel retains its natural qualities, it can be used in everything in its recycled form. - Ease of Recycling
Keep in mind that steel is one of the most easily recycled materials on Earth. Unlike other materials, it doesn’t need to be sorted by colour or size – instead, it is simply picked up by a magnet, dropping into a vat and melted down. Many recycling plants would much rather receive this metal over other materials because it’s so easy to process. - Scrap
Did you know that the production of new steel requires the use of scrap steel? In fact, up to 25% of scrap is required for the production of new steel products. If everyone were to throw this metal away when it was no longer required, we would actually be experiencing a shortage. Not to mention that selling scrap can make you some cash.
Disadvantages
Believe it or not, there aren’t really any disadvantages to recycling steel. As you now know, it’s far cheaper than making new steel from scratch and it’s incredibly easy to recycle – it doesn’t get much better than this. If we had to pinpoint one thing that could be considered a disadvantage it’s that finding a recycling centre can be difficult, but even this is becoming easier in this day and age.
Australian Industry Update 