There is a certain class of trash that never disappears: the aluminum can, the torn-up horseshoe, the soda bottle with the crumpled bottom. These objects are relics from our pre-recycled past. We know they’re junk but we don’t quite have it in us to throw them away — so we stick these items in a closet or under a bed and forget about them for years.
The recycling industry understands this perfectly well, which explains why they’ve come up with an ingenious solution called secondary metals processing: turning yesterday’s scraps into today’s raw materials. Right now there is an enormous two billion pound stockpile of recyclable metals sitting in landfills across the nation.
Recycling common metals like aluminum and copper have historically been a difficult process — how can you re-process an old soda can into new aluminum without destroying the reusability of the metal? The answer is secondary processing, which involves using highly sensitive techniques to sort out different grades of scrap metal — from huge chunks that have only one or two uses (such as car parts) down to tiny scraps that are used for jewelry.
When it comes to recycling aluminum, there are a number of ways to accomplish this process:
- Shredding: Aluminum cans are shredded into inch-long pieces. Because they do not contain much iron or plastic, these shreds are often re-melted into new cans.
- Baling: Scrap aluminum is shredded and placed in large plastic bags, which can be used to ship the material to secondary processors.
- Melting: The aluminum is melted into a molten puddle and poured into molds using gravity or centrifuge. Large blocks of metal called ingots are then produced from this process that can be sold on the open market.
- Smelting: A complicated version of melting that involves removing impurities with electrolysis before putting it through a furnace/furnace system at high temperatures — such as 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit — to melt larger quantities of scrap metal for processing.
These processes represent the future of recycling and may be the only way to fully deal with modern metal trash.
These highly technical methods are probably best left in the hands of trained professionals — but that doesn’t mean you should never try to recycle again, if you have scrap metal laying around your home do check out some local options for secondary metals processing. Most cities will allow people to drop off excess scrap metal at repair shops or hardware stores (such as Home Depot), which usually have arrangements with nearby processors to re-cycle them into new goods. But remember: leaving old cutlery in your junk drawer doesn’t count, always make sure it gets recycled!
The State of Metals Recycling
The construction and automotive industries use a lot of metal in their day-to-day business — the average automobile, for example, contains over 200 pounds of aluminum. As more products are produced using these metals, there is an increased demand to recycle old cars and appliances. Unfortunately, we have only been recycling these items for about 30 years — much less than it takes to accumulate one ton of scrap metal. The EPA estimates that almost 2 billion tons of metals already sit in landfills across the United States alone (this includes everything from soda cans to car parts).
Throughout history, most scrap metals were reused locally (for example taking scraps from a local auto shop and melting them into new car doors). But as our economy has become more globalized, it is harder to find local sources for scrap items. As a result, much of the metal that we dispose of ends up in landfills — where it remains indefinitely.
Due to this issue, many countries have made great strides towards recycling metals: Germany recycles over 70% of their scrap materials; Japan even recycles almost 90%. In America, by comparison, only 31 percent of our total discards are recycled (the EPA reports that between 94 and 95 million tons of garbage end up in landfills each year). So how can we build on the advances already made while trying to reduce our overall waste production? The answer may lie with secondary metals processing!
Today’s Scrap Metals
The future of recycling depends on the creation of secondary industries that are capable of handling all the metal we throw away. And for an industry to be successful, there needs to be a clear distinction between what is considered scrap and what can be used in new products. If you want to make a profit when recycling metals:
1) Make sure they are clean (including rust removal): This process should not require much more than a bath in vinegar or some scrubbing under running water — just remember whatever you remove will likely not affect the value of your metal scraps! 2) Separate them by type: This one may seem obvious but it’s easy to forget when you’re working with mounds of materials at once. However, many secondary industries only accept certain types of scrap metals — it is often more profitable to use specific materials in certain products. Some secondary processors require the separation of a) copper b) aluminum c) steel d) other alloys and/or waste metal scraps
3) Do not mix different metals together (and remove rust/grime): If you want to maximize your return when recycling, make sure that each piece of material can be identified as a particular type; for example separating an automobile battery from a car door handle would allow them both to be recycled independently — instead of being mixed together into one unsellable batch.
Also, scrub all metallic objects with a wire brush or steel wool if they are dirty or rusty before taking them to a store.