Metal Merchants and Metal Recycling
Since the industrial revolution the world's natural resources have been plundered and metal merchants using metal recycling are aiming to redress the balance.
Unlike other natural resources, such as trees and fishes, the results of metal mining cannot be replenished, so they are viewed as a finite resource.
For many centuries waste has been disposed of in landfill sites meaning that they are lost to future generations. Scrap metal was buried with other types of waste and it would be uneconomical to attempt to retrieve them.
Not only was this type of disposal wasteful, but it was also potentially hazardous as the toxic properties of certain metals were unknown at the time of infill.
Scrap metal merchants are now leading the metal recycling movement and are playing a major role in the world economy and the ecological future of the planet.
Metal Merchants and Approved Metal Recyclers
Metal merchants are at the forefront of metal recycling and play a pivotal role in easing the burden on the world's natural resources.
The natural ores that are being mined for their metal content are rapidly diminishing and supplies are running out. It is estimated that there is only enough natural copper left to be mined to satisfy the demand of the next two generations.
Metal merchants are at the front end of the metal recycling process and act as an agent between customer and producer. Scrap metal needs to be recycled, for too long it has been buried in landfill sites to be lost forever.
The metal merchants must put metal back into the recycling chain to enable the cycle to continue.
Benefits of Recycling Scrap Metals and Metal Merchants
Wikipedia notes the following about recyclcing metal, underlining the importance of metal merchants:
According to research conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency, recycling scrap metals can be quite beneficial to the environment. Using recycled scrap metal in place of virgin iron ore can yield:
- 75% savings in energy
- 90% savings in raw materials used
- 86% reduction in air pollution
- 40% reduction in water use
- 76% reduction in water pollution
- 97% reduction in mining wastes
Every tonne of new steel made from scrap steel saves:
- 1,115 kg of iron ore
- 625kg of coal
- 53kg of limestone
Energy savings from other metals include:
- Aluminium savings of 95% energy
- Copper savings of 85% energy
- Lead savings of 65% energy
- Zinc savings of 60% energy
