Recycling has become very popular worldwide. People are now placing recyclable items in bins to be collected so they can be reused. This helps eliminate waste and is helpful to the environment. Many people think about recycling with just plastic and glass bottles. People are able to put a bin with their recyclable items at the end of their driveway each week and they will be taken away for them. There are more items than just plastic and glass bottles that can be recycled. Scrap metal items can be taken to special places in order to be recycled just like the items people place in their bins every week. Items like steel, iron, copper, aluminum, lead and zinc can be recycled. There are many benefits if you take the time to recycle them instead of tossing them aside in the trash.

The first thing you should know when recycling scrap metal is what counts as scrap metal. There are two types of scrap metal. The first type is called ferrous. Some of these ferrous metals include: stainless steel, cast iron, wrought iron and carbon steel. The other type is called non-ferrous. These include: copper, brass, aluminum, zinc, tin, and lead. These items do not degrade during the recycling process. This means that they can be recycled an infinite amount of times.

One of the great reasons why you should start recycling scrap metal is because it will save energy over time. When scrap metal is recycled, the metal is used to make new metal products. This takes less energy than making brand new metal. This will cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. According to Environment.About.com, the amount of energy saved by using recycled metals is very large. Some examples from the website are: 92% for aluminum, 56% for steel, and 90% for copper. This means that energy can be used for other purposes like heating and lighting the nation’s homes.

Recycling scrap metal also creates jobs for our citizens. There is a major industry that is completely dedicated to taking recycled scrap metal materials and making new products. The scrap metal industry now employs more than 137,000 people, according to Schupan.com.

Conserving natural resources is an important topic on everyone’s minds recently. Recycling scrap metal products can help conserve these resources which will help put people’s minds at ease. If you recycle one ton of steel, you will conserve 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone, according to Marck.net. These are just the numbers for steel. Imagine the natural resources that could be saved by recycling other scrap metal items.

Recycling scrap metal can benefit a lot of different people and the environment. But did you know it could also directly benefit you as well? There are many companies that will pay you for your recycled scrap metal. All you have to do is find a location near you that pays for your recycled scrap metal. You can do this by looking in your phone book, or by simply searching recycle scrap metal online. You can call the company and see how much they will pay for you materials. Make sure to call before you go to the location as not all places pay for scrap metal.

Recycling has become easier over time. Although you cannot put scrap metal in your weekly recycle bin, the benefits of recycling the scrap metal are worth the time and effort you will put into it. Make sure that if you have any scrap metal around your home that you take the time to recycle it properly.