How are metals recycled in America?
Scrap metals are the main polluters of the environment, and it is, therefore, crucial to recycle them and reduce the landfill. Recycling is entirely the process of collecting all scrap metals that are considered to be a waste and process them to come up a new product. The process is highly encouraged by the United State Environment Protection Agency (EPA). The primary objective of the recycling process is to reduce pollution and strain in the environment.
The recycling companies, individual scrap metal dealers and private artisans in America purchase both the nonferrous and ferrous scrap metal of any grade from manufacturers, individuals, and the public. The scraps are then sorted, processed, and prepared in these companies ready for sale to steel brokers and exporters countrywide and in the entire world.
Metal recycling in the US
All metals can be recycled, but the most commonly used metal in recycling firms are steel and aluminum. Other metal such as gold, copper, silver and brass as viewed to be so valuable and are therefore rarely thrown away as scrap thus they rarely create a waste disposal problem in the environment. Approximately 150 million metric tons of scrap metals are annually recycled in the United States with the greatest percentage consisting of both aluminum and steel.
The recycling process offers the country a green alternative because of its efficient compared to the mining and processing process. Recycling of scrap metals consumes less energy that it would have consumed when extracting and refining raw metals.
Recycling of tin scrap metals
Typically tin cans scrap consists of both aluminum and steel in them with a thin outside layer of tin that helps in preventing rust. Recycling firms usually receive these tin cans completely flattened with their bottoms and tops detached. The cans are cleaned and immersed in a chemical solution and bathed in electrolysis to separate exterior film of the tin from steel and aluminum. Afterwards, electricity is used to attract the tin to a plate, and aluminum is collected, shreds in small chips then melted into metal ingots.
Some metal dealers and artisan don`t need to go through all this process. After cleaning the cans they decides to cut them in different patterns, shapes and sizes to come up with new products. The scrap may be of less value but the artisans make great art work form these metal scraps.
Relevance of recycling to residents
Through recycling, the society can simultaneously contribute towards the improvement of the economy, sustainable manufacturing, and prevention of waste pollution both marine and terrestrial environments.