Metal recycling and its impact on the environment

Metals are essential, versatile and can be used in many ways. Metals can be used for industrial purposes such as making trucks, cars, planes, ships and railways. They can also be used to make household items such as cutlery, crockery and even packaging. The good thing about recycling metals is that the metal can be recycled over and over again without changing its properties. The

most common recyclable metals include aluminium and steel. Other metals such as silver , copper, brass and gold are so valuable that they are rarely thrown away for recycling, so they do not create a waste disposal crisis or problem.

Metal recycling process:

The metal recycling process is similar to the regular recycling process, where metals are first sorted based on their properties, however it is important to have a basic understanding or knowledge of metals, this will help in recycling them and maintaining a green environment , below are the steps of the metal recycling process:

• Collection : This is the first and most important step in metal recycling, as it simply involves collecting all the materials made of metals, and this process should be organized so that there are containers specifically designed to collect the metals.
  Some people and businessmen have created scrap yards, where people are encouraged to collect different metals and transport them there and get paid for what they have collected, the cost of different metals varies in the yards, as scrap metal yards are used as collection centers for metals.
• Sorting : Once the metals are collected, the next important step is to sort the metals. This involves separating what can be recycled from what cannot. It is important to note that the quality of the recycled metals is very important. A
  high-quality recycled product or item can only be created if the original materials used in the recycling process are of good quality. This requires a strict quality check during the sorting process. The general rule is that the product should be at least 50 percent metal. Even if this metal is surrounded by other materials such as plastic, it is worth recycling if it is mostly made of metal.
  
• Processing : After sorting, the next step is to press or squeeze the metal, where all the recycled materials are squeezed and crushed using machines so that they do not take up much space on the conveyor belts.
• Slitting : After the metal is crushed, the slitting process begins, where the metal is divided into small pieces or sheets to allow for further processing. Small pieces have a large surface area to volume ratio and can be melted using less energy compared to large pieces of metal. Steel is usually changed into steel blocks while aluminum on the other hand is converted into sheets.
• Melting : Scrap metal smelting takes place in a large furnace, where each metal is transferred to a furnace specifically designed to melt that metal based on its specific properties. The melting process consumes a large amount of energy, however, the energy required to melt recycled metal is less compared to the energy required to make metal from its raw material.

The importance of recycling metals?

Some people ignore the need to recycle  solid waste, especially metals. Some throw it away while others leave the metal to rot away. However, if you understand the many benefits of recycling these items, you will no longer throw them away or leave them to be consumed by rust and other weather factors.

Conclusion

In conclusion, metal recycling plays a critical role in reducing environmental pollution and conserving natural resources. The process of recycling metals, including stages like shredding, melting, and purification, helps minimize the extraction of raw materials, lowers energy consumption, and contributes to sustainable practices. By ensuring the proper disposal and recycling of metal scrap in Melbourne, the community can significantly reduce its environmental impact and contribute to a circular economy.