Recycling Scrap Metal – How Does It Work? 

Metal makes up a lot of products that we use today, from transportation right down to packaging. When you need to get rid of your scrap materials, such as an old car or other metals, and sell them to a dealer, you may wonder what happens to them after that point. The recycling of scrap metal is an easy and productive process that doesn’t just stop when the materials reach the scrapyard. We’ve created this quick guide to show you exactly what happens, where your scrap metal goes after it’s left your hands, and how that scrap finds its way back into general circulation.

Recycling the scrap metal

Once you’ve handed your materials to a responsible dealer, such as Jays Scrapyard, they will separate the metal types and deliver them to a location with an industrial furnace. Here the metal is shredded into small, manageable pieces, separated from unwanted materials, melted down at high temperatures and finally purified by electrolysis. This liquid metal is then used to create ingots which are sold for general use so they can be utilised by manufacturing companies.

What can be recycled?

Scrap in the form of metals such as copper, steel, iron, aluminium and brass can be recycled over and over again to make new products. Steel, for instance, is one of the most recycled metals in the world. By recycling the scrap, it reduces waste made by the industry and means fewer resources need to be put in place to mine new metals which can be an expensive and time-consuming process. Using old reusable metals is also a very eco-friendly solution.

How are recycled ingots used in production?

Once the ingots have been sold to a manufacturer, they can be used to create a lot of products through shaping or moulding. This can sometimes mean the ingots have to be remelted, but because they can be so easily recycled, they are very malleable.

What products utilise recycled metal?

A popular use of recycled metal is for the creation of cans and packaging. Many production companies are looking for greener and more responsible ways to aid the manufacturing process and recycled metal offers a great solution without compromising on quality. By resourcing recycled materials and having them delivered, it helps to reduce the company’s carbon footprint too. Scrap metal is also used for ornamental purposes, with the materials being re-purposed for homes, gardens and commercial properties.

If you have scrap metal to get rid of, and you would like to make sure it goes to a responsible scrap metal dealer that contributes to a conscientious recycling chain, come down to our Plymouth yard with your metals. We can also collect if you need assistance. If you’d like to find out more about our services, or about the scrap metal process and its uses, get in touch with us today.

Did you know?

* 1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours!

* In the UK alone, the scrap metal industry is worth over £5.6 billion annually, and employs over 8,000 people. This goes some way to explaining just how important the scrap metal recycling industry is to the UK and our economy – not to mention the good it is doing for the planet as a whole.

* Recycling aluminium uses 95% less energy than manufacturing aluminium using just raw materials, demonstrating how energy efficient recycling can be.

* Last year, over 10 million tonnes of metal was recycled in the UK.

* The UK is one of the five largest metal scrap exporting countries in the world.