Three Reasons Why Metal Recycling is Better Than Metal Extraction
11 October 2022The electronics industry uses metals to create little components of devices and machines. The automotive industry, alternatively, utilises metals to generate the body and other parts of vehicles. The construction industry also uses metals to craft structural components for buildings.
One common trend among these industries is they all capitalise on the benefits and capabilities of metals. Metals are useful to almost all industries as they can last for a long time. With proper processing, these materials can effectively last for years. They can even retain their resistance to temperature, moisture, and other outdoor elements as long as they are maintained regularly. But one more benefit of metals that makes them great for industries is they are recyclable.
The Problem with Metal Extraction
You see, industries before relied on metals extracted from the ground. While these metals feature excellent mechanical properties, they are known to be costly. Extracting metals from the ground requires tons of equipment pieces before it can be done. And once extracted, metals have to be processed further. All these processes can only be carried out effectively if they are provided with enough energy, which can be costly in the long run.
Aside from excessive energy usage, metal extraction can be problematic for industries as it can damage the surroundings. When extracting raw metals, the mining industry has to excavate huge portions of land. As more ground areas are displaced, the ecological impact of the extraction can be devastating to animals, plants, and even humans in the long run.
Of course, metal extraction can also be damaging to the environment as it can drain the raw metal supply, especially if it will be continued for the next few decades.
Metal Recycling is the Key Solution
The issues associated with metal extraction make metal recycling a viable alternative in supplying metal materials to industries. Here are some reasons why metal recycling is better than raw metal extraction.
1. Minimal Resources: One of the reasons why metal recycling is better than metal extraction is it only requires fewer resources. Metal extraction needs to extract tons of resources to acquire the needed metal elements. As these elements are acquired, they must then be processed further at expense of energy resources. All these things are toned down with metal recycling as it only requires scrap metals and an adequate power supply. Processing is also minimised with metal recycling since scrap metals are processed already.
2. Reduced Waste: Another reason why metal recycling is greater than metal extraction is it can reduce waste in landfills. Metal recycling involves the collection of scrap metals from households, businesses, and other properties. And as more of them turn to metal recycling, the number of wastes that are sent to landfills is expected to reduce significantly. With fewer waste materials, the risk of polluting the environment will be cut down.
3. Increased Savings: Metal recycling does not only save resources and minimise waste, but it can also increase the savings of industries. Raw metals can be expensive, especially if they have been processed thoroughly. But even with processed scrap metals, their properties remain intact. They can even be like newly processed metals without costing too much money. This quality makes metal recycling better than metal extraction.
If you want to have your scrap metals recycled, you can contact us at Victorian Metal Traders.
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