Almost all metals can be recycled into new high-quality metals, as their properties are not diminished during the recycling process. Environmentally, metal recycling has many perks, as fewer raw materials need to be extracted which reduces carbon emissions, and financial reward as many companies
What is the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals?
The main difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals is that ferrous metals contain iron and non-ferrous metals don’t. Ferrous metals are also mostly magnetic, whereas non-ferrous don’t contain magnetic properties, making it relatively easy to tell them apart.
What are the five most common metals that can be recycled?
Steel
As a ferrous metal, steel is a major component in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, cars, machines and appliances used across the world. According to environmental agencies, most steel items today contain between 25% and 100% recycled content.
Aluminium
Aluminium is a similarly popular metal that’s capable of being melted at comparatively lower temperatures than steel, making it particularly attractive for recycling Aluminium cans use just 5% of the energy needed to produce them from scratch during the recycling process
Brass
Malleable, conductive and resistant to corrosion and fatigue, brass is a popular metal for recycling. Energy costs for recycling brass are lower compared to those of other metals