The industry of “Metals Recycling” not only aids to conserve the world’s natural resources to a certain extent but also provides employment to many people who are engaged in various stages of recycling process. Global recycling industry directly employs more than 1.5 million people, annually processes over 500 million tons of commodities, and has a turnover exceeding US$160 billion. Secondary raw materials have been recovered and fed back into manufacturing process owing to “the recyclers,” who collect pro ducts which have been dumped out by the users. But for the metal recycling industry, many valuable materials might have been lost forever to the production cycle and probably consigned to landfills. Metals like copper, nickel, brass, lead, gold, silver, etc. can all be recycled because these metals are all quite valuable and less in circulation (Gandhi & Sarkar, 2016).
Metal recycling is the process of gathering, processing, and reusing metal scraps from a range of locations, including manufacturing facilities, demolition sites, and industrial scrap yards. There are several advantages for the environment when metals like steel, copper, and aluminium are recycled. Firstly, it reduces the need for mining, which can have detrimental effects on the environment, including land degradation, deforestation, and soil erosion. We can protect natural resources and lessen the environmental effects of mining by recycling metals (Metals, 2023).
Recycling metals significantly reduces the need for mining, which helps prevent deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution, and the release of greenhouse gases. The extraction and refining of metals from raw materials require large amounts of energy, contributing to climate change and environmental degradation. By recycling metals, we conserve natural resources and lower industrial energy consumption. For example, recycling aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy needed to produce it from raw ore, while copper recycling saves 85% and steel recycling saves 60%. These energy savings clearly demonstrate the environmental advantages of recycling metals over extracting them from the earth (Benefits of Recycling Metals, n.d.).
Reference
Benefits of Recycling Metals. (n.d.). WasteTrade. Retrieved April 15, 2025, from https://www.wastetrade.com/resources/benefits-of-recycling-metals/
Gandhi, S. M., & Sarkar, B. C. (2016). Chapter 1 – Metals and Minerals: Global Trends, Outlook, and Mineral Exploration. In S. M. Gandhi & B. C. Sarkar (Eds.), Essentials of Mineral Exploration and Evaluation (pp. 1–21). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-805329-4.00008-9
Metals, E. (2023, May 8). How Metal Recycling Contributes to Environmental Sustainability. Ekco Metals | Scrap Yard. https://www.ekcometals.com/how-metal-recycling-contributes-to-environmental-sustainability/
