Don’t toss scrap metal into a landfill! It can be recycled and re-purposed in many ways. In our scrap metal articles, we tend to focus on the construction uses for scrap metal. Scrap metal demolition contractors like us naturally imagine the metal they remove being reused as new building materials. It’s easy to forget the wide array of potential uses for scrap metal, the one of the most widely recycled materials on earth.
Metals retain their strength even when melted down. As such, there is high demand for recycled metal, and scrap metal’s value remains reliably high. Indeed, industrial manufacturers often prefer to use recycled metals, as they are considerably less expensive than their virgin counterparts. Read on to discover just a few of the new fascinating new lives possible for recycled metal.
Demolition Salvage: Remarkable Purposes for Recycle Scrap Metal
- In Appliances. For many years, the appliance business has used scrap metal for steel casings. Your dishwasher and fridge likely contain recycled metal.
- As Electricity. Did you know that all metals contain energy? Yes it’s true, because the process of extracting pure metal stores up energy. Later, this energy may leak away via corrosion. Or, if you’re clever, you may be able to turn old junk metal into a battery using salt water (a conductive substance), a yogurt container (a non-conductive container), wires, and plastic clips to hold the wires.
- In Cars. Automobiles bodies are made of 25% recycled steel. At the end of one car’s lifecycle, that steel may be recycled again into another car. (Overall, about 75% of the average car is recycled into new products.)
- To Clean Industrial Wastewater. Chinese engineers have used scrap iron to attract, degrade, and detoxify toxic compounds commonly found in industrial wastewater. These same researchers have also been able to improve municipal wastewater treatment by adding scrap iron.
- In Home Furnishings. Garden benches, patio tables, and even light fixtures may be made from recycled metal.
Scrap metal may also be reborn as art. Many a sculptor looks at a pile of junk metal and sees a potential work of art. How you envision scrap metal being reused depends on your personal perspective. Contractors see I-beams. Grease monkeys see a hot new metal car body. And interior designers might see a new front-porch glider.
Whatever your perspective, one thing is for sure: Scrap metal removal is the way to go in demolition. Portland property owners can earn back a great deal of demolition costs by recycling scrap metal. Elder Demolition is uniquely situated to maximize salvage recovery. We are one of the largest scrap metal recyclers on the West Coast, and as such we can return as much value as possible from the metal within a defunct structure. We also have the industrial demolition know-how to understand how to follow EPA guidelines for salvaging potentially toxic materials (such as radioactive gauges). Contact us today to learn how we can help minimize your demolition costs through recycling.
[Photo by Neeta Lind via CC License]