Uses for Recycled Scrap Metal

Uses for Recycled Scrap Metal

Scrap metals such as aluminum, copper, steel, brass, and iron can be reused many times to make many new products. Recycling scrap metal reduces the amount of waste produced, while also preventing the need for additional mining to obtain new metals for manufacturing purposes. After recycling, scrap metal can be used for a wide variety of purposes, both in the home and in the manufacturing industry.

Manufacturing and Industrial Uses

Much of the scrap metal recycled in the United States goes into the manufacturing of completely new items, such as appliances or building materials. Some of the most common manufactured items that use a high concentration of scrap metal include automobiles, aircraft, appliances, and industrial containers, ductwork, and plumbing.

Packaging Uses

Recycled aluminum and steel are commonly reused as new food packaging. Today, most canned goods contain some percentage of recycled metal, and many are made from 100% recycled materials. In as little as two months, recycled scrap metal can reappear on shelves as a new food or beverage container, making this process extremely efficient and economical. Furthermore, recycled aluminum requires less processing—and subsequent emission of greenhouse gases—than new aluminum, making the production of packaging using recycled metal both more cost-effective and eco-friendly than creating cans using new aluminum.

Home Uses

Scrap metal is often recycled into components for the home, such as furnishings, fixtures, and lighting. Metal roofing materials are often made wholly or in part from recycled metals as well. Modern artwork and decorative metalwork may also be made from scrap metal, giving objects that have reached the end of their functional lifetime a new, appealing purpose.

Do you have scrap metal you’d like to sell for recycling? Tucson Iron and Metal buys and sells scrap metal and new metal in Tucson—we’ll even pick up or deliver metal for added convenience. You can find out more about our metal recycling, roll off, and demolition services when you visit our website or contact us by phone at (520) 884-1554.