Metal recycling in Arkansas
In Arkansas, scrap metal recycling is a major industry. A lot of hard work, along with a chain of events, goes into recycling metallic scrap. Recycling industries are available for different kinds of metals – both ferrous and non ferrous. With several industries involved in recycling metals, Arkansas is one of the leading suppliers of processed metals. The industries in Arkansas take a lot of care to ensure that the processing of scrap metal is done in a scientific and precise manner.
The first step in recycling is differentiation of metals. Metals have to sorted, sheared, shredded, torched and then baled. The final outcome is a great metal that can be used for varied number of purposes. The good thing about metals is that processing can be any number of times. Although a very small percentage of metal is lost during each recycling process, every metal can be recycled infinitely. Recycling of metals is a great step towards preserving natural resources of the earth for longer and reducing the solid waste volume in junk yards.
Care to be taken while recycling
All metals that are brought in for recycling need to undergo a stringent screening process before they enter the melting plant. This is to ensure that any radioactive materials that might have been mixed up in the junk are removed since they can cause a lot of harm to health of workers in the industry. Radioactive substances are supposed to be disposed in a prescribed manner so that the environment is not contaminated. Recycled metal is not inferior to new metal to a large degree. Further, the cost incurred in making recycled metal is much less than extraction of pure metals from ores. Also, the energy you save by recycling metals is much higher when compared to the extraction process. Recycled scrap metal can be used for a number of manufacturing purposes.
Scrap metal recycling in the United States
Recycling scrap is a very environmentally friendly process and Arkansas has been a leader in the industry from the beginning. In fact, major recycling units in the state are counted among the best in the United States. Every year, the volume of metal that is being recycled in the country is increasing drastically. In the United States, recycling metals is an industry that is worth $54 billion. Further, in 2009, the estimated volume of scrap metal recycled is 71 million tons.