There is a wealth of cash for scrap to be made when it comes to metal recycling, but if you have any scrap metal lying around on your property, money is not the only good reason to recycle your metal-based junk.
Most scrap metal does not biodegrade
Abandoned vehicles and scrap metal from construction sites are among the most common environmental hazards. As well as being an eyesore, scrap metals can release toxic substances into the environment and create safety concerns for local communities. Most scrap metal is not biodegradable, meaning it is more or less immune to the natural processes and therefore it cannot be fed upon or broken down by microorganisms in soil, even after thousands of years. What this means is that scrap metal contributes to solid waste which is very hazardous for the environment and poses a threat to wildlife.
Recycling metal helps to conserve our raw materials
Clean Up Australia Day reported that scrap metal made up over 17% of the total litter participants collected. Furthermore, environmental repercussions are elevated by the fact that the dumped metal is not recycled – many metal alloys require less energy to recycle than to mine and process. By recycling scrap metal we are conserving our raw material resources for the future.
Steel is the world’s most recycled metal, and it can actually be recycled an infinite amount of times without impacting the integrity of the steel.
Car bodies represent hazardous waste
As well as rusting out and taking up space, car bodies may contain oil, diesel or petrol, paint, coolants, transmission and brake fluids which can leach harmful toxins into the environment. Rainfall and runoff take these toxins into our waterways or evaporate them back into the air.
When you see a car on the side of a road, the rusted shell can look hazardous, but the real hazard is below the bonnet. As well as these more insidious dangers, the fluids in the engine are highly flammable and are also highly combustible. Not only are the toxins a threat to local wildlife, but the vehicles can spontaneously combust and cause fires.
A lot of people dump cars because they are concerned about waste management charges. At Metal Men Recycling we will not only pay you cash for scrap, but our scrap metal pickup team will come and pick up your metal recycling and remove it from your premises for you, 24/7.
