Your Phoenix manufacturing or industrial business could be sitting on a lot of unused scrap metals and you may not even know it. Metal tends to get thrown away and many business owners are not aware of the value in taking the time to recycle. Each and every scrap that comes along with the manufacturing process adds up whether that be in profit or if not recycled, adding to local landfills. It’s up to the business and city recycling programs to choose where it will ultimately end up. Lucky for local Maricopa business owners, Phoenix and surrounding areas have fantastic resources when it comes to scrap metal recycling.
Ferrous Metals
Ferrous metals contain iron. These are the most common types of metals out there since steel is ferrous. In North America, we recycle around 80 million tons of steel each year, more than all the paper, plastic, aluminum and glass we recycle each year combined. Ferrous metals steel are iron are incredibly durable. They can be found everywhere including:
- Commercial buildings/construction materials
- Automobiles
- Small and large appliances
- Restaurant equipment
- Food packaging
- Bridges and pipelines
Non-Ferrous
Non-ferrous metals do not contain iron. They are more malleable than ferrous metals. They can be found in:
- Aluminum – cans, door and window frames, screen doors, airplanes
- Copper – building wire, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, computers and other tech appliances, and company cars
- Lead – Commercial structures and manufacturing plants, piping, tools
- Gold
- Silver
Alloys
Alloys can be ferrous or non-ferrous and contain 2 or more metals. This allows the combination to improve the quality of the metals. The merging of the 2+ metals can change the properties by increasing the hardness, changing the color of the metal, or lowering the melting point.
- Bronze – jewelry, musical instruments, industrial castings, sculptures, and tools
- Cast iron – kitchen and restaurant equipment
- Brass – door handles, bathroom fixtures, keys, faucets, musical instruments, or tools
- Carbon steel – construction materials, buildings, bridges, kitchen knives
- Sterling silver
- White gold
So now that you have a better understanding of all the possible recyclable metal items out there, take a look around your industrial or manufacturing operation and see if there is anything that could have been missed. By recycling your scrap metals or purchasing already recycled materials and/or products, you are making a financially advantageous, sustainable, and smart business decision your customers will thank you for.
