FAQs
Don’t Hesitate to Ask Questions
FREQUENT ASK QUESTIONS
Pure metals are a naturally occurring material that come from the earth’s crust. When we find these materials, they usually take the form of an ore, which means that they are combined with rock and other minerals. The ore then needs to be extracted and separated from the rock.
In the case of metals such as gold, this may have already been done by the elements. This is why gold can sometimes be found in river beds, as the movement of the water has already broken the rock apart, releasing the gold within.
While metal itself may not necessarily be bad for the environment, the process of mining metals can have a huge impact. From physical disturbances to the landscape to soil and water contamination, there are numerous risks associated with the mining of metal ores. This is why it is so important to recycle scrap metal.
As most metals have different properties, they have to be processed in different ways. As many products use an assortment of metals and other materials, they must first be separated. We do this with the aid of Eddy Current Separators which use magnets. They may then be shredded depending on the type of the metal.
Ultimately, the metals are melted down so they can be reformed into new metal products again and again.
Nearly all metals can be recycled, though they may require different methods for recycling. Metals that can be recycled include:
- Aluminium
- Copper
- Steel
- Tin
- Cast Iron
Radioactive metals are, not surprisingly, not recyclable, as are metals containing mercury.
Cars are made up of a huge range of different materials, so recycling can be challenging. Different models and manufacturers use different metals, but typically, you can expect to see steel and aluminium as well as copper wiring in most cars.
These parts can be recycled through end of life vehicle recycling, however there are some parts that cannot be recycled. These include:
- The lead-acid battery
- The LPG tank
- The catalytic converter
- The switches that contain mercury
- The oils, fluids and liquids
There are many benefits to recycling metals such as the positive environmental impact. Making metal from ore requires many more resources, so releases a larger amount of greenhouse gases as opposed to the process for recycling metal.
When it comes to vehicle recycling, the environmental factor comes not only from the recycling of the scrap metal, but from the fact that the vehicles can be depolluted, with elements such as fuel, the catalytic converter and the switches that contain mercury being responsibly disposed of. This means that harmful chemicals and toxins are prevented from entering the environment.