What is considered scrap metal for collection?
Scrap metal is any type of metal, be it a sheet or a piece of scrap metal in any size and shape. All metals are recyclable and can be disposed of safely, whether they are ferrous or not.

What is the difference between ferrous and nonferrous metal? What’s the difference? Here’s what you need to know!

Ferrous Metals
The metals are usually magnetic, and they often contain iron. Due to their durability and tensile strength, they are used for housing construction, industrial applications or large-scale pipes.

Examples of Ferrous metals

Cast Iron is used for a wide range of products, including machine tools, cookware and even water pipes.
Wrought Iron is used for fencing and railings because it resists corrosion better than other ferrous metals.
Steel is widely used for construction and manufacturing because of its strength and machinability.

Non-Ferrous metals
Non-ferrous metals are not magnetic because they do not contain iron. Non-ferrous metals are often used in the aerospace industry, as they have the strength and weight required.

Examples of non-ferrous metals

Due to its durability and corrosion resistance, stainless steel is often used in architecture, medical equipment and cookware.
Tin is used as a coating for other metals, such as food containers. Its ability to be highly polished and its non-corrosive properties make it a popular choice. Soldering is another common use.
Copper is a very malleable metal that conducts electricity and heat well. It’s used in electrical wiring.
Aluminium is lightweight and can be easily welded. It’s used for food cans, kitchenware, and aircraft manufacture.
Nickel – is resistant to corrosion even at high temperatures. It’s used in kitchen utensils, such as pots and pans.
Lead is used in soldering and batteries. It also makes electrical power cables due to its melting point and low tensile strength.

Brass is used in musical instruments, locks and gears, hinges and ammunition. It is used for its low friction and corrosive-resistant properties.
Bronze is very versatile because of its natural lubricity and low friction. The high-quality finish and aesthetic appeal of this material makes it ideal for creative projects, door and window hardware and marine architecture.
Bulk Scrap Metal Collection
Ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metals have different properties

Corrosion
The high carbon content of ferrous metals makes them more prone to corrosion. Only wright-iron is an exception, as its iron content is higher. We can assist you in recycling ferrous scrap metals responsibly. Non-ferrous metal contains no iron. It is more corrosion resistant, and is therefore used in roofing and gutters.

Magnetic Properties
As mentioned previously, ferrous metals have a magnetic property. It is because of this that they are so valuable in the motor and electrical industry. A non-ferrous material is used in actual electrical applications, such as wiring and electrical wires. This is because it has non-magnetic characteristics.

Weight
Ferrous metals weigh more than non-ferrous. If you have ferrous scrap, then you may need to hire a larger skip for the removal of scrap metal!

Cost
It’s not true that ferrous metals are more expensive because of their weight. The price of non-ferrous metals is often higher because there are fewer supplies and lower prices.

Recycling
Both types of scrap can be recycled. There are some important differences in recycling, especially the stage of processing. The chemical properties of non-ferrous metals do not degrade, so they can be recycled repeatedly. Ferrous metals, however, must be melted and purified before they can be compacted.

Non-ferrous metals are in high demand and therefore scarce. They need to be recycled.

Why should I participate in the collection of scrap metal?
You can now understand the importance of metal in our daily lives.

Here are some facts about recycling metal scrap:

The Balance Small Business report states that in 2019, 490,98 million metric tonnes of crude steel was produced using recycled metal worldwide. However, this is only 32% of total crude steel production of 1,532,51 million metric tonnes.
The most recycled scrap metals in the world are iron and steel. The simple recycling process is probably to blame, since only magnets are required to separate the scrap metal from mixed waste.
Aluminum cans are recycled the most in the world.
You could save enough electricity by recycling one aluminum can to run a 100 watt light bulb for nearly four hours.

Scrap Metal Recycling: Benefits
You may still be unsure about the collection and removal of scrap metal. We have listed some more reasons to recycle your scrap metal.

Landfills
Our goal is to send as little waste as possible to landfills. Metals are included in this. Metals biodegradation can take 50-500 years. We all know that’s a long time. The landfills are limited and the waste they receive has a negative impact on our environment. You can reduce the amount of scrap that goes to landfills by having scrap metal collected professionally.

Energy Use
Recycling scrap metal requires far more energy than creating pure metal. The cost of mining and processing metal ore and treating it for everyday use is high and the environmental impact is severe. Did you know that recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing virgin aluminium? Recycling scrap metal is a more efficient way to manage metal waste and metal scrap.

Natural Resources
We are using more natural resources by mining and processing virgin material. Recycling scrap metal means that no new resources are needed, and this helps to preserve our limited natural resources.

Mining is also a destructive process. Not only does it deplete our natural resources, but it also destroys the local environment and wildlife’s habitats. Mining is a costly process, and this is reflected by the high prices charged to consumers.

Recycling is a great way to create jobs and invest locally. This helps the economy. Local scrap metal recycling takes longer, and more staff are required to complete each step. However, it only takes one person to operate a truck in a landfill.

Repeatable Recycling
Metal is a great material for recycling due to its ability of being recycled repeatedly. While some metals may degrade with each recycling, the others are limitless! Scrap metal can be diverted for indefinite time from landfills.

Scrap metal near me
What happens after scrap metal removal?
After the scrap is collected at the collection site, we bring the skip to the recycling center. Here are the steps that take place there:

Sorting – Metals are separated at the transfer station from non-metals using magnets and sensors.
Processing – The next step involves shredding the metals. This will make the melting process faster and easier, requiring less energy. The reason for this is that shredded metals have a higher surface-to-volume ratio.
Melting: The metal is melted inside a furnace. This is because there are furnaces that can melt different metals. This is why shredding before mining reduces the energy required.
Purification – Electrolysis is used to clean the metal, ensuring that the bars produced are of high quality.
Solidifying: The melted metal is placed on a belt conveyor to cool and solidify. They are shaped into specific shapes (usually in the form of bars) to make it easier to use them on production lines for recycled products.
Transport – finally, the metal bars will be taken to different factories for them to be made into new products that consumers can purchase!

You can put your scrap metal anywhere with our skip hire service! Scrap metal can be placed in our skips and will be recycled with the other non-metal household items. Your scrap metal will be removed and your waste managed for other waste in your business.