Did you know that most steel is recycled? Up to 88% of steel around the world is recycled, and out of three tons of new steel, two tons were made out of old steel. Steel is easily the most recycled material on Earth, making it a pretty sustainable material. Furthermore, steel products can easily be used for decades, up to 100 years. You’d be surprised to know how much sustainability matters to the steel industry.

How is steel recycled?

Steel scraps are collected from various sources. This can be from demolished structures, warehouses that are closing or replacing machinery, equipment that is no longer usable, or antique structures and tools. There are countless sources that produce scraps from giant corporate production warehouses such as sanitary clamps, sanitary vales, stainless steel sanitary filters, welding ferrules, and other sms sanitary fittings. If it’s steel, it’s going to be used in the recycling process. These scraps, sanitary clamps and valves, from all sources are simply melted down to it’s liquid state and cooled into a different form.

Is it safe?

Old steel scraps are melted down completely into liquid. Steel’s melting point is around 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s hotter than magma inside of a volcano. This means that any dirt, substance, rust, or microbes will be killed off long before the steel even melts.

Where does it go?

Recycled steel goes right back into the places that old steel scraps came from. Recycled steel is used for sanitary warehouse components such as sanitary clamps, and even goes into our homes and daily lives as flatware and common tools. The steel used for our forks and spoons could’ve came from the same batch as sanitary clamps in a massive production warehouse.

What are the benefits?

Recycling steel cuts down greatly on emissions and water pollution. It also saves a lot of water, energy, and coal. Making new steel from iron ore takes up a massive amount of resources and compromises our environment. Recycling old steel is just as good as making new steel. Without steel recycling, a lot of old scraps would be lying around our planet as waste. The type of waste that will never eventually break down. It makes our environment a lot more healthy by using the perfectly good materials we have.