Recycling Metal
Monday 25th September 2017
Where does all this metal come from?
From the beginning of civilisation man-kind has operated mines. While this invention has facilitated human development, it has not been without its problems. The process of mining (extracting raw materials from the ground) can have devastating effects on our rivers. Leeching is where chemicals get into our water-ways. This has adverse effects on our biodiversity, drinking supplies and the health of streams.
How can we limit the environmental impact of metal mining?
The simplest answer is to recycle metal rather than extract more. It is indeed possible to use already proceeded metal into new products. For instance, deodorant aerosol can be made into mobile phones.
How does Paper Round process metal?
Any metal that our clients produce is placed in a Mixed Recycling bins. Our Paper Round drivers collect the recycling and take it to our facility in Purfleet (Essex). Once there, metal is separated and made into bales. We transport the bales to a recycling facility in Barking. It is there that the metal is separated further using magnets. Each metal type is melted down into ingots which are used to make new drink cans and also in car production, aircraft, etc.
In this manner, it is possible to re-use waste metal materials rather than sending them to landfill and extracting virgin materials. Next time you are about to fling that can in the bin think about the process involved in getting it to you and where it will end up.
