Recycling is critically important today, and the materials that a scrap metal yard can reclaim can often offset the use of new materials and resources. Scrap metal yards contribute to this by recycling and reusing steel and other metals in many different ways.
Processing Scrap Metal
Many different materials are considered scrap metal, and most of them can be reused in some way or recycled. The steel used in cars and trucks is an excellent example of a material that manufacturers can reuse, but how it is used can be different.
Scrap metal yards that take cars and trucks in for processing contribute to recycling and reuse to maximize the yard's income potential. Vehicles coming into the yard are disassembled and the good parts cataloged and sold as used auto parts, and the body of the car is prepared for recycling.
In many cars, all that is left is the steel body after the other parts have been removed. The parts that need to come off the body include things that may cause a hazard or be difficult to crush.
The engine and transmission are removed along with the fuel tank, the tires, the axles, the car's interior, and any rubber or plastic material that would contaminate the steel scrap when it is processed and melted down later. Once these parts are removed, the scrap metal yard will crush the car to reduce the size and store the scrap until they have enough to make shipping and selling it profitably.
Selling Scrap Metal
The scrap metal yard is more interested in the steel and other metal materials it can get from the vehicle, and often they will sell parts that can not be used as scrap inexpensively. When the time comes to sell the scrap, the scrap metal yard can often sell the steel to larger recyclers that use the material to add to steel production.
In the US, steel producers use large amounts of recycled steel to offset the amount of ore used in new steel production. The percentage of recycled steel used annually varies by type.
Selling scrap to your local yard can be profitable for you and help reduce waste through recycling. The scrap metal yard helps by selling that steel back to manufacturers, and the entire process promotes recycling and provides jobs. To learn more, contact a scrap metal yard like TNT Auto Salvage near you.
Share