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Scrap Metals
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Davis Recycling Incorporated
Scrap Metals Part 1
General Background Information
Throughout the ages, man has been recycling metals by melting and reusing them. A visit to almost any industrial area in the country will demonstrate that the scrap business is alive and well. You'll notice scrap processors (scrap facilities or scrap yards) where the scrap metal is piled high, cranes are lifting and sorting the metals, and trucks are hauling the scrap metal in and out of the facilities. Recycling metal is important because it creates big business. It also plays an important role in conserving our national resources. It helps keep our highways and cities free from debris and helps preserve landfill space.
In the U.S. alone, scrap metal processors handle the following approximate quantities of scrap metal yearly:
56 million tons of scrap iron and steel;
1.5 million tons of scrap copper;
2.5 million tons of scrap aluminum;
10 million tons of scrap automobiles; (This is included in the 56 million tons of scrap iron and steel recycled.)
1.3 million tons of scrap lead;
300,000 tons of scrap zinc; and
800,000 tons of stainless steel scrap 1.
[Scrap: America's Ready Resource, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc., pp. 2-3.]
Continue Part 2
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