Introduction to Scrap

Scrap consists of recyclable materials left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered metals, and non-metallic materials are also recovered for recycling.
Scrap metal originates both in business and residential environments. Examples are automobiles and white goods such as refrigerators, stoves, clothes washers etc.
The metal scrap industry encompasses a wide range of metals. The more frequently recycled metals are scrap steel, iron, lead, aluminium, copper, stainless steel and zinc.

There are two main categories of metals:

  • Ferrous
  • Non-ferrous
Metals which contain iron in them are known as ferrous where metals without iron are non-ferrous. Ferrous metals are able to be recycled, with steel being one of the most recycled materials in the world. Ferrous metals contain an appreciable percentage of iron and the addition of carbon and other substances creates steel.
According to research conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency, recycling scrap steel can be quite beneficial to the environment.

Every ton of new steel made from scrap steel saves:

  • 1,115 kg of iron ore
  • 625 kg of coal
  • 53 kg of limestone
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