WHAT IS IT
Non-Ferrous scrap is metal that does not contain any iron, such as aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, titanium, cobalt, chromium, gold, and silver. Non-ferrous metals do not degrade through the recycling process, which means they can be recycled an infinite number of times. Non-ferrous metals are used in everything from batteries to cars to electronics.
Compressed aluminum cans for recycling. Photo from Norsk Resirk A/S. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
HOW IS IT USED
Many non-ferrous metals are reused in the same application they were recycled from – that is, an aluminum can is most often recycled into another aluminum can and old copper pipes get turned into new copper pipes. Recycled non-ferrous metals are referred to as “secondary” (as opposed to primary, where raw materials are mined and forged). Because they can be recycled so cleanly, secondary non-ferrous metals are used in all the same things that primary non-ferrous metals are!
Baled aluminum. Photo by RecycleHarmony, January 27, 2016. Courtesy of Flickr.
WHAT IS ITS VALUE
The energy saved by recycling one ton of aluminum is more than enough to power a US household for a whole year and recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing new from raw materials. Recycling copper saves up to 85% of the energy used to produce from raw materials and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 65%. Using recycled tin saves 99% of the energy needed to produce new tin and recycled zinc uses 76% less energy.
Copper scraps, October 7, 2012. Silver scraps to be melted, June 22, 2015. Copper scraps. Photos by Mauro Cateb. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Because non-ferrous metals don’t contain any iron, they are resistant to rust and corrosion.
A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the grocery shelf in as little as 60 days.
Almost 40% of the world’s demand for copper is met using recycled material.