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Most waste isn't an inevitability, but a failure of our current linear economy. Focusing exclusively on diverting material from landfill (in most instances into incineration)...risks detracting attention from the larger structural changes that will be required to make the economy more sustainable. —Libby Peake, Think Tank Green Alliance
In a world of limited resources and rising restrictions on carbon emissions, it is only logical that governments and private entities alike should turn to the circular economy—one in which there is no place for waste incineration. The circular economy has seven pillars: maintaining materials in continuous high value, basing all energy on renewable sources, supporting biodiversity, preserving human society and culture, supporting health and well-being, maximizing the generation of societal value, and extracting and cycling water sustainably. One process that adheres to the majority, if not all, of these tenets is metal recycling.
Why Metal Recycling Is Essential
Metal recycling helps conserve natural resources, such as coal and iron ore, which are used in metal production. Coal accounts for approximately 44% of global fuel-combustion greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the list of recyclable metals is extensive; only radioactive metals, such as uranium, are unsuitable for this process. With an increasing number of companies aiming to achieve “zero to landfill” targets, recycling is a vital means of demonstrating their commitment to sustainability. Research by Planet Mark reveals, for instance, that every tonne of recycled aluminum conserves five tonnes of bauxite—the raw material from which aluminum is made. Recycling metal also saves a significant percentage of production costs (up to 33% for steel and 95% for aluminum). Costs are reduced for both raw materials and energy. For instance, recycling titanium yields a 95% reduction in energy consumption, with costs as low as 35% of those for newly produced titanium.
Governmental Support for Recycling
Across the globe, governments are taking steps to incentivize metal recycling, offering tax breaks, direct subsidies, grants, and funding for this purpose. Many have developed circular-economy plans and waste-management laws that set recycling targets or require the separate collection of materials. Some governments procure products with recycled content, supporting their domestic markets. Many are also providing more sophisticated collection systems and sorting facilities, or investing in advanced recycling technologies to extract critical metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earth elements, and high-grade alloys. Notably, government commitment varies significantly across countries. For instance, when it comes to titanium manufacturers USA operations tend to be more sustainable compared with global averages due to stricter environmental regulations, greater use of recycled feedstock, and shorter transportation distances. Countries such as Germany, meanwhile, have an excellent reputation for reducing dependence on critical raw materials by boosting domestic recycling capacity.
Benefits Beyond Carbon Reduction
Metal recycling offers benefits beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions and raw material use. It directly benefits the environment by reducing land degradation. Human activities affect ecosystems in various ways by causing physical disturbances to the landscape, contaminating soil and water, polluting the air, and threatening public safety. Waste piles from processing, such as leach piles, slag piles, and tailings impoundments, can cover thousands of acres and be several hundred feet thick. Byproducts persist on the landscape until disturbed areas are stabilized and reclaimed for other uses, but they can significantly impact wildlife and occupy space that could be used for recreation. Moreover, in some cases, metals are absorbed by plants and animals, causing detrimental effects. Metal manufacturing waste can also contain sulfide minerals associated with metals, including lead, zinc, copper, silver, and cadmium. One sulfide mineral associated with waste rock is pyrite, which oxidizes, producing acidic conditions that inhibit plant growth. Water that comes in contact with this waste rock can also become acidic.
Boosting Economies
Recycling metals has another bonus—that of creating jobs for local communities and boosting domestic manufacturing. In particular, the industry provides employment in areas such as transport, sorting, processing, scrap collection, and the maintenance of machinery and equipment. It supports jobs across a wide array of sectors, including the automotive, construction, packaging, and electronics industries. Metal recycling plants are vibrant hubs that are expected to offer ample opportunities to local economies in the future.
Metal recycling is a vital component of the circular economy, as it provides broad-ranging economic and environmental benefits. Governments worldwide are supporting recycling initiatives to meet their greenhouse gas reduction targets and reduce reliance on scarce raw materials. Companies, too, are benefiting from recycling by appealing to an increasingly sustainability-minded audience while also reducing costs.