How Recycling Metal Reduces Pollution

Pollution is a major concern for people today. We want to be sure that the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil our food grows out of is free of harmful contaminants. We also want to reduce the amount of pollution contributing to global warming and climate change. The metal recycling industry plays an important role in reducing pollution. At Calgary metal and copper recycling facilities such as Federal Metals Inc., old scrap metal is turned into new metal products.

Metal recyclers and suppliers in Calgary help keep scrap metal out of the landfills while reducing our dependency on metal mining at the same time. Let’s take a look at how these two factors can specifically reduce the amount of pollution in the soil, water, and air.

Soil Pollution

When scrap metal is left to sit in a landfill, it can leach toxic chemicals into the surrounding soil. Electronic waste, in particular, is becoming a major issue in landfills around the world as it releases elements such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. At high levels, these elements are incredibly dangerous to animal and human health. The mining process likewise leads to the pollution of the soil surrounding the mine, making it difficult or completely impossible for vegetation to grow. Cultivated crops tend to have lower yields in the vicinity of mines, and they have also been found to contain dangerous levels of heavy metals.

Water Pollution

Toxic chemical leaching from the metals sitting in a landfill can easily pollute the water supply as well. Polluted water supplies pose a health risk to all of the animals and humans depending on that water supply as a source of drinking water. Likewise, the toxic runoff from mines, even mines that have been long shut down, can pollute entire lakes, rivers, and marine environments, rendering these ecosystems uninhabitable.

Air Pollution

The soil and water pollution caused by metal mining and by metals in landfills can find its way into the air as well. Scrap metal also contributes to the sheer size of landfills, which must then be managed by heavy machinery that pollutes the air with greenhouse gasses. Mining operations are an even more significant source of air pollution, as it takes copious amounts of energy and greenhouse gasses to smelt a metal from an ore. For example, recycling copper in Calgary requires 90% less energy than it takes to mine for and smelt copper ores.

Help Prevent Pollution with Scrap Metal Recycling in Calgary

When you bring your scrap metal to a Calgary metal recycling facility rather than to a landfill, you are helping to reduce the amount of pollution in the air, water, and soil. Another benefit to recycling scrap metal is that you can sell it to make some extra cash. At Federal Metals Inc., we buy both ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal and we have been providing scrap metal recycling services in Calgary since 1950.

If you’re interested in selling your scrap metal, then contact Federal Metals Inc. today for scrap metal prices in Calgary.