Metal Recycling Guide
Lots of waste that businesses throw out contains metal – from empty tins of beans eaten at lunch in the office kitchen to sheet metal from a construction site. Recycling metal is important to protect the environment, save energy and raw materials, and boost sustainability. This applies whether recycling tin, copper, or gold.
There are many kinds of scrap metal generated daily by businesses in all industries. Separating it from other waste streams and recycling is essential and it’s helpful to understand how metal is recycled and why it’s important. Find out how to recycle metal and answers to other common questions in this guide.
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What is scrap metal?
Scrap metal is waste made from at least 50% of any type of metal material. This could be old car parts, broken tools (like nails and screwdrivers), or just empty aluminium drink cans. If it’s made from mostly metal and no longer needed then it probably counts as scrap metal.
Is metal recyclable?
Almost all metal is infinitely recyclable. This means it can be recycled countless times without its quality diminishing, retaining its quality and properties for reuse as new products and metals. Both ferrous and non-ferrous metals are recyclable though the processes may differ depending on the type.
The only metals that might not be recyclable are those that are heavily contaminated. Metal fuel containers, some car parts, and radioactive metals can be too dangerous or difficult to clean and remove potential toxins to recycle.
How is metal recycled?
Waste metal can be combined in a bin or container before it’s taken to a waste recycling facility for processing. The general way metal is recycled follows these steps:
- Sorting – metals are separated by type and the quality and condition are checked to ensure it’s high enough to recycle. It’s cleaned and any contaminants are removed.
- Shredding – after segregation, the metal is then shredded into small pieces, which makes recycling easier.
- Melting – the shredded metal is added into big furnaces and heated at high temperatures, which vary depending on the type of metal as they all have different melting points.
- Purifying – electrolysis is the most common purification step applied to ensure the final product is of high quality and free from contaminants.
- Solidifying – molten metal is removed and left to cool and solidify before it’s then transformed into a new metal product.
What metals can be recycled?
You can recycle most metals used within your business. Some of the main metals that are highly recyclable include aluminium, brass, copper, iron, steel, and tin. It’s also possible to recycle silver and gold.
Generally, recyclable materials fall under one of two metal categories:
- Ferrous metals combine iron and carbon. Examples of ferrous metals include alloy steel, carbon steel, cast iron and wrought iron.
- Non-ferrous metals include aluminium, copper, lead, tin, and zinc. Most common precious metals are also non-ferrous, such as gold, iridium, palladium, platinum, and silver.
There are a few metals you can’t recycle, though these are less common. They can include radioactive metals such as uranium and plutonium, as well as metals contaminated by harmful toxins.
How to dispose of metal waste
Disposing of metal waste from your business follows a similar process to other materials. The first step is to separate your scrap metal from other waste types and store them in an individual metal waste container for collection. Splitting them up into different metal waste bins for each type – such as separating waste steel, brass, and iron – can help.
However, this isn’t essential and often doesn’t happen. Instead, the scrap metal dealer or recycling plant will sort it, using magnets and sensors. They also identify the metals by colour or weight. Aluminium, for example, looks silver in colour and is relatively lightweight – while copper looks yellowish and is about 70% heavier.
Arrange metal waste removal with Business Waste and we’ll deliver bins for free – you only pay for collection. Simply fill these within the weight limits for the size of the metal waste bin you use, place it at an agreed accessible pickup point and we’ll transport it to a nearby recycling plant for processing.
Why is it important to recycle metals?
There are many advantages of recycling metal. It preserves limited and dwindling resources as metals are finite. This means fewer raw materials are required to create new metal products. It also minimises global warming, as the recycling process emits less carbon dioxide than mining and processing new metal.
For businesses, another advantage of recycling metal is that it reduces the landfill tax you have to pay for disposal, as this is avoided by recycling your waste metal. In some cases, if you generate high volumes, you can also sell metal from your business via metal recycling rebates.
Because of the importance of scrap metal and its recycling, the government introduced the Scrap Metal Dealer Act (SMDA) 2013. One of the key elements of the act was to outlaw scrap being sold for cash. Cash transactions are not traceable, and traceability is one of the essential factors of an efficient metal recycling system.
Is steel recyclable?
Steel is 100% recyclable and one of the most commonly recycled metals in the world. It can be completely reused for building materials and all sorts of other products. Around 40% of steel production uses recycled scrap. Recycling steel can be done time and again turning it into new material of the same quality.
How is steel recycled?
Steel recycling starts with the scrap steel being collected and taken to a recycling plant, mill, or foundry. Here it’s sorted and checked to ensure there are no contaminants present. Then it’s usually melted down at over 1,500°C and purified to remove any lingering contaminants. Finally, it solidifies into new steel, for use in all sorts of products.
Can you put metal in general waste?
Certain types of metal waste may go into general waste as they’re difficult to recycle. This can include items such as a hole punch and pots and pans – due to them containing other non-metal materials. Generally, if it’s an item made of less than 50% metal it may not be possible to recycle.
Always check whether you can recycle metal waste first before throwing it in with general waste. Common products such as drinks cans should always be recycled, as they’re normally made 100% from metal.
What happens to scrap metal in recycling?
With scrap metal recycling the waste is first sorted and separated into different types of scrap metal. Machines use magnets to pick out magnetic ferrous metals for non-ferrous metals, for example. It’s then shredded, smelted, and treated. Most results of scrap metal recycling turn the waste into ingots.
These metal ingots can then be melted down again, purified, and solidified into new metal products. Business Waste collects scrap metal for recycling from many organisations to divert such waste from ending up in a landfill. Contact us today for a free quote to recycle your scrap metal.
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Get a fast FREE quote for metal waste collection
- Free quote within 1 hr
- Any type of metal
- FREE bins and delivery
- We cover all of the UK
Published 3rd March 2025 by Graham Matthews.