The metal recycling process
The metal recycling process involves three stages: collection, sorting and melting. Firstly, however, industry has to create products and packaging for us, as consumers, to use and ultimately discard for recycling. Click on each stage for more information about what happens.
Mankind
Each product has a usable shelf life after which metallic components can be recycled.
Collection
The collection phase is where we, as consumers, can play our part as without our endeavours here there would be no material to recover. Collections are in the form of door stop collection by the local council, recycling points, special litter bins and scrap yards for larger items. Each time metal is sent for recycling rather than to landfill a little bit more is being done to preserve our environment for the future.
Sorting
Once the metals have been collected they are taken to be sorted further as, although the collection process goes some way to separate items and place them with groups of similar materials, there is often contamination or mixed loads. The materials are often shredded to assist in the process of separation and magnets are used to attract the steel elements.
Industry Creates
Specific grades of metals with exact required analysis used by manufacturers for making components and products for further use.
Melting
Once the pure metal has been retained it is sent to be melted at a processing plant. The recovered metal is then poured into moulds to form ingots or slabs, which are then sent for onward application in industry.
Sunberg provides the logistical expertise at each stage of the transportation process. Sunberg is keen to increase the ready supply of quality recycled metals available for industry use as this provides a sustainable, resource alternative to raw material extraction.
