Scrap Metal
Scrap metal in landfill can leach toxic elements into the soil.
Every tonne of steel recycled saves 1.5 tonne of iron ore, a half tonne of mineral coke and reduces air emissions by 86%.
Recycling 1kg of aluminium saves up to 6kg of bauxite, 4kg of chemical products, and 14 kWh of electricity - enough to power a TV for three hours!
Scrap metal can include iron, steel, vehicles, motorbikes, bike frames.
Iron and steel are the world's most recycled materials and are among the easiest to recycle as they can be separated magnetically from the waste stream.
More from the Scrap Metal Recycling Association of New Zealand
- Scrap metal recycling is the oldest form of recycling
- Scrap metal is currently New Zealand's 23rd largest export earner (as at 2018 - earning $425 million annually)
- New Zealand scrap metal is exported to countries all around the world
- Metals can be recycled almost indefinitely without losing any of their properties. Most new steel products use at least 25% recycled steel in their production
- Recycling scrap metal has many environmental benefits and diverts material from landfills (we divert 740,000 tonnes of metals annually from NZ's landfills)
- Almost all metal products (not just aluminium cans!) can be recycled in some way.
See also aerosol can | aluminium can | bicycle | can | roofing iron | tin can
Some steel fabricators in town will do repairs to metal objects. Try to repair before recycling or replacing.
There are a number of scrap metal dealers in town, check the Yellow Pages.
The Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre has a scrap metal bin which takes small items only (free).
For more information check out the New Zealand Association of Metal Recyclers website.