In the earlier days when climate change was not taken so seriously, people just built their homes and offices with whatever materials were available in the vicinity. This included conventional materials like wood, sand and others which were carbon intensive and were limited resources. With climate change and extreme exploitation of resources now a big threat, there have been a lot of initiatives in promoting the use of recyclable materials in the construction of real estate.
One of the most used such resource has been steel. It can be recycled and reused for various objects. It is also stronger than wood and does not face the challenges you have with organic materials like wood which can get damaged by moisture, pressure or insects.
Steel Recycling
Before we go any further, let us see how much steel has helped us to save precious resources. It has been estimated that over 80 million tonnes of steel is recycled every year in North America alone. In fact, about 60 percent of all steel produced is recycled. This recycled steel comes from cans, appliances, automobiles and other construction materials. Steel from these sources are re-melted to produce new steel which is used in a variety of applications.
In fact, it is said that steel is the most recycled material, more than other materials like glass, plastic, paper and aluminium combined. This helps to reduce the amount of waste dumped at landfills across the country.
Recycling steel also ensures energy savings as a significant amount of electricity is saved on a yearly basis. In fact, it even helps to saves tonnes of iron ore, coal and limestone, also helping reduce pollution which would have otherwise contributed to global warming.
Steel is one material which is used to construct homes. Earlier, it was done with wood. Now, steel studs are proven to be cheaper and stronger than wood studs. It also produces way less waste and can be easily fitted as against the cumbersome methods that used to be needed to install wooden studs.
The best part is, these steel studs are partly made from recycled steel. This does not affect the quality of the material though. It is a known fact in the industry that using recycled steel is much cheaper than using freshly made steel which is made from virgin ore.
It has been estimated that using recycled steel saves precious ore. In fact, using one tonne of recycled steel is equivalent to the use of two tonnes of iron ore. With iron ore not being a renewable resource, it is best that we use recycled materials that can be cost and environmentally friendly.
What’s more, the scrap metal recycling industry in Canada employs thousands of people. In fact, more than 1,20,000 people depend on this industry, both directly and indirectly. With the help of scrap metal, manufacturers are using newer ways to use this endless resource, trying to save as much iron ore as possible, thereby reducing the carbon footprint on the environment.
In future, as technology advances, more and more products and machines will be made using recycled steel and other recycled metals. If we want to live in a peaceful, non-threatening and clean environment, we all must adopt recycled materials at the earliest.