Recycling metal is a subject very close to our hearts here at Waste Mission. We started out as a metal recycling company back in 1985, and it remains core to our business. But all businesses should be passionate about how they recycle metal, and we’re here to explain why.
Landfill taxes have increased in spring 2025, so the financial case for recycling is stronger than ever. But there are also many other reasons to take metal recycling seriously, from saving natural resources to reducing waste to protecting our environment.
In this article, we'll explain how metal recycling works, why it matters, and some of the challenges involved in it. We'll also show you why recycling metal makes good sense for our planet and for your bottom line.
Why It's Important To Recycle Metals
Before we dive into the details, here’s an at-a-glance summary of why metal recycling matters:
- Preserving Natural Resources: Recycling metals reduces the need for producing virgin metals, conserving critical natural resources and cutting emissions.
- Efficient Use of Raw Materials: We can recycle metals endlessly without losing their properties, eliminating the need to produce new metals.
- Reduction of Carbon Emissions: Recycling metals significantly cuts carbon emissions and air pollution, and supports businesses in achieving environmental targets such as ‘zero to landfill’.
- Cost Savings: Using recycled metals is often more cost-effective than producing or buying new metals.
- Compliance with Industry Standards: The regulatory landscape around recycling is getting tougher, but the opportunities for recycling benefits are growing too.
The Metal Recycling Process
We first need to know how metal recycling works to understand its benefits.
Here’s a short explanation of the steps we take to recycle metals collected from our clients:
Sorting and Segregation
Sorting is an essential first step in metal recycling once scrap metal has been collected. Non-metallic materials and chemicals can compromise the quality and value of recycled metal products, which means thorough cleaning and sorting are essential.
Waste Mission uses the latest technology to meticulously sort and segregate materials by type and grade, maximising recovery and quality. Techniques such as using magnets help differentiate between ferrous metals (those containing iron) and non-ferrous metals (such as copper and aluminium).
Processing
Once the metals are sorted into different types, they are processed to make them easier to handle and transport. Hydraulic machinery is used to shred, puck (compress), and bale the metals. Preparing metals this way ensures less energy is used in transportation and melting.
Smelting
The metals are then melted down, removing impurities to meet stringent quality standards. The metal emerges in its pure form, solidified and shaped, ready to be cast into a new life cycle.
Let’s take a look now at why metal recycling matters.
Environmental Benefits of Recycling Metal
There are many compelling environmental reasons to recycle metals, including:
Preserving Precious Natural Resources
Recycling metals reduces the need to produce virgin metals, conserving natural resources such as coal and iron ore. Mining for new metals not only damages natural habitats, but it also uses a great deal of energy and water, as does the manufacturing process to make new metals from raw natural resources. Reducing the need to produce virgin metals helps protect the environment and mitigate climate change by cutting emissions.
- According to EU figures, producing new steel from recycled scrap, instead of primary materials, can cut air pollution by 86%, water use by 40%, and water pollution by 76%.
- Recycling aluminum saves up to 92% of the energy required for new production methods.
- Recycling metal means huge savings on the energy needed to extract it from ore (eg copper recycling saves around 90% of energy use, iron recycling about 70%).
Efficient Use of Raw Materials
Metals can be recycled endlessly without losing their properties, eliminating the need to produce new metals except to meet rising demand. Sixty per cent of all copper ever mined is still used today.
Protecting the Environment
Recycling metals means less waste goes to landfill, which means fewer greenhouse gas emissions, a major contributor to climate change. Keeping waste out of landfill also reduces the risk of environmental damage from harmful waste that could contaminate soil or water sources. For example, lead, commonly found in batteries, roofing and radiation shielding, is highly toxic and is illegal to dispose of in landfills.
Economic Advantages of Metal Recycling
The economic benefits of metal recycling are huge, and here are just a few:
Economic Regeneration
The recycling industry is a significant stimulus for economic growth, offering a plethora of roles in collection, processing and manufacturing. In fact, recycling metals creates 36 times more jobs than sending the same metal to an incinerator. The global recycled metal market is expected to reach $99.13 billion by 2029.
Cost Savings
Producing new metal is considerably more expensive than recycling scrap, so using recycled metals helps make businesses more profitable and competitive. In addition, reducing the amount of waste businesses send to landfill can lower their waste management costs and support their efforts to achieve targets such as ‘zero to landfill’.
Income Generation
Businesses can make money from scrap metal by transforming it into valuable resources, enabling them to generate revenue from materials that might otherwise be discarded.
The Role of Metal Recycling in Building a Sustainable Future
Recycling metals and incorporating recycled metals into manufacturing processes helps your business meet its sustainability goals and reduce its carbon footprint. It aligns you with global trends towards greener, more sustainable industrial practices and helps boost your green credentials with your customers.
There are wider benefits, too. Metal recycling is a cornerstone of sustainable manufacturing. The transition of the UK steel and aluminium industries towards a circular economy, where materials are continually reused, can significantly support the government’s net-zero targets.
Likewise, the recycling industry relies heavily on the continuous supply of high-quality recycled materials to meet the demands of various sectors, including construction and manufacturing. Therefore, Scrap metal recycling is key to the recycling industry, which plays a pivotal role in conserving natural resources and cutting emissions. Together, they significantly reduce environmental impact and promote resource efficiency and economic resilience for us all.
So, if we have convinced you of the importance of recycling, are you ready to get involved?
How We Can Help You Get Started with Metal Recycling
Starting with metal recycling is simpler than you might think. Recycling experts such as Waste Mission can help streamline the process by handling the entire collection, sorting, and recycling process for you. We also offer a gate trade service.
We work with businesses across the UK, offering tailored metal recycling services to meet your individual needs.
Our expertise over four decades means we can handle some of the more complex elements of metal recycling for you. For example:
Types of Metals That Can Be Recycled
Understanding the types of metals that can be recycled helps in making informed decisions about recycling and its benefits. Each metal has unique properties that make it valuable in the recycling process.
- Ferrous metals, which include iron and steel, are characterised by their magnetic properties. These metals are used extensively in construction and manufacturing.
- Non-ferrous metals, such as copper, zinc, and brass, are commonly used in electrical wiring, plumbing, and various industrial applications and are in high demand.
Policy and Regulation in Metal Recycling
The regulatory landscape around waste metal management is becoming tougher to improve recycling rates and clamp down on illegal practices. Businesses such as Waste Mission, which are involved in metal recycling, must comply with a raft of regulations, including obtaining environmental permits for handling, treating, storing or disposing of waste. Specialist waste companies also have the expertise to navigate the regulations on your behalf.
Waste Mission are also part of efforts to improve the wider metal recycling industry, drive up standards, and prevent fraud. In 2013, we were instrumental in developing the Scrap Metal Dealers Act and continue working with others to improve the industry. Today, blockchain is being explored as a way to improve traceability in metal recycling, helping to build trust, reduce fraud, and make it easier for businesses to stay compliant.
Challenges and Solutions in Metal Recycling
The varied types of metals handled in metal recycling can make sorting and segregating a complicated task, especially in dismantling mixed-metal products, such as electronics and vehicles.
It takes careful planning to ensure regulatory compliance and high-quality recyclable materials, so it’s important to ensure that scrap metal is transported and stored properly.
Summary
Recycling metals helps protect our environment, save natural resources, create jobs, and reduce the cost of making things. Careful processing ensures precious resources get a second life, helping us build a circular economy and a more sustainable future.
If you’d like to get started with metal recycling, we’re here to help, whether we collect metals from you directly or you use our specialised gate trade service for scrap metals.
Whether a small business or a large corporation, metal recycling offers tangible benefits for your operations and the planet, building a future that’s a few shades greener.
Speak to Waste Mission today to book your waste review.
