Category: Recycling

On a global scale, current data indicates that for widely used metals such as aluminum and steel, the recycling rate is approximately 75%. This translates into 45% of the world’s steel production and 30% of aluminum world production coming from recycled metals. The benefits of using secondary raw materials impact the environment and the economy in a very positive way. The processing of secondary metals uses significantly less energy than primary virgin ore. For example, approximations of energy conserved when using secondary sources is:

• 60% for iron and steel
• 95% for aluminum
• 90% for copper

Not only does secondary metal processing use considerably less energy, but it’s also less water-intensive, creates much fewer production by-products such as smelter slimes, tailings, and most importantly, less greenhouse gases.  Considering the large environmental impacts of primary metal production processes, metal recycling offers a stream of benefits such as energy conservation, natural resource conservation, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.  Since many metals have an endless recyclable capacity, meaning they can be reused again and again — keeping their internal structure intact without losing integrity — they contribute greatly to natural resource conservation. Metal recycling is extremely valuable in meeting all the objectives to create a future that is both economically and environmentally sustainable.

Manufacturing and industrial plants are associated with many waste by-products.  If not recycled or properly disposed, they have significant effects on the environment. One issue is they take up space in landfills that could be used by other non-recyclable waste. Not only does solid waste create negative environmental impacts, but also the economics of disposal are playing a critical role than ever before.  The finances of waste disposal has motivated some big players, like General Motors (GM) the automaker giant, to start viewing waste as something not to be thrown away, but as a ‘resource out of place’. In 2013, GM increased revenues by a rousing $1 billion dollars by recycling and re-using their materials that otherwise would have been sent to a landfill by finding ways to re-use the materials or selling it to someone who could use them. Today, worldwide, 90% of GM’s manufacturing waste is recycled or re-used. They have been spreading this gospel of recycling and zero-waste manufacturing for other companies and industries to follow with this downloadable blueprint.

Recycling can be challenging. We understand there is just not one approach that fits all when it comes to recycling in the manufacturing and industrial industries. Having over 40 years of experience and a reputation in the industry, we can help you turn your waste product into a commodity that generates another revenue stream. Whether it’s supplying metal recycling equipment or other logistics services, through our partnership, you can lower both your financial and environmental costs.  We can assist you in taking the guesswork out of specific waste materials such as the ones in the form of powders and overspray chips. For example, filter cakes from plating facilities contain nickel and zinc, wire drawing-copper sludge contains tin, and coatings and hard facing contain nickel, tungsten, cobalt, titanium, and aluminum. The recovery of different metals has a general minimum that can be typically recovered on a dry basis and is contingent on some factors, which includes no major contaminants. They are: Nickel 5%-10%, Molybdenum 7%-8%, Tungsten 10%, Copper 10%, Chrome 30%, Cobalt 5%, Vanadium 10%, Zinc 40%, Titanium 50%.

Many industrial and manufacturing plants produce many products using unique materials. If you have an industrial waste by-product, give us a call, and we’ll help you to minimize your waste and increase your bottom line.

I remember when I first started working in the metal recycling industry in 1974 and I would tell somebody that I was in the scrap business, the first response was always” Wow, everyone in the scrap business makes a fortune!”.

That probably was true at the time. Many fortunes were made in the business due to WW2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. These events were major drivers in the fortunes of scrap dealers at the time and many of those that were smart enough invested their money in real estate or something else less volatile. Those that weren’t smart enough, in hindsight, invested in their businesses.

These investments were weird, if you could call it that. Most scrap dealers at the time would buy used equipment for a fraction of the cost of new stuff and they would patch it up and make due. Yards were filthy mud holes and often un-navigable after the spring thaw or a good rain. No customers knew anything about weights and were glad to have someone haul off the scrap and give them some money and everybody in the business made a ton of money. If you looked around one of these scrap yards at the time you would see piles of high grade industrial scrap and for the most part, you couldn’t give away scrap washers and dryers.

Fast forward to the early years of the 21^st century and the landscape is completely different. Industrial production has moved offshore and the scrap you find in most yards today consists of junk, literally. Old washers, dryers, refrigerators, cars and other household and machinery waste make up the feedstocks and instead of men cutting with torches and old style cable cranes moving the scrap around, you see hugely capital intensive equipment to shred this waste into some type of manageable recyclable material. Fancy hydraulic cranes move the scrap around at lightning speed and efficiency and most of the yards have poured concrete or asphalt to combat the potential soil contamination and mud. The major steel mills all own scrap yards because they misguidedly thought if they owned yards they could control the price of scrap.

Sounds like scrap Utopia, doesn’t it?

But the opposite is true. As in every other boom, too much capacity was created and today many of these mega-shredders lay idle due to lack of feedstock. This scrap “famine” has occurred for two reasons. Firstly, the mills, in an effort to compete with the Chinese (big joke there) have forced the price of scrap down so low that in many areas it doesn’t pay to pick it up. Auto wreckers won’t sell scrap at these levels and demolition jobs have been postponed because there is no longer a positive asset value, since the recovered metal is so cheap.

Add to that the fact that most “Mom and Pop” recycling companies have closed due to the lack of scrap and the fact that the mega-shredders have forced them out of business. Maybe bigger isn’t always better?

In the past eight years, some of the most predominant names in the scrap industry have either gone bankrupt leaving customers with huge amounts of unpaid scrap loads or they have just closed up and will never re-open, their yards worthless pieces of land because in the go-go years, who cared about the environment?

So how does one protect themselves against the possibility of selling scrap to someone and not get caught in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding?

You choose your recycler carefully. You make sure they have the necessary hazardous waste permits to process and store your overspray, chips, powders, filters, etc and you make sure they have receivable insurance to protect themselves from their consumers going bankrupt.

In the 2015-2016 periods, we have witnessed 5 of our major consumers slide into bankruptcy with three of them going Chapter 7. If we did not have insurance, these results would have been detrimental to the health of our company and in some cases, the health of our suppliers due to lack of payment. As well, having the necessary permits not only protects the generator, but protects the scrap dealer from the punishing fines associated with not abiding by the law.

Unfortunately we can’t turn back the hands of time, but we can learn from our mistakes, so take heed and be careful and like they say in the song, “Every little thing gonna be alright”.

Jeff Solomon, CEO
Globe Metal Inc.

Our Core Metals: Tungsten, Tantalum, Niobium, Cobalt, Nickel, Molybdenum, Chrome, Titanium

Forms We Recycle: Powder, Sludge, Grindings, Slag, Turnings, Solids, Filters

In today’s difficult business environment we are all looking to reduce costs and make ourselves more efficient.

One of the ways to reduce these costs is to recycle materials that would normally go to a landfill. Bag house filters are an item that can be expensive to dispose of due to the chemistries of some of the metals contained within.

There is good news concerning these filters. Technology exists to not only extract the metals from the filters but also allows for the filter to be reused in three more filtering cycles.

This non-destructive method is not only environmentally friendly but allows the owner of the filter to substantially reduce disposal costs as well as filter replacement costs. In some cases the owner of may even receive remuneration for the metals contained within.

The filter can be returned to 97% of the original OEM specification!

We have been recycling filters for years and have found it to be not only economical but we find it extremely gratifying to be contributing to the environmental health of the planet.