Inspiring Recycling - A Few Fun Facts About Steel

Steel – it’s a material that you depend on every second of every day, yet probably never give a second thought to. And why would you – just as long as it’s doing its job, there’s no cause for concern! True enough, but it’s nonetheless courteous to occasionally take a second or two to consider just how about 99% of the world would literally fall to pieces were it not for steel.

Around the world, approximately 1.3 billion tons of steel are made every year – the numbers are pretty awe-inspiring. And what’s more, pretty much every single item that contains steel you will ever come across features recycled steel primarily. It would be wholly impossible to keep meeting the world’s need for steel without recycling, so next time you hand us an old rust-bucket you thought was no use to anyone, you can smile in the knowledge you’re helping to keep the world moving!

Check out the following fast facts that might just drive the point home:

America Leads the Way

Unsurprisingly, America is king of the hill when it comes to steel recycling. Bearing in mind that this is just one country, the fact that they recycle a full 80 million tons of steel every year is impressive to say the least. You might have read into the stereotype of the USA being a bit of a wasteful country – you might want to think again in this respect!

Recycled Steel Helps Reduce Air Pollution

There are two very important ways by which recycled steel helps keep the world’s air clean for everyone. First of all, to recycle steel means to use so much less energy than to make brand new steel, the emissions produced during the process really cannot be compared. And what’s more, each year sees new techniques being applied to make recycled steel lighter than ever before, which means less fuel being needed to power steel vehicles and cleaner air for all!

Steel Homes Are Eco Wonders

The idea of a steel home might sound a bit weird if you’re used to the stone or wooden way of life. However, considering that with just four cars’ worth of steel you could build a home than would otherwise mean chopping down 40 mature trees, you begin to realise just how good for the environment steel homes can be.

Lightening the Load

Most skyscrapers dating back a few decades at least use tens of thousands of tons of steel in their construction. If however they were to be taken down and rebuilt using modern steel, they would on average weigh only half as much as they did the first time around – that’s how efficient today’s recycled steel is!

Powering the Planet

Last but not least, when it comes to energy savings alone the steel recycling industry is simply astonishing. Each year, the global industry saves enough energy to provide a full year of electricity to 18 million family homes.