Considerations For a Successful Industrial Recycling
Recycling your industrial materials saves you money and reduces the strain on natural resources. It also minimizes greenhouse gases and other waste pollutants that occur as landfills break down.
Besides the environmental benefits, recycling boosts your company’s green image and may become a competitive advantage. There are several recycling centers, including buy-back and drop-off centers.
Types of Materials
Industrial recycling includes various activities, including salvaging constituent materials from complex products that would otherwise be thrown away. These are often of high intrinsic value, such as gold from printed circuit boards or lead from car batteries or thermometers. Industrial waste recycling also reduces the raw materials needed to produce new products, which can cut manufacturing costs and limit reliance on foreign energy sources.
Almost all industries generate recyclable waste, from pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to chemicals and metals. Generally, these wastes are separated from other types of garbage and transported to a recycling center or material recovery facility (MRF). There, they’re cleaned and sorted by type, then shredded or crushed into bales to be sold to manufacturers for remanufacture into new products.
There are several industrial recycling materials, but the most common are glass, paper and metals. Each of these has multiple potential uses for recycled products, with some companies, such as BMW, boasting that their cars are made largely from such materials (95% in the case of aluminum).
Other recyclables have less versatile applications, such as the clear PET plastic used for soda bottles or the opaque HDPE plastic found in milk and detergent jugs. Some materials are more eco-friendly than others, reflected in their market cost. For example, copper is more easily recycled than iron, and 80% of the aluminum produced has already been recycled.
However, some ecological costs of producing and importing raw materials should be factored into market prices. It can be addressed by legal means such as carbon taxes or by introducing economic externalities into the pricing of goods.
Source Separation
Industrial recycling isn’t always at the forefront of manufacturers’ minds, but it has various benefits for their operations and corporate image. This type of recycling focuses on the reusable materials used in manufacturing, such as metals and other scrap. By implementing this program into their operations, manufacturers can save money in the long run by using materials on hand rather than ordering new ones from the supplier.
It can help cut down on maintenance costs, rent dumpsters, and pay disposal companies to remove unused materials. Another benefit of introducing industrial recycling is the reduced environmental impact that it causes. Industrial recycling lowers the need to generate raw materials, preserving natural resources and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling also uses significantly less energy than developing new materials from the earth.
Furthermore, recycling waste materials creates more jobs than landfills or incinerators, including drivers, sorters, and material recovery facility managers. These workers are paid wages, which boosts the economy and helps to strengthen the country’s finances. It is especially important as many consumers are looking to purchase products made from recycled materials. Using recycled materials in manufacturing also adds value to a company’s brand image, as customers prefer to align themselves with environmentally friendly companies.
Commingled
Industrial recycling is a process that involves the conversion of old or used materials into new reusable products. This process helps reduce the amount of trash disposed of and minimizes the environmental impacts created when waste is discarded.
Recycling helps to preserve the earth’s natural resources and reduces the need to mine or extract fresh raw materials. It, in turn, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and conserves energy. Almost all manufacturing and industrial processes produce some waste product. This waste material can be recycled and reused in many different ways to help promote the green economy.
Recycling industrial materials must be collected and transported to a processing center. The materials will then be sorted and separated by the type of material that they are made from, such as metals, plastics, paper, or glass. The quality of the recyclate will also determine where it goes next. For example, quality steel will go to a steel mill, while low-quality metal will be used for other purposes, such as making fences or car parts.
Recycling industrial waste can create up to nine times more jobs than landfills and incinerators. The transportation, processing and reselling of industrial waste requires various skill sets. It, in turn, helps to strengthen the national economy and provides a more stable workforce.
Recycling Equipment
There are a variety of industrial recycling equipment options. Wire granulators, for example, can recover copper and aluminum from industrial cables and wiring. Hydraulic shears can cut scrap metal into smaller, more manageable sizes. Dispersers and cyclone light fiber recyclers can separate waste materials into clean fractions that meet high-quality standards for secondary markets.
The global waste recycling equipment market is growing due to increased awareness of preserving natural resources and energy. Governments are increasing their recycling efforts and passing laws to promote it. It is boosting the demand for industrial recycling equipment.
Using recycled materials can save companies money in several ways. It cuts costs by lowering the price of raw materials and by decreasing other operational costs, such as renting dumpsters or paying disposal companies to haul away unused materials. In addition, using recycled materials can improve a company’s reputation by showing customers that it cares for the environment.
Industrial recycling can be very profitable, and if your company can afford to purchase the necessary machinery, it can save you money in the long run. Ensure you understand the process before buying and determine the equipment best for your plant.
