Australia is one of the biggest producers of scrap metal worldwide and as such, there is a multitude of benefits to recycling it. For starters, scrap metal recycling can help decrease the amount of waste being sent to landfill. It also has a significant effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving energy which can be used in other sectors. Recycling scrap metal also helps prevent the depletion of our natural resources, by extracting and replacing them with new ones which have been made from recycled materials.
The most commonly recycled metal in Australia is copper scrap. This may not seem like a significant amount however we would look at the global figure before trying to make comparisons. The global annual amount of copper scrap generated is 2.6 million tonnes per year out of which 8 million tonnes is recycled worldwide. Although 20 per cent of all copper scrap was recycled worldwide in 2015, it still constitutes only 3 per cent by weight of all the scrap metals consumed globally that year.
There are a number of ways in which Australia can benefit from recycling scrap metal. One benefit is the reduction of landfill space. In 2011, Australia generated approximately 3500 tonnes of waste per day and only recycled 1000 tonnes, accounting for 0.24 per cent of all the waste being produced. In comparison to the UK and other European countries where they recycle at much higher rates, it shows that there is still a long way to go before we reach a point where we can completely rely on recycling metals as an alternative to disposing of them in landfills.
Recycling scrap metal could potentially fund financial support for charities that provide services to people in need including health care and education. The environmental benefits that come with recycling scrap metal also go far beyond Australia's borders.
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