subject: Do Your Bit For The Environment And Recycle Scrap Metal [print this page] When you get home this afternoon, from school or work, take a moment to have a quick look around your garage or shed. What do you see? Nothing? Then look harder. If you are like most Australians, its likely that these areas of your property have become the hoarding ground for all of the scrap metal that you come across in your daily life. Whilst you might have once told yourself that you might need it one day, I think its safe to say that that time has come and gone and now its time to get rid of it.
Getting rid of all the scrap metal that you have accumulated over the years will do much more than just free up some much needed space in your garage or backyard shed. You will actually be doing something very good for the environment, as when metal is left to sit around it will begin to rust, leaching all sorts of chemicals and toxins into the ground beneath it. This is especially problematic if you have an old car sitting in your front yard, as it will be full of all sorts of fluids that can harm the environment have you noticed that the grass around the car is dead?
The other great thing that you will be doing for the environment by recycling scrap metal is lessening the need to mine ore from the earth. As most metals can be melted down and reset into new shapes, it can be continuously used over and over again. When scrap is thrown into landfill or stored away instead of being recycled, however, the demand for the various metals used in production and manufacturing will increase; the only way to get more is to extract it from deep within the earths crust. This can cause all sorts of issues for the earth, not to mention use up all of our natural resources.
If you are the kind of person who thinks of themselves as being environmentally friendly, you need to take a good long look at your storage habits. Do you have scrap metal just sitting around not being used? If so, then you really do need to recycle it, putting it back into circulation and lessening the strain that has been placed on the environment. And the next time you find some scrap metal lying around your home, dont just leave it to fester and take it to your local recycling centre. Do your bit for the environment.
