| When it comes to recycling metal, you have to | | | | Ferrous means the metal has large iron content. |
| look at three things. Is it a precious metal, or is it | | | | Steel and iron recycling is the most abundant and |
| ferrous or is it non-ferrous? Let's look first at the | | | | the most prosperous in the world. Everything |
| precious metals; more specifically what makes a | | | | from the shavings left from fabricating and |
| metal precious? Actually, it is the rarity and the | | | | welding to the actual red colored beams are |
| price. Gold and silver are precious metals, as are | | | | gathered up to be re-melted and reused. Cars, |
| all the metals in the platinum family: palladium, | | | | trains, ships and silos are also recycled. Smelting |
| osmium, ruthenium and rhodium. Perhaps you | | | | raw iron can be environmentally toxic. Re-smelting |
| have never heard of half of these, but they are | | | | cuts emission considerably. Not only that, it is |
| all used in electronics and high tech products | | | | easier because the metal has already been freed |
| because they do not corrode easily. You don't | | | | of impurities, whereas the raw iron has not. |
| think of precious metal's monetary values in | | | | That leaves the non-ferrous metals, which |
| pennies per pounds, but in dollars per ounce. Yes, | | | | obviously do not contain large amounts of iron. |
| jewelry can be recycled and melted down. You | | | | Copper, aluminum, lead and tin consumption world |
| hear ads for companies who will pay you cash for | | | | wide is 40% recycled metals today. That's |
| your old broken gold or sterling silver chains. But | | | | exciting. Recycling of non-ferrous metal ore has |
| very few metals are "pure". Gold can be mixed | | | | been around for almost a century, so it is widely |
| with copper or nickel for strength as can silver be | | | | accepted. The result, as with other recycling |
| mixed with other metals. You have to know the | | | | methods is less pollution and less energy loss in |
| chemical make-up of the precious metal to | | | | the manufacturing. I am sure you have heard of |
| determine its recycling price. Did you know for | | | | copper thieves steeling cable wires. Copper |
| example, that silver can be extracted from | | | | recycling can be a lucrative business because it is |
| X-rays? | | | | so well known. But beware. More and more |
| The U.S Department of Defense (DoD) has led | | | | regulation in the United States as to who can sell |
| the way in recycling the platinum metals because | | | | copper back to the plants is in process. Very |
| they are used so readily in high-tech weaponry. In | | | | soon you won't have to have a Doberman |
| the past 25 years, it is estimated that over $235 | | | | watching that cable or gas line coming into your |
| million dollars have been saved through DoD | | | | house because skirting the law will be too much |
| recycling. That will hardly balance the Federal | | | | of a hassle. |
| budget, but it's a good start. | | | | |