Stainless steel is all around us. In our kitchen draws, in our dentist’s office, even in our skyscrapers.
The good news is all this shiny metal doesn’t have to go to waste once it has passed its prime. Not only is it recyclable, but it also has a value as scrap metal.
Yet, there’s more to the environmental impact of metal than where it goes when we’re done with it. Are there other reasons why the eco-conscious should avoid this common metal alloy?
What is stainless steel?
Stainless steel is a common and highly useful material that has found its way into all corners of our lives. Stainless steel objects you will be familiar with include cutlery, jewellery, and even surgical equipment.
In technical terms, stainless steel is a group of ferrous alloys. This means they are metal made by mixing iron with other metals or elements.
The alloying elements mixed with iron to make stainless steel are non-ferrous metals such as chromium and aluminium, and other components like carbon and silicone.
Chromium is the most common and important alloy, as it prevents corrosion common in steel, by creating a ‘passive’ layer that protects the metal from reacting so easily.
Mixing in other alloys helps to create different grades of stainless steel that can be utilised for different purposes.
Can stainless steel be recycled?
The good news for all of you, keen recyclers out there, is that stainless steel is highly recyclable.
Not only is it suitable for the recycling process, but it also has a high value, meaning that the recycling process is economically viable.
While it may not seem that important to the consumer, materials that allow recycling companies to make money are more likely to be collected and processed.
The stainless steel recycling process is relatively simple as it is so common to use recycled stainless steel in the production of new products.
Did you know? It’s estimated that 60% of the stainless steel used in the manufacturing process is recycled. And the only reason this isn’t higher is that the demand for old stainless steel far outstrips the supply.
How to recycle stainless steel
So how can you scrap stainless steel? Keep in mind that most places that take scrap metal will usually take stainless steel scrap as well.
While kerbside collections won’t always accept items other than tins and cans, household recycling centres will usually take stainless steel for recycling.
Some workplaces also have a specific stainless steel recycling bin. These containers are provided by recycling companies and are usually for mixed scrap metals rather than just stainless steel.
These stainless steel recycling containers may even earn the company that uses them some money and can be handy if you work somewhere with a lot of stainless steel scrap.
What is scrap stainless steel worth?
Recycling stainless steel isn’t necessarily just an environmental choice. For many people, stainless steel recycling also provides them with some income.
Stainless steel recycle value changes regularly, but count around £400-600 per tonne. For high-grade stainless steel, the value can be higher.
Environmental impact of steel
While recyclability is a great environmental plus, it’s still important to know whether stainless steel is sustainable in other ways.
Here are a few other environmental ups and downs of this handy material.
Longevity
Aside from recyclability one of the biggest environmental selling points for stainless steel has to be its longevity.
One of the main reasons we turn to this corrosion-resistant metal is because we want to create products that last.
The lifespan of the average stainless steel product is expected to be several decades at a minimum. Often it isn’t damage that leads to products being recycled but because they have gone out of fashion or have been replaced with newer models.
Raw materials
Although the high use of recycled products within stainless steel is fantastic, some raw products still have to go into the creation of new stainless steel items.
Largely this consists of iron and any alloys required for construction. These are mostly obtained through quarrying. Although all quarried materials are naturally finite, iron is one of the most common elements found on the planet, meaning it is highly available.
Environmental damage can occur during the quarry process, using high amounts of recycled products will significantly reduce this impact. Yet until we consume only as much as we recycle it will not be possible to close this loop.
Energy footprint use
Producing stainless steel is an energy-hungry process, as with the production of all metals.
Coal is still used in some areas, even though electricity is being used in the process more regularly.
While much of this electricity will still be linked to fossil fuels, some countries where stainless steel is produced are turning more and more to renewable energies, meaning this energy footprint could be decreased.
End of life
The vast majority of stainless steel is recycled, however, while construction industries have an excellent record for recycling almost 100% of their stainless steel, individual homeowners can be a little slacker.
Therefore, it’s not unknown for stainless steel products to end their life in a landfill. The good news is that stainless steel is very safe, and will not leach unpleasant toxins into the soil and water.
Even better, because of its low corrosion levels, it will likely persist in the landfill for a long time.
This might not sound like such a good thing but many companies are already digging up old landfills to mine out metals and other valuable recyclables.
This means that stainless steel thoughtlessly thrown out today could be dug up and recycled in the future. Of course, it’s still much better to recycle it straight away, but it’s good to know it may not be lost forever.
Final thoughts
Wondering if stainless steel is welcomed in your eco-friendly kitchen?
Like everything we create, stainless steel has its own environmental footprint. The good news is it is easily and readily recycled, and that high levels of recycled content are used in its production.
The bad news is that sourcing the raw materials involves destructive mining, and its production uses high levels of energy, some of it coming from fossil fuels.
So while shiny and new may have its appeal it’s worth remembering the value in second-hand, because even recycling has its own footprint to leave behind.
