At Magnetech, we’re really passionate about making a difference in your business and in the environment. We do what we can to either recycle or upcycle your metals or –where necessary– find the correct method to dispose of your metals.
We even partner with a scrap metal artist in Grafton to help us facilitate this. But, you might be wondering why we’re so committed to keeping metal waste out of the environment.
Here’s why 👇
Heavy metals contaminate the earth
When heavy metals are littered or buried in the earth’s soil, it can lead to contamination. The contamination will spread throughout the soil and can often lead into other natural resources, like our oceans.
The most common metals found to cause issues are lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), and nickel. An accumulation of these metals in our soils can be really hazardous for the environment.
These metals affect our organic waste too
Metals don’t break down or go through chemical degradation. It means that they’ll stay in the soil and continue to contaminate the earth and the waste surrounding them.
It leads to the metal contaminating other organic waste and means that the organic waste which would have previously broken down quickly will now have inhibited biodegradation
We can preserve our natural resources
When we purchase and use new metal, we’ve used the earth’s resources to produce that metal. By recycling these materials, we can continue to use the same resources we drew on in the first place.
Producing these new metals also consumes a lot of energy. So, recycling metal allows us to prevent that excessive energy consumption, doing more for the planet.
Free up landfill space
Each year, Australians send 3.5kg of steel to landfill — which is enough to make 40,000 fridges. So, you can imagine how much metal waste is being sent from our workshops, industrial companies, and the transport industry.
By recycling or upcycling metal waste where we can, we're keeping this bulk amount of waste out of our landfills.
Reduce pollution and CO2 emissions
The steel industry is one of the biggest players when it comes to CO2 emissions. In fact, the steel industry contributes between 7 and 9 per cent of the direct emissions across the globe.
A great amount of heat and energy is required to produce steel and that energy comes from fossil fuel. The best thing we can do to combat this is to reduce our dependence on new steel products.
Of course, in engineering, transport, freight and logistics, and even agriculture, this isn’t possible. We can do our bit by recycling our metal waste to reduce the global demand for steel, and in turn, actively work to decrease carbon dioxide emissions.
Find out how we collect your scrap metal or learn about our commitment to the environment.