Recycling Industry

Recycling Industry – Falcon Metals is proud to be a participant in the Recycling Industry, conserving energy, protecting our environment & adding value to our economy.

The American scrap recycling industry directly employs over 30,000 people. Last year, the estimated value of scrap materials produced topped $30 billion. Two out of every three pounds of new steel produced in the United States is made from ferrous scrap while 60 percent of the non-ferrous metals and alloys produced in North America are made from nonferrous scrap and over 40 percent of the paper industry’s needs are met through the use of scrap paper & cardboard.

Last year in the United States alone, scrap recyclers handled more than 130 million tons of recyclables destined for domestic use and overseas markets. This tonnage included approximately:

• 70 million tons of scrap iron and steel
• 60 million tons of scrap paper and paperboard
• 4.1 million tons of scrap aluminum
• 1.5 million tons of scrap copper
• 1.1 million tons of scrap stainless steel
• 1.4 million tons of scrap lead
• 248,000 tons of scrap zinc
• 3.5 million tons of scrap glass or cullet (beverage containers only)
• 300,000 tons of scrap plastic (beverage containers only)
• 56 million scrap tires

This scrap is collected for beneficial reuse, conserving impressive amounts of energy & natural resources in the recycling process. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S.A energy savings from the recycled materials that would otherwise be destined for landfills compared to using ores and other virgin materials to make new product are:

  • Recycled Aluminum – 95 percent energy savings
  • Recycled Copper – 85 percent energy savings
  • Recycled Plastic – 80 percent energy savings
  • Recycled Steel – 74 percent energy savings
  • Recycled Paper – 64 percent energy savings

Today, the scrap recycling industry in the United States is a sophisticated, capital-intensive industry, preparing millions of tons of scrap for reuse each & every year.

  • Recycling Saves Natural Resources
  • Recycling Saves Energy
  • Recycling Saves our Environment
  • Recycling Adds Value to our Economy
  • Recycling is Good Business

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We bridge the gap between industrial scrap producers and metal mills