Scrap metal arises among other industrial sectors in steel construction, mechanical engineering or automobile production, and is allocated to two main groups: ferrous scrap, like steel and cast iron scrap, and non-ferrous scrap, like copper, aluminium, zinc and lead. Furthermore a difference is made between old and new scrap.
Old scrap arises from the recovery from other waste materials and also from the demolition of buildings and industrial plant. New scrap arises in production as a result of the technological process.
Old scrap should be separated by type during the collection process. This presorting reduces subsequent effort and costs. In the recycling process the scrap will be stripped of non-metallic materials, shredded and pressed before being returned to the recycling loop. This loop is closed as the quality of the pure metal coming from the smelter is just as high as if scrap had not been used. The steel industry in Germany recycles each year 20 million tonnes of old scrap.
