The UAE is leading the way when it comes to recycling metal — not only does the country make an effort to recycle 5 million tonnes every year, but they re-export 100,000 tonnes every year. This is a big investment into sustainability for the future and one that is essential. Around the world, as the earth’s resources are depleting at an alarming rate, and recycling has to be the way forward. It is a far better solution than mining and extracting metal in the long term. There does however, need to be a global initiative. Currently, there are too many trade sanctions and disagreements between countries that is affecting the progress in pushing forward international metal recycling efforts.
The impact of mining on the environment
Mining metals has an enormous impact on the environment in comparison to recycling. Not only is there the physical disturbance of the landscape, but also contamination to the soil and water during the process. The amount of waste rock can cover tens of thousands of acres in a large copper mine, and there is also the slag to consider — a byproduct of the smelting industry often left in piles hundreds of feet high. For wildlife in a mining area, this is completely devastating to their habitat. Mining is also a cause of air pollution. This has been the source of human health concerns for decades — in particular, the production of sulfur dioxide, which is the primary cause of acid rain.
What can I do to help?
On a small scale level you can make a conscious effort to take any metal that you are getting rid of to a professional scrap metal merchant. Gardner Metals, experts in Metal Recycling in Austin, TX recommend getting a container every six months and having a community drive to recycle metal. All types of aluminum from cans to window frames can be recycled, and all types of copper, stainless steel, brass and ferrous metals. Various types of electronics such as motherboards, power supplies and electric motors can also be recycled. Many metal recyclers pay for scrap on the spot, so this could be a vital funds to improve the community that you live in, or to invest in renewable energy schemes.
Metal recycling for the future
Next year there is a World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, which will be crucial in the UAE efforts to continue moving forward with the progress of metal recycling in the Middle East. As part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, this event will bring together more than 30,000 visitors from across the globe. The aim is to showcase pioneering technology that can help cut down eco-waste. These wide scale meetings are essential to bring together ideas. In the meantime we can only hope that world leaders, including industrial giants like America and China start working together, instead of against each other to increase metal recycling on a global scale.
If we are going to preserve the earth’s precious resources, we need to start recycling on a mainstream scale. Recycling your scrap metal at home may be a small ripple in the ocean, but it can start a worldwide tidal wave.