Celebrating Earth Day!

Today marks 50 years since the founding of Earth Day, the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Steel dominates construction across a variety of industries because of its durability, ductility, and strength. What many people don't know is that steel can be recycled, which helps minimize the carbon footprint of your building project.  Steel products can be recycled repeatedly without loss of strength.

In celebration, here are some fun facts on how the Steel industry has had a significant positive impact on the environment:

• More than 80 million tons of steel are recycled each year in North America.
• All 99 pounds of steel in the average major appliance can be recycled to make new steel products.
• Almost 69 percent of all steel is recycled in North America each year - more than paper, aluminum, plastic & glass combined.
• New technology in steel makes it possible to build a high-rise building with at least 3 percent less steel than 20 years ago.

The process of recycling steel is relatively simple. It starts with a shredding machine that breaks the material apart, which then gets turned into smaller pieces. Once broken down, the recycled steel is melted in an electric arc furnace. Refining/purifying is the next step, which eliminates dirt, debris, particles, and other impurities. The refined steel is adjusted to the proper carbon content and usually cast into solid billets.  These billets are then reheated later and worked into the familiar steel shapes we see every day like angles, flats, and channels.