Recycling

Each year, American steelmaking furnaces consume nearly 70 million tons of domestic steel scrap in the production of new steel. Recycling is at the very heart of the steel industry’s commitment to sustainability. By using steel scrap to make new steel, the American steel industry conserves energy, emissions, raw materials and natural resources.

This need for a continuous feedstock of steel scrap directly drives the recycling of many common steel products, including cans, cars, appliances, and construction materials. And, the physical characteristics of steel enable it to be recycled continuously—without loss of quality or strength.

The industry’s commitment to recycling reaches beyond the material itself. In fact, greater than 90 percent of the co-products from the steel making process are reused or recycled. This includes products, like slag, water, gasses, dusts and energy.

This commitment drives the reduction of steel’s environmental footprint, while producing advanced, highly recycled steel products that meet an advancing society’s needs.

Additional Resources

• Residential Solid Waste Recycling and Disposal