Nov 16 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012 will be the 15th annual America Recycles Day. This is a nationally recognized day for Americans to pledge to pitch in and do their part to save the country's natural resources through recycling. A program of Keep America Beautiful, America Recycles Day promotes activities to boost recycling awareness and participation across the U.S.
Steel is the most recycled material in the world. According to the Green Team, the steel industry recycles 19 billion steel cans each year— about 600 cans per second. Eighty million tons of steel are recycled annually in North America.
Steel is economical to recycle because its magnetic qualities make it easy to separate from the solid waste stream. Steel does not lose any of its inherent qualities of strength, regardless of how many times it is recycled. Metals like steel are always welcomed by recyclers.
Recycled steel is a very environmentally-friendly construction material. Prefabricated metal building systems like those from RHINO Steel Building Systems of Denton, Texas, are manufactured to take full advantage of the strength of steel, so fewer building pieces are needed. The building components are cut, welded, and drilled at the factory to reduce waste at the job site. If there is any steel left at the end of the project, it can be sold as scrap and recycled again.
Steel buildings can last decades longer than other building materials. At the end of a steel building's usefulness, the steel framing can be recycled and reused again, instead of ending up in a landfill.
RHINO's steel framing contains an average 89% recycled material.