How Is The UK Scrap Metal Industry Today?

For a long time, the scrap metal industry has been a vital sector of the UK economy, and it remains so today. In the nineteenth century, the UK led the Industrial Revolution, with almost 50% of the world’s steel and iron produced on its shores.

Scrap metal industry today

Up to half of all metal manufactured in the UK today is made of recycled materials. Recycling metal is an essential facet of the production process now and for the years to come.

Essential facts about metal recycling:

• Recycled metals can be turned into new metal products.
• The production of metal products from recycled materials is also the most economical and eco-friendly system for businesses and the industry.
• Recycling metals saves the natural deposits of minerals and minimizes CO2 emissions and the energy consumption required in mining raw materials.

The UK scrap metal market.

The scrap metal market in the UK is divided into two metal categories: ferrous and non-ferrous metals. All ferrous metals contain iron and various alloy combinations, e.g. cast iron and steel and are magnetic. Scrapping and recycling metals doesn’t cost much these days and are now the central part of metal scrap recycling and trading, and the UK has over 1500 scrap yards, with combined revenue of £5bn per year.

Today’s familiar sources of ferrous metals include:

• Household equipment.
• End-of-life road vehicles.
• End-of-life electronic equipment.
• Waste electricals.

Non-ferrous metals cover a range of metals, such as lead, titanium, aluminium, and copper are in this category. Still, they are only valuable to scrap yards when free of contaminants, e.g. tar, rubber and other materials. Non-ferrous metals are graded in the UK for their quality and purity, with prices paid to customers depending on the metal grade offered.

What is the latest scrap metal legislation in the UK?

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act was enacted in 2013 to provide better consumer protection. As of 2013, all scrap metal dealers have to apply for a license from their local council authority to be scrap metal dealers. It has been illegal for scrap metal recyclers to pay for scrap in cash since 2013, with only electronic payments and cheques permitted today. At Reclamet, you can sell your scrap metal to us for recycling with complete confidence. We use the latest and best technology for processing ferrous and non-ferrous metals and guarantee total accuracy in our weighing.

Every customer gets paid accurately what their scrap is worth to the nearest penny.

For further information about our metal recycling service, please don’t hesitate to contact our experienced team today or visit Reclamet’s yard to see for yourself.

Call Reclamet, The scrap metal specialists you can rely on.

Call: 01843 800800
Email: enquiries@reclamet.co.uk