| In North America, the most common material | | | | about 95% recycled content. Lighter, flat |
| recycled is Steel. Counting back to more than | | | | rolled steel only contains roughly 30% |
| 150 years ago the steel industry has recycled | | | | recycled materials. Since steel beams are |
| such materials on a daily basis in mass | | | | made to be a standard dimension, a small |
| quantities due to the economical advantages. | | | | amount of waste is produced while in |
| Since recycling is far more economically | | | | construction. The little amount that is |
| smart than paying workers to mine the iron | | | | produced during construction can be recycled. |
| ore and go through the procedures of | | | | Steel has advantages over wood in many ways. |
| production to form new steel which is no | | | | A few are stability, quality, and for |
| better than recycled. This is because while | | | | economic reasons. A normal 2000 square-foot |
| recycling no physical properties are lost | | | | two-level house would use about five to six |
| during the process and requires far less | | | | recycled cars for its steel frame. On the |
| energy and materials than if we were to | | | | other hand using wood can require up to if |
| refine from iron ore into new steel. The | | | | not more than 40-50 trees. |
| annual consumption of energy has been reduced | | | | |
| by more around 75% each year due to the | | | | Each year the demand for steel strengthens. |
| recycling of steel. To understand how much | | | | There is a fair amount of steel that exists |
| energy this is, nearly eighteen million homes | | | | today and most is actively used daily. |
| could be powered for one whole year. In 2005 | | | | However, recycled steel has to be augmented |
| alone over 76 million tons of steel was | | | | by a "first-use" metal, extracted from raw |
| recycled. For each ton of recycled steel, | | | | materials. Automobiles, cans, appliances are |
| 630k kilograms of coal, 55kg of limestone, | | | | a few of the more common steels recycled |
| and 1,100kg of iron ore is saved. | | | | daily. Typical automobiles are roughly 66% |
| | | | iron and steel and appliances are a smaller |
| In the past years, about 75% of all produced | | | | amount lower at 65% steel by weight. |
| steel has been recycled. Most industrial | | | | Recycling the steel usually happens through |
| steel such as structural plates and beams are | | | | the interlaced steel mills and the standard |
| recycled 97.5% of the time in 2004 and 2005. | | | | oxygen routine. Most steel is normally |
| For other varieties of steel elements like | | | | electrically melted by a furnace or for high |
| reinforcement bars the recycling rate is a | | | | alloyed products a furnace for induction is |
| bit lower at 65%. Due to this high recycle | | | | used. |
| rate most structured steel usually contains | | | | |