SCRAP UTILIZATION IN THE NORTH AMERICAN STEEL INDUSTRY

Steel is a unique material because it always contains recycled steel. Each year, millions of tons of pre- and post-consumer steel products, including used steel cans, appliances, automobiles and construction materials, are recycled by steel mills into every ton of new steel produced.

The Steel Recycling Institute announced a recycling rate for steel of 83.3 percent in 2008. In addition, all new steel made last year contained a minimum of 25 percent steel scrap on average. To maintain this year-to-year recycling rate, the steel industry has become an efficient user of raw materials and has increased its demand for post-consumer scrap. The steel industry is one of the largest consumers of recycled materials in the world.

Even with this success, however, steelmaking continues to seek opportunities to further improve recycling stream, increase reuse of co-products and byproducts, and reduce releases to the environment.

Case history: The Inherent Recycled Content Of Today's Steel