Recycled Metals in the United States: A Sustainable Resource

摘要

The metal forms of the metallic elements are almost the only mineral-derivedmaterials that are recycled on a commercially and environmentally important scale. In 1990 secondary (recycled) metals produced in the United States were worth $37 billion, only $2 billion less than the value of primary (newly mined) metals. Twenty-two metals for which secondary recovery is important, in terms of quantity and/or value, are shown in the table below. Also included are the six platinum metals, represented as a group. In both quantity and value, iron, with its myriad steel alloys, is more important than all other metals combined. Five metals--iron, aluminum, copper, lead, and zinc--account for well over 99% of the quantity and just over 92% of the value of all secondary metal produced.