Despite slumping scrap prices, steel remained one of the most recycled materials in the U.S., according to the Steel Recycling Institute (SRI), Pittsburgh.
Steel was recycled at a 67.8 percent rate in the U.S. in 2001, according to the SRI, a 57 percent increase over the 2000 rate. Nearly 66 million tons of steel scrap was recycled in the U.S. in 2001.
Due to the way it calculates its recycling rate, the SRI came up with a 101.9 percent recycling rate for automotive steel in 2001. The association cited lightweight and longer-lasting steel used in newer models as the reason for the above 100 percent figure. “Because high-strength steels provide more protection with less mass, the steel industry recycled more steel from automobiles than was utilized in the production of new vehicles,” says Bill Heenan, SRI president.
Steel beams and plate generated at construction and demolition sites was recycled at a 95 percent clip, according to SRI, while reinforcing bar used along with concrete was recycled at a 50 percent rate.
Appliances were recycled at an 85 percent rate in 2001 (up slightly over 2000), while the steel can recycling remained relatively flat at a 58 percent rate. More than 200 million steel cans were recycled in the U.S. last year, according to the SRI.
The overall numbers are encouraging, says Heenan. “While many anti-recyclers continue to say that recycling is a waste, our database indicates that 57 new curbside programs were established in 2001, thus allowing additional Americans to participate in the greening of America,” he remarks. “Recycling continues to be more popular than democracy as more Americans recycled in 2001 than voted for president in 2000,” he adds.