At Peel Scrap, our family has been in the recycling business for more than 100 years now. We’re not sure about the exact quantity of metals we have managed to keep in circulation over that period, but it’s safe to say it’s in the millions of tons.
One of the tenets of our business is to try, wherever we can, to promote the idea of responsible recycling to businesses and individuals in the communities we serve.
A Brief History of Recycling
Recycling, as a practice, has actually been around for thousands of years. Before the Industrial Age began, it was impossible to make goods quickly. As a result, raw materials were very valuable, so recycling and re-use were extremely common practices. Because nobody wanted to waste anything.
With the advent of the Industrial age, recycling took on a new importance because of the problem posed by disposable goods being turned into waste, which created extreme health hazards in the areas where organic waste was dumped.
As manufacturing systems improved, the practicality of recycling waste materials grew with it, mainly because re-smelting of scrap metals was seen as both practical and profitable and another innovation in an age of innovations.
In the lean years and war years of the 1930s and 40s, recycling became a practical necessity, as you might well imagine, as there was less money available to buy new goods, and more manufacturing was geared towards the war effort.
In the 1960s, with the advent of the environmental movement, which was really a response to the lack of recycling in the post WW II era, recycling as an act of good and responsible citizenship began to grow.
This movement created the first Earth Day in 1970, and really brought about a mass acceptance of recycling and its utility, especially in more developed societies.
Global Recycling Day
One of the organizations we support is the Global Recycling Foundation, which is one of several entities that promotes responsible recycling all over the world.
On March 18th this organization holds a recycling awareness event called Global Recycling Day. This event was established in 2018 to create awareness for the critical importance that recycling plays in our world today.
Their primary objective is to actively promote the attitude among people all around the world that thinking ‘resource’ instead of ‘waste’ can make a substantial difference in the amount of recyclable materials that ends up in landfills and part of the huge waste problem we have today.
This runs along very much the same path as our own philosophy here at Peel, which is summed up in our company base line, New Life For Old Metals.
But in order for the idea of recycling to become part of the solution on a large scale, we all need to start thinking of Global Recycling Day as more than just special day in March, but something we should be conscious of all year long.
We need to incorporate that ‘resource not waste’ thinking into our consciousness, and learn how to make informed decisions about where and how we can recycle more of the materials we discard after their use.
We are always happy to answer any questions that people or businesses might have about the how and where of recycling. Because responsible recycling extends beyond the range of metals and end-of-life electronics that we specifically recycle.
We would also encourage people to find out more about responsible recycling though things such as:
Joining or Attending A Recycling Event: Recycling events can be surprisingly fun (and educational). For instance, an event in Missouri involves making bracelets from plastic shopping bags, doing a composting activity, and building something out of recycled goods. Look for events in your area, bring your friends, and get involved. The more you know, the more you can make a difference!
Becoming Fully Committed: Recycling is more than just dumping cans into a recycling bin (although that’s part of it). There’s so much more you can do! Make your commitment to reduce, reuse, recycle, and buy recycled products wherever that’s possible.
Sharing Insights: Social media is a great way for you to talk about and share your commitment to recycling. Simple post about the things you learn about recycling, and the recycling you do every day, will encourage others to become more aware of its importance. When it comes to recycling, knowledge really is power and you have to share.
In today’s world, the mining of raw metals and other materials is one of the biggest contributing factors to carbon emissions, which in turn contributes significantly to the climate change we are currently experiencing. So the more reprocessing the recycling industry can do, the better it will be for the planet.
But it all starts with you, and the choices you make in your personal life or in your business.
We can all make every day a Global Recycling Day. And we will all reap the benefits. To find out more about this event visit https://www.globalrecyclingday.com/
Download Our Mobile App
Just a reminder that our mobile app is available in both mobile operating systems.
The app is free to download and available at both the I-Tunes and Google Play stores. It will keep you current on prices in addition to providing other useful links and information. (Search: Peel Scrap Metal Recycling).