Education
Scrap Metal (the process, illegal dumping, guidelines for facilities)
Why Recycle Appliances
Abandoned Automobile Program
Scrap Metal
What is scrap metal waste?
Scrap metal includes ferrous metals such as iron and steel, and various nonferrous materials such as aluminum, copper, tin, brass, etc. Metal appliances include clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators, stoves, water heaters, and other metal household appliances.1 Appliance waste can be divided into refrigerants (Freon) and non-refrigerants containing appliances. Appliances containing refrigerants (Freon) can destroy the ozone layer if not properly recycled. Appliances are comprised of approximately 75% steel, which is recyclable. Typical metal wastes include;
- Refrigerator/freezers
- Ranges/ovens
- Washers/dryers
- Dishwashers
- Microwave ovens
- Dehumidifiers
- Room air conditioners
- Trash compactors
The Process - Four Stages: Collection, Processing, Shredding, and Sale
1. The best way to get rid of appliances is to have retailers collect when the new is dropped off.
2. Different components of appliances must be removed professionally. They are then sent to be crushed, bailed and/or shredded.
3. The scrap is then separated and compacted.
4. They are then sold to minimills, which process them to steel. Processing scrap metal to steel instead of virgin ore requires about 74% less energy. 5
Facts
- Steel content of appliances ranges from 25 to 125 pounds
- Appliances account for about 10% of the steel recycled by the recycling industry.3
- We throw away enough iron and steel to continuously supply all the nation’s automakers.
- Every day Americans use enough steel and tin cans to make a steel pipe running from Los Angeles to New York…and back.
- About 70% of all metal is used just once and is discarded.4
Benefits
- 97% Reduction in mining wastes
- 90% Savings in virgin materials use
- 86% Reduction in air pollution
- 76% Reduction in water pollution
- 74% Reduction in energy
- 40% Reduction in water use 5
In a year, the steel industry saves the equivalent energy to electrically power about 18 million households for a year. By recycling one ton of steel, 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone are conserved.
Problem with Illegal Dumping
Illegal dumping of appliances can lead to big problems:
- Groundwater pollution.
- Air pollution
- Can cause extra money to taxpayers for cleanup.
- Can be unpleasing to the eye.
- Impacts on wildlife and plant life.
- Exposure to hazards such as PCBs, CFCs & Mercury.6
Guidelines for scrap metal facilities:
Owners of metal stockpile sites are requested to provide the ND Department of Health a basic description of the facility site and its operation. The Department has information available on recyclers for metal materials. If a local recycler is not available, owners are asked to inform the Department on a regular basis of the amount and condition of stockpiled recyclable metals so that a statewide inventory can be maintained for interested recyclers.1
(Footnotes-include in the section)
1. Information gathered from Guideline 15 of the North Dakota State Health Dept. Web Site: www.health.state.nd.us
3. Information gathered from the Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. (ARCA). Web Site: www.arcainc.com/html/appliance_recycling_facts.html
4. Information gathered from Thomas Recycling Companies. Web Site www.thomasrecycling.com
5. Information gathered from ApplianceRecyclingInformationCenter(ARIC). Web Site: www.aham.org/aric/1aric.pdf
6. Information gathered from Project Green Sweep. Web Site: (www.ilgard.ohiou.edu/em/.../GreenSweep/FactSheets/EffectsofDumping.pdf)
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Why Recycle Appliances?
- Currently, 20 states ban appliances from being dumped into landfills.
- Major home appliances make up about 10% of the steel processed by the recycling industry.
- Typically, 75% of any household appliance is made of steel, America’s most recycled material.
- Older appliances may contain harmful materials such as mercury and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs); these substances need to be removed and managed properly before recycling an appliance. (ARCA - Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. Web site)
What are the effects of not recycling appliances?
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulations regarding the venting of
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), refrigerants (Freon). No person may vent CFCs into the air.
- Shredding PCB capacitors in appliances makes compliance with disposal rules impossible.
- Lead and mercury found in appliances may cause environmental problems if mishandled, shredded, or stored. (Guideline 15, ND State Department of Health Web site)
- Without refrigerant recovery, about four million pounds of ozone-depleting chemicals will escape from appliances each year. (EPA Brochure: Disposing of Appliances with Refrigerants)
What appliances are important to recycle?
- Appliances are generally divided into either refrigerants (Freon) containing or ones without refrigerants.
- Refrigerants containing appliances: refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners.
- Appliances that do not contain refrigerants: stoves and ranges, washers and dryers, dishwashers, and microwaves. (SHWEC - Solid & Hazardous Waste Education Center)
What’s the Process?
- Proper appliance recycling includes the removal or management of ammonia, antifreeze, asbestos, CFCs, chromate solutions, batteries, mercury and PCBs. (“Guidelines for Appliance Recycling,” J.R.’s Appliance Disposal, Inc.)
- Avoid trying to recover the refrigerant (Freon) yourself; only a professional with proper equipment should recover these chemicals. (EPA Brochure)
- From there, appliances are recycled, usually, using a process, which shreds the entire product into small pieces.
- These pieces pass under a magnet which pulls out all the steel parts (other non-ferrous,metals should be recycled); the remaining debris is usually composed of plastic and glass and is then landfilled. (SHWEC - Solid & Hazardous Waste Education Center) : 701-328-5166
Fargo: 701-476-4121
- For more information concerning regulations, please call the North Dakota Department of Health 701-328-5166.
Who can you call to recycle an appliance?
- When a new appliance is delivered, many retailers will offer to recycle your old appliance;
however, they may charge a fee for this.
- Your community has a resource guide listing qualified service providers. Contact a scrap dealer or your local appliance dealer or visit this regional recyclers page.
- Scrap yards and recycling centers often will accept appliances. Some recyclers do charge fees for appliances that contain refrigerants. (SHWEC - Solid & Hazardous Waste Education Center )
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The Abandoned Automobile Program:
To recycle automobiles contact an auto recycler/scrap yard (see the directory list). Another resource that may be available is the Abandoned Automobile Program. Local Health Districts with the help of the State Health Department administer a program to pick up unwanted motor vehicles and other scrap metal, in a few counties each year, through the Abandoned Automobile Program. Persons interested in this program should contact their local Health District or the State Health Department's Division of Waste Management.
Contact Info:
ND Department of Health
Bismarck: 701-328-5166
Fargo: 701-476-4121
Service Resource or Guidelines on Proper Disposal and Storage: