Facts, figures and specifications.
Why urban recycling beats mining — measured in energy, carbon and water, with the recycling facts behind the materials we trade every day.
95%
energy saved recycling aluminum
∞
metals recycle endlessly without losing quality
Paper
- Cardboard has one of the highest recycling rates worldwide.
- Paper can be recycled 5–7 times before the fiber degrades.
- Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water and 4,000 kWh of electricity.
Electronics & Batteries
- Less than 20% of global e-waste is properly recycled.
- 1 ton of old smartphones contains more gold than 1 ton of gold ore.
- Improper battery recycling causes toxic groundwater pollution and fire risks at landfills.
Metals
- Metals can be recycled infinitely without ever losing quality — a permanent resource for a circular economy.
- More recycling and less mining means more energy saved, less air pollution and a stronger economy.
- Waste from extraction (mud, rock, toxic chemicals) is eliminated by up to 95%, and deforestation is prevented.
Per ton of metal produced.
Swipe horizontally to see all columns
| Metal | Energy required (kWh) | CO₂ emissions (tons) | Water consumption (liters) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining | Recycling | Saving | Mining | Recycling | Saving | Mining | Recycling | Saving | |
| Aluminum | 14,000–16,000 | 500–700 | 95% | 12–17 | 0.5–0.8 | 95% | 12,000–20,000 | 700–1,500 | 92–94% |
| Copper | 20,000–30,000 | 4,000–6,000 | 70–85% | 3.5–6 | 0.4–0.8 | 86–88% | 70,000–140,000 | 8,000–12,000 | 88–91% |
| Steel | 5,000–6,000 | 400–800 | 85–90% | 1.8–2.3 | 0.25–0.4 | 62–82% | 20,000–40,000 | 3,000–6,000 | 85% |
| Lead | 7,000–9,000 | 2,000–2,800 | 68–70% | 1.6–2.2 | 0.3–0.5 | 77–81% | 40,000–80,000 | 5,000–10,000 | 88% |
| Zinc | 6,000–8,000 | 1,200–2,000 | 75–80% | 2–2.5 | 0.2–0.5 | 80–90% | 50,000–100,000 | 5,000–10,000 | 90% |
| Gold | 55–67 million | 2.2–5.5 million | 90–95% | 12,000–30,000 | 50–500 | 95–98% | 1–5 billion | 10–15 million | 99% |
| Silver | 14–22 million | 0.8–2 million | 90–95% | 2,500–6,000 | 80–250 | 95–96% | 300–600 million | 5–20 million | 96–98% |
| Nickel | 42–61 million | 6.9–11 million | 75–85% | 20–40 | 2–6 | 85–90% | 150–400 million | 2–25 million | 93–98% |
Indicative ranges per ton of produced metal; actual figures vary by process and region.
What is an alloy?
An alloy is a substance made by combining pure base metals — or a mixture of metallic and non-metallic elements — in different ratios to create a material with superior characteristics. Pure iron, for example, is relatively soft, but adding carbon and other elements creates different types of steel with much better properties.
No single alloy shares identical properties with another — in melting point, color, density, ductility, or heat and electrical conductivity. Alloys are made to improve properties such as:
Castability
The ability to melt down and flow into a mold without major defects.
Corrosion Resistance
The ability to resist chemical or electrochemical attack from the environment.
Ductility
The ability to deform before breaking.
Hardness
The ability to resist being scratched, indented, cut or worn away.
Heat Resistance
The ability to maintain functional properties when exposed to high temperatures.
Machinability
The ability to be cut, drilled, turned or milled without excessive tool wear.
Strength
The ability to resist forces that try to deform, stretch, bend or break. Measured in megapascal (MPa) through tensile, yield, compressive, shear and fatigue strength.
Toughness
The ability to absorb impact and resist breaking or cracking under sudden loads.
Wear Resistance
The ability to resist losing material when rubbed, scraped, impacted or in contact with another surface.
How alloys are classified
Classification methods usually combine two or more of the following categories simultaneously:
By Base Metal
Aluminum alloys, copper alloys, nickel alloys, etc.
By Manufacturing Method
Casting alloys, wrought alloys and powder-metallurgy alloys.
By Number of Major Alloying Elements
Binary (2 elements), ternary (3), quaternary (4), or multicomponent when more than 4 elements are combined.
By Strengthening Mechanism
Solid-solution strengthened, precipitation/age hardened, work hardened, grain refined or transformation hardened.
By Crystal Structure
Ferritic, austenitic, martensitic, duplex, pearlitic or bainitic — for iron alloys, for example.
By Purpose
Magnet alloys, tool alloys and many others, matching the property improvements above.
From the trading desk
Practical notes on grades, pricing, compliance and the environmental case for urban recycling — written by our team.
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