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What’s So Hard About Reducing Metal Waste?

May 2, 2018 by  
Filed under Health, Weekly Columns

(Akiit.comComposants of laptops or old phones, brake pads, ancient cutlery, chain links, nails… Every year, more metal waste is creating. Every year, the environment takes another blow. Whether it’s a set of screws you’ve kept from the last IKEA wardrobe you’ve built or whether it’s the vestiges of your first mobile phone from the late 1990s which you don’t use anymore, everyone is guilty of producing metal waste. While it can be difficult to live a metal-free lifestyle, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a positive impact on the quantity of waste in your household. Metal was perceived by the first men as a precious metal. It’s time to discover what’s so precious about it!

Why waste your time on waste?

For a start, it’s fair to say that the environment needs to be at the center of your attention at all times, not just on Earth Day. Indeed, it’s fair to say that if every after centuries, if not millennia, archaeologists are able to find and identify the metal weaponry and tools of the past civilizations, you can expect the odd screw or scrap metal to last long after you’re gone. You can just bin metal elements as this will slow down the waste management process and ultimately cause more air and soil pollution. Earth Day should be every day and that’s why you need to think of a better way to reduce metal waste.

There’s money in it

Believe it or not, but not all metal scrap is worthless. In fact, you can even make money out of it. Ask yourself, how much can I sell scrap metal for, and you’ll be surprised. Something as common as aluminium can sell up to $1.50 per kg. But the real profit is in selling old truck batteries and copper to your local scrap center.  

Not everything that’s doesn’t work is broken

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys a craft project, you’ll even be able to make a lot of money out of your scrap metal by selling your creation to art galleries and private clients. Derek McDonald, an artist, based in California, put his welding skills at use when he decided to create scrap metal art out of metal pipes, nuts, bolts, broken metal chairs, and anything else metal. You can find inspiration in almost anything, from your past experiences to everyday routine. From creating little sculptures to elegant modern chandeliers, there is a lot of life left in your scrap metal.

Can you unbreak it?

People create metal waste when something breaks, and they need to buy a replacement. Being a society of consumption, we tend to buy instead of fixing. However, with a little DIY love, you can repair most things in your home and therefore reduce metal waste. This handy website, for instance, provides great tutorials to repair bicycles. Maybe, it’s finally time to embrace the no-waste habits of your parents and grandparents. Not everything that breaks stays broken.

The bottom line is that reducing metal waste is a lot easier than you might think. A little mindfulness can go a long way.

Staff Writer; Terry Brown


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