A thank you note to the recycled materials industry

It’s Earth Day as I sit down to write this, and the last Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries annual convention and exhibition was the week before. (The association hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s just been renamed the Recycled Materials Association, or ReMA.)

While I’m always thinking of recycled materials because of my job, I’m feeling even more appreciative of them today and the many ways they affect our lives for the better. For instance, all the infrastructure and vehicles we depend on daily simply would not be possible without them, nor would the WiFi or the laptop I’m using right now.

We owe a debt of gratitude to recycled metals, the companies that prepare them and those that consume them, particularly here in the U.S., where at least 70 percent of our steel and most of our aluminum are produced using recycled metals. Secondary copper production also is growing in the U.S. thanks to many recent investments.

“For decades, many operators in this industry have been happy to ‘fly under the radar.’ That can and should no longer be the case.”

Using recycled metals reduces carbon emissions, which is essential to reducing the effects of anthropogenic climate change. And, as ReMA notes, recycled metals create more secure, sustainable and resilient supply chains, particularly for metals and minerals that cannot be mined domestically.

Innovation in the metals recycling industry has facilitated sorting so materials are put to their highest and best use, while other innovations promise to reduce the impacts from recycled-metals-based production even further. Yet, many policymakers and citizens remain skeptical about recycling, which is why ReMA is encouraging its members to engage with their communities to share the important work they and the wider recycled materials industry are doing.

For decades, many operators in this industry have been happy to “fly under the radar.” That can and should no longer be the case, particularly here in the U.S. where the industry’s contributions are so vital to life as we know it. I encourage you to raise your head high and proudly share your company’s story and that of the broader recycled materials industry. You’re essential and deserve to be more widely appreciated than you are.