Metal

Overview

A metal is a material of various opaque, fusible, ductile, and typically lustrous properties that are good conductors of electricity and heat, form cations by loss of electrons, and yield basic oxides and hydroxides.

Metal waste should be dealt with by recycling. Recycling of metals can include the following processes:

• Collection, weighing, sorting and distribution of metals: dealing with a wide range of suppliers, including engineering industries; small traders, such as plumbers or vehicle dismantlers; local authority collection sites; and householders disposing of domestic appliances.
• Shearing – reducing the size of large pieces of metal by cutting
• Baling/compacting – to improve ease of handling and transportation
• Shredding – reducing feedstock to fist-sized lumps; and separating metals from other materials using magnets and air classification methods. A large shredder can process a car in less than ten seconds.
• Media separation – further separation of any remaining non ferrous metals using liquid density and hand or mechanical sorting methods
• International metals trading – moving metals around the world.

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Macro Tonnages

The most recent information published by DEFRA is summarized in the pie charts below, with 2,060,580 tonnes of ferrous, 478,855 tonnes of non-ferrous and 3,965,881 tonnes of mixed metallic wastes generated in the UK in 2016 and is part of the broader figures reported in UK Waste Tonnage:

File:Metallic Wastes Pie Chart.png

Metallic Wastes - Tonnage Reported as Generated by DEFRA in 2016

Aerosols

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Aluminium Cans

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Aluminium Foil

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Bicycles

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Fire Extinguishers

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Gas Bottles

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Metals from Incinerator Bottom Ash

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Mixed cans

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Other Scrap Metal

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.

Steel Cans

Below is a list of local authorities that sends more than 2000 tonnes of this material to a single waste operator.