Recycled wood

Recycled steel

The difference between reuse and recycling is that in the case of reuse, the product is reused in its application, whereas in the case of recycling, the steel is melted down to make a new or different steel product. In this respect, reuse is the most advantageous in terms of material energy. Material energy is the energy used for production and assembly, up to and including the energy used for demolition. Since steel can be dismantled, it can often be easily reused. In addition, all steel is recyclable, even when galvanised or coated. Central to recycling is the collection of dismantled steel products. This 'scrap' is collected and processed worldwide. Both steel production processes (the blast furnace and the melting furnace) convert this scrap into liquid steel. Worldwide, 45% of all steel is made from scrap. That not all steel is (yet) made from scrap is due to the fact that the demand for steel is higher than the amount of steel that is released from scrap. The production of steel from scrap consumes 45% less energy than the production of steel from iron ore.