Australia earns a great amount of money annually thanks to its rich mineral resources and a thriving mining industry. Mining is definitely a solid sector that can spark further growth for the country, yet the activity comes with environmental repercussions that can prove irreversible. A recent news article from the University of Queensland shared how Australia can earn more from searching for untapped metals beyond mines:
Dr Glen Corder, from UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), said a new research collaboration was looking at the logistics of generating wealth from waste by mining above-ground resources.
“The potential reward from recovering and recycling waste metals is significant, worth up to $2 billion a year to Australia,” Dr Corder said.
Dr Corder, a Principal Research Fellow with SMI’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, said research at the centre and University of Technology Sydney had found there was five million tonnes of metals such as iron, aluminum and copper in landfills and discarded products.
Many reputable recycling companies, such as Global Resources International Pty Ltd, have launched scrap for cash programs to encourage Australian businesses and households to do their part in the conservation of minerals. These kinds of recycling initiatives provide many businesses and people with monetary incentives and also bank on the personal satisfaction they can get from knowing that they are helping to save the environment.
Sustainability is a word that many should be accustomed to, as governments across the world are urging their citizens to be more aware of how their actions affect others and the planet. Used metal selling has been found to be a sustainable way─ and a recommended tool─ to ensuring that current demands are met without sacrificing the needs of future generations. This also slows the depletion rate of natural resources and lessens pressure among manufacturers to use more raw materials.
Recycling facilities have a schedule for regular scrap metal pick up, which business establishments can easily follow for their material conservation needs. They also have the option of contacting recyclers to set up a more flexible pick up schedule to meet the amount of scrap metals they have and to not sacrifice their normal business operating hours. Doing so actually opens up an additional source of income that contributes to the betterment of company bottom line.
Australian enterprises and even households need to act now to avert future problems. Pursuing an option like recycling scrap metal is a viable solution that addresses both the moral concerns of resource management and economic benefits.
(Source: UQ looks into recycling waste for wealth, The University of Queensland, March 28, 2014)
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