Thanks to its strong tensile properties, steel is a very practical material, as it can be reused again and again, from one product to the next, while consistently maintaining its inherent qualities. In fact, according to the most recent data compiled by the Steel Recycling Institute (SRI), approximately 80% of steel used today has been previously recycled.

Eco-friendly and Economical Benefits

But durability isn’t the only thing that makes recycling steel so valuable. It’s eco-friendly and cost efficient, too. So much so that it takes 74% less energy to recycle steel than it does to make it from raw materials – enough to power almost a sixth of America’s homes for a year!

It’s also cheaper to reprocess steel than to mine iron ore, or to create new steel, which is an added bonus in today’s budget-conscious society.

How It Works

Typically, when a manufacturing product is no longer considered valuable to its owner, or the metal of a structure meets the end stages of its life, its steel components are picked apart as scraps. The scraps are then melted in high-temperature furnaces, which in turn liquefies the steel and burns off any remaining impurities. Once pure, the liquid metal is molded into new products, such as tools or engines.

Recently, however, some very clever minds have taken the way we use recycled steel to a whole new level.

Subway Cars Turned Underwater Reefs

Along the eastern seaboard, retired New York subway cars have found a new home on the floors of the ocean. And while it may seem that dumping these mammoth vehicles into the sea would be anything but helpful to the ecosystem, the trains that once transported New Yorkers across the Big Apple are transforming into habitats of millions of fish.

The project, which aimed to help the environment, was launched about 10 years ago by New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

After being decommissioned, cleaned and stripped of all removable items, some 25,000 cars were transported by barges and dumped off the coast. Although the campaign is no longer in operation, the cars have since been transformed into artificial reefs.

These unlikely habitats continue to provide plenty of space for invertebrates to live, and act as a hideaway for fish seeking protection from predators. The reef also functions as a source of food, offering more viable conditions than the sand bottom for the growth of various nutrients and organisms.

Old Bridge Gets New Life

While the steel which was once used on land is now being repurposed in water on the East Coast, the reverse is happening on the opposite end of the country.

After 77 years of linking San Francisco to Oakland, California’s Bay Bridge remains to be an icon of the region. Its structure, however, was deemed “earthquake unsafe” after a 1989 quake destroyed part of it. In 2013, its replacement opened to traffic and plans to deconstruct the defective bridge were set.

When scraps of the 58,000-ton steel structure were sold and distributed around the country and abroad after its first of three deconstruction phases, members of the community spoke up, demanding that parts be set aside to be reused in the area.

The Oakland Museum, in coordination with the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA), began to accept proposals for how the steel should be refurbished. Thus far, proposals have included everything from bus stops to rainwater catchment systems to sculptures that will retain the visual essence of the original bridge.

In a time when recycling is more important than ever, reprocessed steel is being reincarnated into structures of both function and form. Whether it be through urban sculptures or underwater habitats, recycled steel will continue to transform the way we see, use and better the world.

Steel Everywhere! Steel in Our Daily Lives

It is hard not to use recycled steel every day. Can you imagine cutting steak with a plastic knife? We unconsciously use recycled steel, which is often revived in watches, canned food, cars, containers, rollercoasters and more. We use steel in different forms every day and we’re sometimes not even aware we’re using it. Wherever you go, you will find steel! Steel’s recycling qualities are not only unlimited, but the material has a variety of ways it can be reused.

<Click here to find out why steel is called “The ‘Real’ Man of Steel”>

What Can We Do With Recycled Steel?

Steel’s wide range of recyclability allows us to have effective and efficient lives. In some cases, it can also help protect the environment. The story the infographic by worldsteel describes tells us about how recycled steel helps both us and the Earth.

<Click here to download Infographic>

Cars made with recycled steel can be reborn as nine different useful products. Steel recycling does not stop there, as it continues to transform into various products via endless re-recycling. What’s interesting about recycled steel is that it saves our time, lives, and even our planet. Cars made with recycled steel are lighter, cleaner and more efficient. They emit less emissions and save us money at the pump.

Less is More – And For the Better

Steel and automobiles are best friends. It is hard to make cars without steel. Compared to the past, customers now prefer lighter cars because they are lighter, have lower fuel consumption, and are simply more efficient. Even more interesting is that lighter cars are more environmental friendly. Also – and most importantly – as cars become lighter, they reduce fuel consumption and use less steel to reach fuel efficiency standards.

The less steel in cars, the better! As illustrated by the 2014 Paris Motor Show, manufacturers are moving toward economical and practical vehicles with low fuel consumption and close to zero emissions. Part of the new concepts of the cars of tomorrow take account lighter steel plates and the economic cycle of steel.

<Click here to read about “POSCO’s Advanced High Strength Steels In Renault ‘EOLAB’ Concept Car”>

It is rather interesting to see how various ways steel can be used as technology grows and industries develop. It will be even more interesting to see how steel will be incorporated into our lives in the future and even today.