When is red actually green? Each year, our steel plant in Peoria, Illinois, recycles roughly 800,000 tons of scrap metal. That’s 1,600,000,000 pounds of appliances, automobiles, and other steel products. Instead of slowly decomposing in a junkyard somewhere, the steel we recycle has new life on farms, ranches, and beyond.
Steel: The Most Recycled Material
According to The American Iron & Steel Institute (AMISI), almost 69 percent of all steel in North America is recycled. That’s more than paper, aluminum, plastic and glass combined. It’s no wonder so much steel is recycled. The properties that make up steel allow it to be melted countless times. As a result, reuse is possible without affecting integrity, and therefore can theoretically be recycled indefinitely.
Of course, recycling requires energy. But, the amount needed is much less than what it takes to make new steel. That’s because no new source of carbon is necessary. For every ton of steel recycled, AMISI estimates that 1,400 pounds of coal is conserved. Red Brand alone preserves the equivalent of 1,120,000,000 pounds of coal each year!
Maintaining Quality
Quality steel is essential for quality fences. It’s true that other companies assemble portions of their fences in the U.S. However, many outsource their wire manufacturing processes to foreign countries. In contrast, Red Brand is 100% American made. We recycle all the shredded scrap needed for our wire at our plant in Peoria. Therefore, we know what’s in every ounce of steel. This is really important, because top performance relies on eliminating impurities and maintaining specific alloy formulas in the steel.
We Recycle More than Steel
Our commitment to being green extends beyond recycling steel. In 2012, the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) honored Keystone with the coveted award for Achievement in Environmental Stewardship and Recycling. This citation praises our steel reprocessing program. It also recognizes our administrative recycling efforts. Common items like shipping boxes, paper and plastic bags are collected regularly from our offices and sent to recycle centers. Even unconventional items like aluminum sand barrels are part of the process. We are very proud of our ongoing recycling efforts. Each year, our company generates an additional sixty tons of reclaimable materials.
Respecting the Environment
We know that the land we help fence needs environmentally conscious manufacturers. Steel and plastic take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to completely decompose in landfills. So, we are especially proud of our steel’s new life. It serves to provide years of worry-free protection for properties while respecting the environment that we all live in.
Learn more about Red Brand and our products at our website.
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