Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Scrapping or Dismantling - They're Just Recycling To Me
I've been known to have a liberal rather definition of recycling...as far as I'm concerned, if some unwanted, scrap, surplus, or otherwise waste material is put to a "higher" use, that material is being 'recycled'. Many traditional scrap niches are evolving into new, higher-use (and higher profit)models of production. Here is one example:
Recycling Today Online :: Article :: Road Worthy
It is interesting to see how, when a recycling profit opportunity (such as insurance companies and auto manufacturers investing millions in 'dismantling yards') attains a critical mass, that industry eventually (and usually quickly)becomes much more efficient - increasing recycling rates, decreasing environmental pollution, and even providing better-paying jobs and career opportunities.
Why?
Because their large investments potentially expose them to liabilities from environmental violations and bad publicity, they demand more professional management from businesses which have been traditionally "Mom-and-Pop" type operations.
But does this spell a decrease in opportunities for the recycling entrepreneur? I don't believe so. For example, there are still thousands upon thousands of catalytic converters left on scrap vehicles when they go to the crusher or shredder, and eventually to the steel refiner - millions of dollars in platinum group metals values which will never be recovered.
A professionally run and managed dismantler will obtain every last dollar of value from his vehicles - including removing those items for scrap sale which cannot be reused, such as 'cats'. And since they are usually not large enough volume-wise to command top prices from the catalyst refiners, they often sell to people such as you and I - the fleet-footed and reliable recycling entrepreneur who provides efficiency to the recycling markets by being able to profit from the small-volume deals, while still making a resonable profit.
Recycling Today Online :: Article :: Road Worthy
It is interesting to see how, when a recycling profit opportunity (such as insurance companies and auto manufacturers investing millions in 'dismantling yards') attains a critical mass, that industry eventually (and usually quickly)becomes much more efficient - increasing recycling rates, decreasing environmental pollution, and even providing better-paying jobs and career opportunities.
Why?
Because their large investments potentially expose them to liabilities from environmental violations and bad publicity, they demand more professional management from businesses which have been traditionally "Mom-and-Pop" type operations.
But does this spell a decrease in opportunities for the recycling entrepreneur? I don't believe so. For example, there are still thousands upon thousands of catalytic converters left on scrap vehicles when they go to the crusher or shredder, and eventually to the steel refiner - millions of dollars in platinum group metals values which will never be recovered.
A professionally run and managed dismantler will obtain every last dollar of value from his vehicles - including removing those items for scrap sale which cannot be reused, such as 'cats'. And since they are usually not large enough volume-wise to command top prices from the catalyst refiners, they often sell to people such as you and I - the fleet-footed and reliable recycling entrepreneur who provides efficiency to the recycling markets by being able to profit from the small-volume deals, while still making a resonable profit.
