In New Zealand there is a well established metals recycling industry. Scrap steel for production comes from a variety of sources including scrap generated including scrap from off-cuts generated by manufacturers and steel locked up in items that have come to the end of their useful lives. Steel is always useful and can be infinitely recycled with out degradation of product.
- Average recovery rate for steel in buildings is 85%. Recent research of commercial construction waste found that more than 90% of steel was recycled. A current misconception is that specifying recycled steel content leads to improved sustainability. However, demand for steel products greatly outstrips supply from recycled sources, so all recycled material will be used. What is crucial to sustainability for steel is the level of recycling at the end of life.
