Recycling metal is a laborious task that involves manual labor, automated machinery, and sometimes the use of liquid nitrogen. A mountain of metal is delivered daily to scrap yards for safe processing and is then resold or used in manufacturing after the metal recycling process is complete.
In the UK every week, 10-15,000 fridges are recycled and broken down into parts small enough to be reused and sold back to manufacturers.
Products like foam, plastic, ferrous and non ferrous metals can be salvaged and used again, furthering the process of recycling. Fridges contain mostly steel but are also made up of plastic, CFCs, oil, and natural gasses.
Once the fridge is manually taken apart and broken down by hand using tools, the larger pieces of metal and the outer shell is sent to be crushed apart and broken down by larger machinery. The fridges are fed into a conveyer and liquid nitrogen coats the entire piece, protecting against explosions and furthering the breakdown process.
Fridges are almost completely recyclable with minimal waste. This benefits not only the environment we all live in, but also the entire recycling industry.
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