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Compiled by Dr. Joe Herbertson
June 2001
Sustainable Resource Processing
Recycling post-consumer scrap makes a difference
•Recycling from post-consumer (old) scrap. The most recycled metals, sorted by:
• Value of virgin metal Apparent ratio2 of recycled  Mass recovered
•    replaced1 / Billion US$       to virgin metal   from recycling
•Iron    39 Lead3       1.1 Iron   193 Mt
•Copper    5.5 Magnesium3   0.65 Lead    3.3 Mt
•Aluminium    4.5 Tin    0.40 Copper    3.3 Mt
•Nickel    2.7 Silver    0.40 Aluminium    3.0 Mt
•PGMs    2.5 PGMs    0.35 Zinc    1.7 Mt
•Zinc    1.7 Nickel    0.35 Chromium    0.7 Mt
•Lead    1.6 Iron    0.35 Nickel    0.4 Mt
•Silver    1.1 Chromium    0.27 Magnesium   0.2 Mt
•Chromium    0.5 Copper    0.25 Tin    0.1 kt
•Tin    0.4 Zinc    0.20 PGMs    123 t
•Magnesium   0.3 Aluminium    0.12 Silver     7.2 t
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•1: Value does not account for cost of re-processing recycled material.
•2: The apparent ratio combines past and current production - it is not the ultimate fraction recycled
•3: Apparent recycling ratio is highest for recycling after short periods of use (e.g. batteries and used beverage cans).
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