How are precious metals recycled?
25th May 2018
Many people these days want their investment portfolio to support issues that matter to them and for some, sustainability and recycling is on top of the agenda. With this in mind, have you considered investing in precious metals?
Precious metals can be recycled; in fact, it may surprise you to find just how much is. Metals can be recycled over and over again without degrading their properties. This enables the preservation of natural resources while using less energy in comparison to producing new materials or mine extraction.
Metals can be classified as ferrous or non-ferrous. Metals such as carbon steel, alloy steel and cast iron are classed as ferrous metals. Precious metals however, including gold, silver and platinum as well as others are classed as non-ferrous. Non-ferrous metals do not lose their chemical or physical properties in the recycling process, meaning they can be recycled an infinite number of times.
So what is the process for recycling metals?
Did you know?
- Around 90% of recycled gold comes from jewellery, and the remaining 10% of recycled gold being extracted from technology
- Europe accounted for 38% of global silver total scrap supply in 2017
- Total platinum recycling from all sources is expected to supply 1,960 koz of metal to the market in 2018, a 3% increase over 2017 recycling
*At the time of publication this information is correct. Please note we are unable to provide financial advice, so we recommend that you speak with a financial advisor regarding your options.
Sources:
https://sciencing.com/gold-recycled-10776.html
https://www.gold.org/search/site/recycle
https://www.silverinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018WorldSilverSurvey.pdf
https://www.platinuminvestment.com/files/853874/WPIC_Platinum_Quarterly_Q1_2018.pdf
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/auto-recycling-recent-trends-opportunities-and-challenges-4011892