Are screws recyclable? Two stages of screw recycling process

Earth, which is essentially a closed system, has a finite amount of matter on the planet and within its atmosphere. Of the list of Earth’s finite resources, iron ore, the main raw materials for making steel is undoubtedly one of them. So, are screws recyclable?

Although the Law of Conservation of Mass states that matter cannot be created nor destroyed, but can be formed into different materials, there is a huge risk of our natural resources being altered to the extent where it becomes irreversible, taking up space in the form of un-reusable “trash”, and as some might say, polluting the environment.

Are screws recyclable?

Scrap metals from hardware such as screws, nails, nuts and bolts, are ferrous metals that can be soldered down to create secondary metals and made into new products, which is beneficial to both the seller/user and to the environment.

In short, screws are recyclable. The recycling process can be split into two stages – during production and after usage.

Two stages of screw recycling process

As a manufacturer, each stage of the post-processing such as heading, threading and pinch pointing of BDN Fasteners creates a significant amount of scrap metal. These are normally collected and trucked to the yard of a local recycling company in exchange for some cash, charged by weight.

Recycling a used screw, however, can be a bit more complicated. Although screws generally made from low to medium carbon steel wire, a couple of post processes and additional assembled parts are sometimes involved in creating the final product. First and foremost is the surface treatment on the screws. As the majority of steel screws are either fully or semi-exposed to the elements, the need for surface treatments such as basic zinc-nickel alloy plating to the more sophisticated and superior anti-corrosion coating such as Ruspert or Mechanical Zinc plating arise, which can create a huge impact on the environment if used the wrong ingredients. Added assembled parts such as rubber washers should also be considered when recycling used screws.

Due to the arise of environmental awareness around the globe and among manufacturers, hazardous substances such as hexavalent chromium, trivalent chromium, lead, cadmium and mercury among other materials have become less prevalent, and thanks to advancement in technology, environmentally friendly substitutes material are developed to be used in place of the hazardous substances without compromise in performance.

BDN is well aware of the environmental impact of hazardous materials to our beloved Earth and to future generations, and use only environmentally friendly materials and production methods to manufacture and package BDN Fasteners. When asked “Are screws recyclable?”, we can reply “Yes” with our heads held high.