Recycling has been around for quite a while. We know this because archeologists have discovered that in periods when resources were scarce they find less waste at archeological sites. In fact, researchers suggest that recycling may date back as far as 400 BC. They also suggest that the Romans were active in recycling. Plato is often cited as a strong advocate.
Many Kinds of Recycling It wasn’t just metals that were recycled. Along the way, processes were developed like those to recycle paper, to make bricks out of ash and dust, and to turn rags into wool. Recycling In Wartime With the dawn of the industrial revolution, there was, of course, renewed interest in metal recycling as resources were in short supply.
During the periods of World War I and World War II, governments all around the world launched marketing campaigns to collect as much metal as could be salvaged to support the war efforts. At the same time, scrap metal recycling became one of the go-to-industries for immigrants to North America (and other parts of the World) from Eastern Europe. They became peddlers. It didn’t require a lot to get started or require the language and technical sophistication of some other types of work. These immigrants, however, saw the future of the scrap metal industry and founded companies that grew and prospered for generations.
Recycling: Not the Oldest Profession
They understood what John Seabrook describes in his article “American Scrap” in the New Yorker as the “fundamental truth”. That truth is that all metal that has ever existed in the world still exists and always will exist. The challenge is to see that it is renewed by recycling it in a way that is efficient in terms of both energy and waste. Recycling Today Nowadays, there are mergers and acquisitions involving many of these intergenerational companies which have created large industrial facilities rivaling the scale of other complex industries. They are led by a new breed of young and well-educated business people who also understand the “fundamental truth.”
At the same time and alongside the complications of global trade and the movement of scrap metal, their education and resources are enabling them to apply new technologies and innovations within the framework of the many sophisticated technical, environmental and business policies and practices which are now in play. Our Relatively Short History Our 20 plus year history at Peel Scrap Metal has followed the traditional developmental path through generations.
We understand the fundamental truth as reflected in our tag line New Life For Old Metals. What makes us rather unique in the recycling industry is our desire to work with our customers on an individual basis and bring our industry into the community to make metal recycling both accessible to and rewarding for individuals, the trades (construction, renovation, electrical and plumbing) and industry at large.
Our Best Wishes At This Wonderful Time Of Year Over this Holiday Season, we would like to extend our very best wishes to you and yours for good health and happiness and prosperity, now and throughout the New Year. For those planning to visit us over the holidays, both our Mississauga and Oakville warehouses will be closed on Monday, December 26th, Tuesday, December 27th and Monday, January 2nd. scrap yard in Mississauga