The steel recycling process involves a few keys steps. This will vary between different locations, however, the general process will remain the same (it is very similar to the steel making process).

• First steel is collected. This happens in a number of ways: some steel is collected from households, some are dumped at the tip, some is collected by dedicated steel recycling plants. From here, steel is taken to a steel refinery.

• The steel is then tested to assess its alloy make up. Any unwanted alloys, such as tin, are then removed through a process called ‘electroplating’.

• Then the steel must be melted down into liquid form. It is placed in a furnace at very high temperatures that will vary depending on the properties of the metal.

• The molten steel needs further treatment before it is ready to be rolled into structural steel. Treatment involves removing any impurities which may interfere with the steel’s integrity once hardened. The purification process involves exposing the molten iron to pure oxygen in a converter furnace which will burn off troublesome substances.

• Further reduction of carbon is achieved either by adding scrap steel or by feeding it through high power electric arcs, with temperatures reaching 1650˚C.

• The molten steel is then set aside to cool. The semi-finished steel is then cut into different shapes to later be used for making steel products. ‘Slabs’ are wide and flat, ‘blooms’ are rectangular (for making beams) and ‘billets’ are thin square bars.

• The final process is called ‘rolling’ and involves continuous casting (pouring liquid steel into molds) where steel is forged into various steel products. Hot rolling helps to eliminate any imperfections defects and is called ‘primary forming’.

• The steel is then ready to be treated for corrosion. After that, it is ready for steel production.