Metals are both a widely and diversely used material (packaging, building material, vehicles, electronic devices, etc.). The recycling of the commonly used metals aluminium, iron, steel, and copper has been well established for many years. The potential, which can be realised through the separate collection of packaging, has to be classified as small. A contribution many times greater can be made through the reclamation of metals from industrial waste.
The increased recycling of metals from combustion residues and the development of processes which allow the automated separation and sorting of the kinds of aluminium and high-grade steels with different alloy components, offer particular possibilities for an increase in metal recycling. The recycling potential of the so-called “seasoning metals”, i.e. metals, which are used in smaller quantities, have hardly been utilized so far. (BAWP 2017)