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What Materials Are Considered Industrial Materials in Recycling?
“Industrial” is a very broad term, which many people mistakenly think is synonymous with manufacturing. The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) identifies 11 industrial sectors:
- Energy
- Materials
- Industrials
- Consumer Discretionary
- Consumer Staples
- Health Care
- Financials
Each sector is further divided into industry groups (24 of them in all), comprising 69 separate industries and 158 sub-industries. Every one of these sectors includes activities that create waste materials, defined as unwanted or residual materials. Clearly, it’s not feasible to list all of them in a single article. So, consider the information presented here to be selected highlights rather than a comprehensive inventory of industrial materials in recycling.
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Most Commonly Recycled Industrial Materials
The following are among the most commonly recycled waste materials from a wide range of industrial processes. The ones marked with an asterisk also appear on the list of the top 10 recycled materials in the United States.
- Aluminum *
- Brown paper bags (kraft paper)
- Cables
- Cement
- Coal combustion products (fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag, flue gas material, cenospheres, fluidized bed combustion ash, scrubber residue, etc.)
- Concrete *
- Cardboard
Industrial Recycling Examples
Most industrial recyclables have multiple potential future uses. Some companies, such as BMW, take pride in their products being made largely from recycled materials (95% in the case of BMW). Here are some interesting recycling facts about a few of the materials from the list above.
Cardboard
In the U.S., more than 90% of all products are shipped in cardboard boxes. That includes parts and materials shipped by suppliers to manufacturing facilities and finished products shipped out to customers. Those boxes are made of corrugated cardboard, a corrugated paperboard layer sandwiched between two smooth paperboard layers. Paperboard is the same kind of cardboard your morning corn flakes come in. Cardboard of either type is easily recycled to make new cardboard—up to seven times. About half of all cardboard boxes in circulation at any time have about 50% recycled content.
Coal Combustion Products (CCPs)
CCPs are waste products from the generation of electric power in coal-fired plants. They are used in construction as substitutes for gypsum, gravel, or sand or as inputs to the manufacture of wallboard, concrete, cement, or grout. Another common use is on roadways for traction control on ice and snow. CCPs can also be used as abrasives, in sandblasting, for example, or as granules in roofing materials. Recycled coal ash is used as an input to the manufacture of ceiling tiles and cement.