Can Zinc Building Materials Be Recycled?
Metallic zinc can be recycled indefinitely without loss of its chemical or physical properties. This theoretically infinite recyclability is, in fact, being approached in reality in the case of zinc used in buildings. Architectural-grade zinc must be very pure, and so it contains higher percentages of pure ore than industrial-grade zinc. However, once the pure architectural alloy has been created, it can be recovered and reprocessed for use in new architectural products. Some current zinc manufacturers achieve very high levels of this recycled content in their architectural zinc, over 45 percent, almost all of which is post- consumer content. The overall recycling rate for architectural zinc – for example, recovered from renovations and removal from old building – is over 90 percent in some countries because of its high value and the preservation of all its chemical and physical properties. Buildings whose zinc parts outlasted them are numerous in Europe. Virtually no zinc on a buildin
