Scrap metal recycling is the process of collecting, sorting, processing, and remelting discarded metals so they can be used again in manufacturing. Unlike plastic, metals can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality — steel, copper, brass, and aluminium maintain their properties through every cycle. In New Zealand, most recycled scrap is exported to smelters in Asia and Australia, though NZ Steel’s new electric arc furnace at Glenbrook (operational from 2026) will process domestic scrap steel locally. Recycling metal uses significantly less energy than mining virgin ore — up to 95% less for aluminium and 85% less for copper. When you bring material to an endless metals yard in Auckland, your scrap enters this global recycling supply chain.