recycled steel: an eco-friendly alternative to structural wood frames
Pound for pound, steel is by far the strongest recycled construction material available. In fact, it is so much stronger than wood that the two cannot be fairly compared. Steel provides the greatest strength for the least weight and the greatest value for its cost. It is also incredibly easy to recycle, making it a popular structural material for green building projects.
Steel Recycling Energy Savings
Steel recycling is one of the success stories of industrial production. The Steel Recycling Institute estimates that steel recycling saves enough energy to power 18 million homes for one year. It also benefits our environment, since almost every car and most appliances are converted to scrap and recycled into new products rather than adding millions of tons of metal to our overcrowded landfills.
Health Benefits for Your Home
Your Kodiak Steel Homes model will not only contribute to a healthy environment — it will benefit your family’s health as well. Steel contains none of the irritating and toxic chemicals used to treat so many of the wood products currently used in construction.
Environmental stress & success
Building with wood is becoming increasingly problematic. Every day more timber is cut down that will never be replaced. Each year, 78 million acres of rainforest are cleared, a rate that will strip the planet by 2060. America has lost almost all of its old-growth timber. To break this destructive cycle, we must reduce our reliance on wood.
- Six cars yield enough recycled steel to frame an entire house
- While it takes an entire tree to make a telephone pole, the steel in only one car will produce six or more steel poles!
Steel also does not support the pest infestations, rot, and mold that can introduce disease-carrying spores and bacteria into your home. In short, steel provides a safe, clean, environment for you and your family, one that is both natural and free from man-made and environmental health hazards.
Though recycling household plastic, glass, and paper items is the best option for disposal, it often is more expensive to reuse these materials than it is to produce them anew. Steel is another matter. Virtually every product made from steel — from cars and refrigerators to bridge supports — contains between 25% and 65% recycled material, and when these products reach the end of their useful life they can be recycled again into high quality steel for new products. Best of all, steel recycling saves energy and protects valuable resources.
Visit Kodiak Steel Homes for more information about their recycled steel building framing.