Metal Recycling at Clear This Junk

Why Clear This Junk Separates Metals for Recycling: A Comprehensive Solution for Lancashire

In the landscape of modern waste management, the phrase “Zero to Landfill” is more than just a marketing slogan for Clear This Ltd (trading as Clear This Junk); it is a rigorous operational standard. One of the most critical components of their “Lancashire Pollution Solution” is the meticulous separation of metals during every house, office, and site clearance.

While it might seem simpler to toss all waste into a single skip, Clear This Junk invests significant time and labour into sorting ferrous and non-ferrous metals. This commitment is driven by three primary factors: environmental preservation, economic fairness for the customer, and the support of a local circular economy.

1. Environmental Preservation: The “Pollution Solution”

The primary reason Clear This Junk prioritizes metal separation is the massive reduction in environmental impact. Unlike organic waste, metals do not biodegrade. If left in a landfill, they take up valuable space for centuries and can eventually leach toxic chemicals into the soil and local water tables—a major concern for Lancashire’s rural and coastal ecosystems.

Energy Conservation: Extracting virgin metal from ore is an incredibly energy-intensive process involving mining, refining, and smelting. By separating and recycling metal, Clear This Junk helps save up to 95% of the energy required for aluminium production and 75% for steel.
Carbon Footprint Reduction: Every tonne of steel recycled saves roughly 1.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions. By ensuring metals are diverted to specialized Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), Clear This Junk directly combats the carbon emissions associated with industrial mining.
Protecting Natural Landscapes: Mining for new metals often results in habitat destruction and deforestation. By feeding “scrap” back into the manufacturing loop, the demand for new mines decreases, preserving the earth’s natural beauty for future generations.
2. Economic Fairness: The “Fairer Pricing” Model

Clear This Junk has built its reputation on transparency. In the clearance industry, many “man and van” services charge a flat fee and then personally profit from any valuable scrap metal they find. Clear This Junk operates differently through their Fairer Pricing system.

When they clear a property, they identify high-value metals—such as copper piping, brass fixtures, and lead—and separate them from lower-value ferrous metals like steel or iron. Because non-ferrous metals are more valuable, separating them allows the company to:

Offset Clearance Costs: The value of these metals can be deducted from the customer’s final bill.
Provide Honest Appraisals: By sorting the waste, they can accurately value the “junk,” ensuring that the customer isn’t overcharged for the removal of items that actually have a market value.

3. Maintaining Purity and Quality

For recycling to be effective, materials must be “clean.” A steel beam with copper wiring attached is far less valuable and harder to process than if the two metals were separated.

Clear This Junk’s team performs “on-site” and “at-facility” sorting to remove non-metal contaminants (like plastic coatings or wood attachments). This ensures that when the metal reaches the furnace, it meets high-quality standards. This attention to detail prevents “downcycling,” where metals lose their integrity and can only be used for low-grade products. Instead, the metals they recover can be turned back into high-quality components, from car parts to household appliances.

4. Supporting the Lancashire Circular Economy

By separating metals, Clear This Junk acts as a vital link in the local circular economy. They work alongside local scrap merchants and recovery facilities in Chorley, Blackpool, and across the North West. This local focus ensures that:

Jobs are Supported: The labour-intensive process of sorting and processing metal creates jobs within the Lancashire waste management sector.
Materials Stay Local: Instead of shipping waste across the country, materials are processed nearby, further reducing the “transport miles” and associated pollution of the clearance process.

The Benefits at a Glance

The benefits of this meticulous separation process extend to everyone involved:

For the Planet: Less mining, lower CO2, and a significant reduction in landfill waste.
For the Client: Lower costs through the “Fairer Pricing” model and the peace of mind that their waste is being handled by a licensed “Upper Tier Waste Carrier.”
For the Community: A cleaner Lancashire with fewer risks of soil contamination and illegal fly-tipping.

Conclusion

Clear This Junk isn’t just a removal company; they are environmental stewards. By taking the time to separate metals, they prove that waste management can be both ethically sound and economically efficient. Their “Zero to Landfill” mission isn’t just about what they throw away—it’s about what they save. Through their commitment to metal recycling, they provide a true Pollution Solution for the residents and businesses of Lancashire.