What Happens to Magnets After You Recycle Them?

Recycling isn’t always cut and dried, and it’s easy to get confused about what can and cannot be recycled. Even if you think you know what materials you are dealing with, it may be a bit of a puzzle to determine whether the item is recyclable. Take magnets, for instance. Just about everyone has magnets at home, used for various household purposes, but what do you do with a magnet you no longer need? Can you recycle magnets? The answer is actually more complicated than a simple yes or no.

Do You Know How to Dispose of Magnets?

When you are disposing of magnets, what do you normally do? Most people just throw them away, but it’s important to note that magnets are not biodegradable. One of the most common kinds of magnets is the flexible sheet magnet. You probably have some of these, because people give them out as promotional calendars, magnetic business cards, save the date cards, and more. These magnets are neither biodegradable nor recyclable, so what can you do with them? Really, the only way to dispose of them is to throw them away.

Can You Recycle Magnets?

Technically, yes, but the real answer is more “it’s complicated.” Recycling magnets, though possible, is challenging. Magnet recycling involves disassembling the magnet and removing any non-magnetic materials. The magnetic materials are then separated, either through shredding, separation, or chemical processing. Once the magnets are recycled, the resulting raw materials can be used to make more magnets, and this helps reduce the environmental impact of magnet production. However, there are some magnets that cannot be recycled.

Are Magnets Recyclable if They’re Made from Rare Earth Minerals

Some of the magnets that cannot be recycled are called rare earth magnets. These are everywhere, in most electronics, including cell phones, computers, toys, headphones, and speakers. These cannot be thrown into the trash or the recycling bin. In fact, the only way to properly dispose of them, in accordance with government regulations, is to thermally demagnetize them. This involves heating them to about 176 degrees Fahrenheit, which you really should not try at home. If you want to dispose of this kind of magnet, find a company that handles the demagnetizing procedure. There are recycling centers designed to handle this process, and some electronic and phone stores collect them.

Can Magnets Be Recycled Easily or is There a Better Option?

If you want to recycle your old magnets, your best bet is to contact your local recycling facility and talk to someone knowledgeable. Since the magnet recycling process is tricky, though, it may be less complicated just to repurpose old magnets, giving them a new life through upcycling. There are plenty of DIY projects that involve magnets, and some creative thinking may help you find ways to use them that you’ve never considered. When you get promotional magnets, you can cover them with photos or other images, to make magnets that you want to keep. You can also use old magnets to hang knives in your kitchen, or attach objects to them to make interesting fridge magnets. You could also talk to a local school or daycare center, to see if your old magnets could prove useful for classroom projects.

How Are Magnets Used in Recycling?

Now that we have addressed magnet recycling, let’s discuss something you may not even realize exists– magnets used in recycling. This doesn’t mean magnets that are recycled so their materials can be reused, but rather magnets that are useful to the recycling industry for recycling other materials. You may not realize it, but recycling metal is something that has been done for centuries. A crucial part of this process is separating different types of metals and alloys, some of which are magnetic. In the 1960s, recycling plants began using magnets to help separate these metals and identify their value. Ferrous metals, which contain iron, are attracted to magnets. Metals that don’t contain iron, like aluminum, are not magnetic. The magnets used in recycling plants are permanent magnets, and they are not only used to differentiate different metals, but also for quality control, to remove metal scraps before something is recycled, in order to avoid contamination. One common way magnets are used is in a machine called an Eddy Current Separator. In this machine, a strong, multi pole magnetic rotor, spinning at high speed, creating current that produces a magnetic field. When aluminum comes into the field, the current produces an opposing magnetic field, which pushes the aluminum out and away from the other metals. The use of magnets is innovative and efficient, but more than that, it’s also extremely environmentally friendly.

Ask the Experts in Recycling About How to Recycle Magnets

In fact, you can ask us anything at all about recycling, and we will have an answer for you! That’s because for more than a century, Okon Recycling has been a trusted leader in the international recycling industry. Our business is built on a foundation of long-standing relationships, and many of our employees, vendors, and customers have been with us for decades or even generations. We are a family-owned company, currently under the leadership of the 4^th generation Okon.

Over our long history, we have procured millions of tons of raw materials, and this has played a major role in infrastructure development and global events. Committed to forward-thinking focus and innovative recycling solutions, we continuously update and improve our facility with the latest technology. Community and environment come first for us, and we continue to be an active and charitable leader in our industry. And even though we are large enough to offer a full range of recycling services and equipment, offer competitive pricing, and have comprehensive insurance coverage, we are still small enough to customize our services and give our clients access to our top decision makers. For more information and to learn how we can offer you personalized recycling solutions, contact us through our website.