Metallijakeet

Metallijakeet (Finnish: "metal fractions") refers to categories of metal-containing waste collected for recycling and recovery. The term is commonly used in municipal solid waste management and industrial material handling to denote separately gathered ferrous and non-ferrous metals destined for material recycling, energy recovery, or reuse.

Typical items classified as metallijakeet include cans, metal packaging, small household appliances, tools, scrap from construction and demolition, and industrial offcuts. Municipal collection systems often separate ferrous metals (which are magnetic) from non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, copper, and brass to optimize downstream processing.

Processing of metallijakeet involves sorting, cleaning, shredding, and sometimes baling, followed by melting and refining at foundries or smelters. Mechanical separation techniques (magnetic separation, eddy current separators) and manual sorting are widely used to improve purity and resource efficiency. Recovered metals are valuable secondary raw materials that reduce the need for virgin ore extraction and lower energy use and greenhouse gas emissions compared with primary production.

Regulatory frameworks and producer responsibility schemes in many countries encourage separate collection and recycling of metal waste to meet circular economy objectives. Efficient collection and proper source-separation reduce contamination and increase recycling yields. For households and businesses, common guidance is to rinse metal packaging, remove non-metal attachments, and follow local waste authority instructions for drop-off points or curbside collection.