Scrap and Waste: What’s the Difference?

The terms scrap and waste are often used interchangeably to talk about materials that have been discarded, especially in the manufacture or production of any kind, and that they no longer have any use. However, there are technical differences between both scrap and waste, and being able to correctly identify which is which and put them to the right use is critical. 

Here are the ways in which scrap and waste are different:

The definition

To put it formally, scrap denotes the discarded materials that are no longer useful for their original purpose but can be recycled or repurposed. These can be metal or non-metal materials, based on the production process. On the other hand, waste is also a discarded material or a byproduct of a production process, where the substance has to be thrown away after its primary use, and cannot be used again in the same or a recycled form. 

The tangibility 

Scrap is always a tangible thing. You can see it; it’s the offcuts of a metal sheet after you’ve cut off the bits you need, or it is the honeycomb left behind after metal buttons have been extracted from a sheet. And if it can be seen, it has the potential to be judged valid for future use, in a recycled or repurposed form.  Waste, on the other hand, can be both tangible and intangible. The tangible kind includes things like:

• Smoke or gas emissions from a process
• The residue of a chemical reaction
• The garbage is disposed of after a process is completed

The intangible kinds of waste are not only in terms of time, money, and resources that are put behind an unsuccessful endeavour, but also the impact that any kind of production or manufacture has on the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem around the plant. 

The biggest difference: Potential

Waste has no potential when it is discarded. There is a reason it is called “waste” – in that it cannot be used in its original form, or a refurbished or recycled form. Scrap, on the other hand, no matter whatever source it comes from, contains limitless potential. It can be recycled to produce more products, with reduced emissions and reduced wastage. Green steel is one such example, where scrap metal can be used to produce steel, eliminating the high need for iron ore in the process. Even non-ferrous scraps, especially what is considered e-waste, can be recycled and repurposed in order to be used to create other products and components. Using scrap allows us to reduce waste and wastage by ensuring that discarded materials are put to better use, saving time, money, resources, and also creating a more sustainable production ecosystem. 

The Scrapcart angle

At Scrapcart, we understand the value of scrap and the potential it contains, not just for MSMEs, but for enterprises of all sizes, in terms of helping them access worthy resources that improve the sustainability of their production and can enhance scale. By streamlining the process of scrap trade, and ensuring a solid combination of manned operations and tech-backed processes, with high compliance, we are on the journey to improve access to scrap, and showcasing its advantages across the board.