The Benefits of Using Galvanised Wire

Cut and Looped Galvanised Wire - 
Image Courtesy of D R Baling Wire

Galvanised wire is an essential commodity in the industrial and agricultural industries and is used in a number of sectors. Due to its strength and durability and the ability to produce mass quantities of it for relatively low costs, it is a product that has become popular across the world and is used in any number of sectors, essentially in everything from construction to waste management and recycling.

So what is galvanised wire and why should you use it for your business or even DIY projects?  
  


Galvanised wire is steel, iron or aluminium wire that has been coated in zinc. The zinc then works as a sacrificial anode, a protective barrier that protects the underlying metal from corrosive forces.

This can be done in a number of ways, including by electroplating, a process which uses an electric current to adhere the zinc to the wire. However, the most popular form of galvanising wire is by hot-dipping it. As the name suggests, this involves immersing the wire in molten zinc, to effectively cover every part of the wire. There are a number of benefits to using this method over electroplating, but the main advantage is that this process creates a thick, dull layer over the steel, as opposed to the relatively thin coating from electroplating, which will also create a bright and reflective surface.

Although other materials can be used, such as paint or enamel, zinc is by far the most effective as, even when it is scratched or eroded in places, it then acts as a sacrificial anode and still protects the steel underneath, even in the places that have been left exposed. This is down to the fact that zinc has a greater electronegativity than the base metal. The same cannot be said of the other materials.

It also has the added benefits of being relatively cost efficient (often cheaper to use than the other materials), easy to apply and much longer lasting: it can last for up to 20-25 years without requiring any maintenance and a life span of over 50 years is not uncommon. This is especially important when used in the construction industry. Materials such as paint are occasionally applied to the top of the zinc coating, for an added protective layer that improves the finish of the project for a more aesthetic feel, however, this is not necessary nor is it common practice in many of the sectors in which galvanised wire is relied upon. (Find out more about zinc here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc.)

Galvanising the wire will also render it much stronger and durable than the base material would usually be, which makes it an important commodity within the manufacturing industry, which requires these attributes in the materials used. While both the industrial and agriculture sectors use galvanised wire extensively, whether it’s to reinforce a fence or to create strong, steel ropes, it is particularly practical in the waste management and recycling sectors. Here, it is used as a baling wire, to compress a large amount of material into uniform bundles, which are then easy and safe to handle, store and transport. The ability to produce mass quantities of the wire for a relatively low cost, without compromising on the integrity and quality of the product, make it an essential product in industries such as these.

The wire can then be sold in hard or soft forms, depending on the client’s requirements, coming in both formers, coils or cut and looped form, which is used when the wire needs to be tied manually.

Image Courtesy of the Sydney Opera House

Popular in countries across the world, galvanised wire was even used to construct the Sydney Opera House!











So, with its long lifespan that requires minimal maintenance, strength and low cost, it’s no wonder that galvanised wire is such an essential commodity within certain industries, sectors and businesses. Even outside of the industry, you might want to consider it for your next DIY project!

D R Baling Wire Manufacturers produce the best galvanised wire products for the UK market; to find out more about our galvanised wire or talk to one of our representatives, please visit our website: www.drbalingwire.co.uk/galvanised-wire

How Recycling Works

Recycling has taken over and for good reason too; we are running out of space on the planet. Sure, there are some uninhabitable lands that still have no industry attached to them, but they are typically too far away to dump our garbage. Even if they were accessible, deserts, rainforests and the arctic are really the last bastions of Mother Nature we have left on the planet and truly, they should be protected. 

Fortunately, recycling has advanced technologically so that almost all household waste can actually be reused somehow. Whether it is food that can be used for compost, or it is our scrap paper which becomes repurposed as toilet tissue, recycling items means that useful materials are not taking up valuable space in landfills. 

What’s the Big Deal?

Space is not the only reason recycling makes sense, although that is clearly one of the most important factors when considering a recycling programme. In landfills, when materials with the ability to decompose are underneath a massive amount of other items they create a gas. This methane gas is the natural result of the decomposition of materials – and there is a major difference when they have access to oxygen and when they do not. When these gases are trapped at the bottom of a landfill, they become more than just toxic, they become explosive.

Not only that, but why should easily reusable materials be stuck in a landfill taking up all that valuable space, which could be reserved for the few items that cannot be repurposed? Our water is recycled, why should other items we use on a daily basis be any different?

Businesses are doing their bit by incorporating recycled and recyclable packaging for the products we use. That is not just because they want to appear to be doing the right thing; it is because of the damaging impact garbage and landfills leave on the planet. And it is not just a problem for future generations, our garbage and the way it is handled can (and does) have an impact on the world we live in today. Industry has been able to effect a large scale change in the products and packaging we use on a daily basis, all we need to do is follow suit.

How Recycling Works

In the early days of recycling, when it still seemed a matter for Californian ex-hippies, very few materials were easily recycled. Much has changed over the years; now, at least two-thirds of all household waste is reusable in some way. How it is used varies from material to material, but almost all recycling follows the same path to their new form. It all begins (and ends) in your home.

Collection and Separation

Your home likely has some kind of container for recyclable materials and possibly more than one, depending on where you live. Any packaging which is recyclable will be marked in some way so you can determine whether it heads to the black bin or your recycling container. And then, once a week, that container makes its way to the curb where it is collected by municipal or recycling company employees.

From your house it is transported to a separation centre. There, recyclable materials are differentiated by their makeup and divided into segments requiring the same treatment. It is in these separation centres where the little 4 or the 7 in the middle of the recyclable symbol makes a difference.

Once separated, garbage items are bundled together using baling wire. Depending on the recycling centre, this is typically an automated process requiring industrial baling machines and either black annealed or galvanised formers. Although it sounds as though it would be a complicated process, the right systems and wiring renders it almost effortless. Once bundled, recyclable materials head off to central recycling centres. Here, your recyclables are joined by similar materials from all over the country. In some instances, materials may be sent to recycling centres overseas, which makes the bundling process and the baling wire used even more important. 

Here's how galvanised wire is manufactured: 

 

The Recycling Process

Once materials are exactly where they need to be for recycling, they are cut down into pieces.  This size reduction process helps with further processing. It also makes it easier for transport. In some instances this cutting process happens even before materials head over to their processing centre. Just as the baling process sounds intricate, the right blades can make all the difference on the size reduction floor. 

Smaller pieces are then taken for a wash; the idea to remove anything that cannot be recycled within the same process. For example, the label stuck on the bottle of your favourite soft drink was applied with glue, so even if you remove the label traces of the glue will remain. The washing process works to remove or loosen these items. After items are washed, they undergo an additional separation process which removes any foreign elements (such as traces of labels) from the batch.

From there, taking plastic as an example, the cut and cleaned pieces are pumped through a machine which heats them so they can be melted into a new shape. The pellets that are formed are the basis for recycled plastic products. These pellets are shipped out to factories across the country (and the world) for repurposing. So, once again, they need to be packaged, or bundled according to the specifications of the purchasing company. 

Baling machines and the correct wiring is again the name of the game, rendering them almost as important as the recycled materials themselves.  

Image Courtesy of D R Baling Wire Manufacturers

Your Involvement

As the man or woman on the street, you do not need to worry about baling machines and blades that can cut plastic. All you need to do is make use of the recycling container issued by the municipality.  And, as you now know, you don’t have to scrub off the glue from each and every bottle or can. The recycling centres take care of most of the difficult work.

It is more important to make sure you opt for packaging which is recyclable (and almost every major retailer is concerned about this as well). And, once you are done with items, check whether they can be recycled. If they can, then it is important to dispose of them properly rather than allowing items to take up space in landfills. After that, it is a simple matter of taking your recycling container to the curb on the right day of the week. 

Fortunately, recycling has come a long way from its roots and has become easy. All you need to do is separate your waste before you take it to the curb; everything else is done for you.