Environmental Advantages
As delineated earlier, sustainable development (SD) is the social, economic, and environmental commitment to growth and development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Reflecting the third and, perhaps, most integral element of sustainable development, hot-dip galvanized steel structures minimize environmental impact by utilizing natural healthy, abundant, and recyclable steel and zinc.
With the vast majority of structural steel and zinc in the galvanized coating entering the production phase as recycled material, the minimal effects of mining and producing natural, abundant zinc, in addition to naturally occurring by-products of the galvanizing process, are the only outputs that accrue throughout the life of a hot-dip galvanized steel structure.
During use, no maintenance means no carbon footprint and no harmful repair or touch-up emissions for 70+ years. Because of galvanized steel's inherent durability and decades-long time-to-first-maintenance, there is no need to expend wasted energy or make permanent additions to the waste stream due to continual maintenance.
Finally, when galvanized steel has extended the design life of a garage, both the zinc and steel elements are fully recyclable - meaning your initial environmental cost is the ONLY environmental cost throughout the life of the project. When the structure is at the end of its useful life, both zinc and steel are 100% recyclable, bringing the process full circle.