Where do shipping containers go when they die? No one really knows, and it’s a mystery known to none. Do they have an afterlife, are they reincarnated, or do they just cease to exist? We really don’t think about it most of the time, but shipping containers, like most things, move, change, and have some kind of ending point. So, logically, we do know that they have to go somewhere. When shipping containers cease to be useful for shipping, or they are lost, they don’t just vanish into thin air regardless our beliefs in magic. So where do they go? Most of the time is a very simple answer, but, nonetheless, a very curious question.
Option 1: Melting containers down
One very simple answer is that old shipping containers are melted down and might simply be used to create more shipping containers. That might be too simple, but you can quite literally make anything out of recycled steel (at least if it is an item made out of steel). Steel is highly recyclable. Unless the steel has turned into rust, you can melt it down and form it into anything you want.
The life of a container before being melted down and recycled can depend on many factors, but a container that lasted the full expected life span could last at least 20-25 years of service (if well-maintained). Factors that could affect the life span of the container could include but is limited to: the amount moisture it comes in contact with, whether the container mainly see fresh water, salt water, or no water by land, what kind of climate or variation of climates the container is exposed to throughout its life, what was the container consistently or inconsistently carrying, how well was the container maintained, or, finally was there a lack of steady maintenance, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Option 2: Containers lost at sea
A very small number of shipping containers are simply lost at sea. We forget sometimes that the ocean is a big place (in fact we have multiple oceans), and we forget that a lot can happen on the open sea. Equipment can fail, human errors can occur, and storms do hit ships on an almost-daily basis globally. Whatever the reason, a very small number of containers do fall into the sea. Unfortunately, the cargo is lost when that happens, and the contents end up adding to our ocean’s pollution. But that is a story for another time.
Option 3: Building new structures from containers
In recent years, shipping containers have been increasingly used for building structures such as, homes, offices, sheds, warehouses, workshops, etc. You can build a structure with just one container, or you can put multiple containers together. You can stack them on top of each other, and you can build onto them with more typical construction alongside them.
One of the reasons containers are beginning to gain popularity for use in construction is the relatively low price to purchase a used container. Even the construction cost to fabricate or to purchase a prefabricated shipping container is still lower than building a new building from the ground up. And, it’s likely that as global trade grows in the future, more people will utilize the advantages of using shipping containers for their construction projects.
Most things in this world are finite, and shipping containers are no different.
They are born, they live, and they go when it’s their time. You have to think that there are literally millions upon millions of shipping containers out there and eventually, on a long enough timeline, all of those containers will see an end. Where will they all go when that time has come? They have to go somewhere. Let’s just hope they move on to a better place.
