If the steel structure of a canopy is left on the beach and goes out to sea, the metal will eventually rust. Although not as harmful to marine life as plastic or Styrofoam items, anything that is litter going out into the ocean may harm marine life – and steel components may be harmful to larger marine creature. If you don’t know about how harmful litter of all types is to the ocean, Green Eco Services has a page detailing the effects of litter on marine creatures.

If you’re a beach goer, what can you do to prevent beach litter? The first thing is to take your canopy home. Most steel pop-up canopies are easy to transport and take in a car, so when packing up your things, remember to bring both the canopy and steel structure. If you see others leaving their steel canopies on the beach – but taking everything else with them – remind them about the canopy they’re leaving behind or, if the canopy is already abandoned, contact any local authorities to report the abandoned canopy. Although a steel canopy frame may be alone on the beach, the tide may rise and drag it out to sea.

A powder-coated steel frame is somewhat self-explanatory by name. A dry coating is applied to the steel as a free-flowing, loose dry powder and, to stick to the steel, it is applied electrostatically. The powder is cured under heat until it solidifies. Often, the “powder” used is a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. Galvanized steel, on the other hand, goes through a chemical process to protect the steel from corrosion. Galvanized steel is created by coating a steel rod or beam in layers of zinc, which directly protects the steel from rust. The steel is submerged in zinc, which then, by chemical bonds, permanently becomes a part of the metal. But, instead of a thoroughly-distributed mix of zinc and steel, a galvanized steel rod or beam is entirely zinc on the outside, with a layer below of zinc and iron, and pure steel on the inside. To protect the steel from corrosion, the zinc will corrode first when exposed to moisture or saltwater.

As steel is easily susceptible to corrosion when outside, having the steel protected is necessary for any steel structure, including portable garages and carports, that will be kept outside or close to saltwater. While paint or plastic won’t protect pure steel for long, powder-coated or galvanized steel will protect the steel for several years. In terms of types of outdoor structures, galvanized steel is used for structures that are permanently outdoors, like portable garages and carports, while powder-coated steel is used for temporary structures like party tents and wedding tents.