Aluminum recycling has become a significant part of the aluminum industry. Aluminum was discovered around the 1920s and is now the most abundant metal on earth. As a sustainable and durable metal, it’s used almost everywhere, from cars, construction materials, kitchen wares to beverage cans. Since it can be recycled over and over without degrading its quality, aluminum is now the most recycled metal product in the world
Recycling aluminum has been around since the early 1900s and has gained more attraction with the rising popularity of beverage cans in 1960s. The beverage industry is the biggest consumer of aluminum. Every minute, there’s an average of almost 100,000 aluminum cans being recycled. One empty aluminum can costs about one cent. Recycled aluminum not only come from beverage cans, other sources include aluminum foil, old siding or even roof gutters. Aside from its environmental benefits, aluminum recycling requires lesser energy so it’s the more economic and cheaper choice of production. Recycling aluminum cans take 95 less energy than creating new aluminum. Just recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to keep a television running for three hours.
When these scrap aluminum are delivered to a recycling depot, it takes about a month before they’re back on the shelf again. The aluminum recycling process begins once the scrap aluminum is collected and turned into large bales. Afterwards, they’re sent to aluminum companies where they go through shredding, crushing, stripping and burning until they turn into small thin round chips. These are then mixed with the new aluminum into a furnace and then poured and cut out as sheets. Once it cools down, the aluminum sheets are rolled and sent to can manufacturers. Within 60 to 75 days, the aluminum recycling process is completed and the product returns to the market as useful items such as beverage cans and car parts.
Recycling aluminum has been around since the early 1900s and has gained more attraction with the rising popularity of beverage cans in 1960s. The beverage industry is the biggest consumer of aluminum. Every minute, there’s an average of almost 100,000 aluminum cans being recycled. One empty aluminum can costs about one cent. Recycled aluminum not only come from beverage cans, other sources include aluminum foil, old siding or even roof gutters. Aside from its environmental benefits, aluminum recycling requires lesser energy so it’s the more economic and cheaper choice of production. Recycling aluminum cans take 95 less energy than creating new aluminum. Just recycling one aluminum can save enough energy to keep a television running for three hours.
When these scrap aluminum are delivered to a recycling depot, it takes about a month before they’re back on the shelf again. The aluminum recycling process begins once the scrap aluminum is collected and turned into large bales. Afterwards, they’re sent to aluminum companies where they go through shredding, crushing, stripping and burning until they turn into small thin round chips. These are then mixed with the new aluminum into a furnace and then poured and cut out as sheets. Once it cools down, the aluminum sheets are rolled and sent to can manufacturers. Within 60 to 75 days, the aluminum recycling process is completed and the product returns to the market as useful items such as beverage cans and car parts.