Recycling Statistics for Aluminum

Aluminum can recycling is increasing in recent years. Aluminum requires needful and natural resources to produce, so recycling is more important than ever--and the aluminum can industry uses more of the metal than any other industry. Aluminum cans can be recycled indefinitely.

Impact

Recycling aluminum saves 96 percent of the energy used to produce it, and it takes an extreme amount of energy to produce virgin aluminum. Aluminum cans reappear on the shelves in as little as 60 days. The amount of energy saved by recycling a ton of aluminum could power an average home for 10 years, according to the City of Fort Meyers.

Usage

The Aluminum Association also reports that in 1990, aluminum can recycling reached 57.4 percent, which amounts to 55.5 billion cans. The aluminum can industry uses more aluminum than the manufacturing, car and airplane industries.

Other Considerations

It takes 400 to 500 years for aluminum cans to break down naturally. Aluminum comprises about 1 percent of the collective waste in United States landfills. Aluminum is created with the combination of bauxite ore and energy. Bauxite ore is a limited resource, making aluminum recycling especially beneficial.

References

• Environmental Protection Agency
• The Aluminum Association