Steps to Recycle Aluminum Cans

It's cheaper to make aluminum cans from old ones than from aluminum ore.

Recycling aluminum cans cuts down on how much aluminum has to be produced by refining it from aluminum ore, also known as bauxite. It takes 95 percent less energy to produce aluminum cans from recycled material than from aluminum ore. U.S. aluminum production in 1996 was 52 percent from primary sources and 48 percent from recycling.

Preparation

Cans should be as clean as possible for recycling. Wash off any dirt or debris and remove any labels. Crush clean cans and place them in heavy-duty trash bags for storage and transport.

Recycling Centers

Recycling centers further treat cans they buy from the public or receive in recycling containers from trash collection. Cans are packed into 30-pound briquettes or 1,200-pound bales and shipped to aluminum companies for further processing.

Aluminum Companies

Cans are shredded and any paint or finishes removed before loading the scrap into a furnace for melting. Molten aluminum is poured into 30,000-pound ingots which go to the rolling mills where they are reduced to thin-sheet aluminum. Coils of sheet aluminum are sent to can-making companies.

Production

Can makers produce can bodies and lids from sheet aluminum and send them to beverage manufacturers for filling and sale to consumers.

References

• Aluminum Association: Facts About Aluminum Recycling
• State of Washington Department of Ecology: Aluminum Production
• Aluminum Association: How Is An Aluminum Can Recycled?