How Aluminium Cans Are Recycled?

When we recycle aluminium, we can use only around 5% of the energy and its emission is needed to make it from the raw material bauxite. The metal can be recycled again without loss of properties, & thanks to recycling it's estimated that nearly seventy-five percent of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today. So, the aluminium recycling habit is one of the best things we can do for the environment.

First, the cans need to be taken to special collection centres instead of being thrown away with the normal refuse. The cans are then collected and taken to a factory where they are first sorted & then cleaned. Next, the cans are shredded, removing any colour coating & crushed in a special machine. The metal is then heated to a high enough temperature to allow the aluminium to melt. It is then rolled out flat to a thickness of between 2.5mm and 6 mm, depending on what it is going to be used for. The aluminium is now ready to be recycled into new packaging, such as drink containers. Finally, the new cans are delivered to a soft drinks factory where they are filled. The cans can now be sold to the public and reused. In as little as 6 weeks, the recycled aluminium cans are then sent back to the shops ready to be used again!

The aluminium can is the world's most recycled packaging container. We need to understand that all aluminium cans are 100% recyclable. It can take up to 500 years for aluminium cans to decompose. Aluminium does not degrade during the recycling process, which means it can be repeatedly recycled many a times. Recycling aluminium saves millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases, energy, electricity and fuel for its transportation.

The recycling of aluminium generally produces significant cost savings over the production of new aluminium even when the cost of collection, separation and recycling are taken into account. Over the long term, even larger national savings are made when the reduction in the capital costs associated with landfills, mines and international shipping of raw aluminium are considered.

We need to conserve our environmental resources and practice environmentally friendly habits including aluminium can segregation and recycling. Brazil, recycles more than 98% of its aluminium can production, ranking first in the world followed by Japan with 83% recovery rate.