Recycling Aluminum: How is Aluminum Recycled?

Can you recycle aluminum? If yes, how is it done? In this blog, we’ll be more than happy to help you understand the process of recycling aluminum.

We’ll discuss whether aluminum is recyclable or not, how it’s done, if specific aluminum products are recyclable, and more!

Is Aluminum Recyclable?

Quelle: Sgt Scrap

Yes, aluminum is 100% recyclable. It is, in fact, one of the most sustainable materials available. And in case you didn’t know, aluminum is infinitely recyclable, meaning, you can recycle it over and over again without losing its properties and qualities. 

Recycling aluminum requires significantly less energy—about 95% less—compared to producing it from raw materials.

What Aluminum Items Can be Recycled?

Quelle: Cali Carting

The first thing many people would think of when they hear aluminum recycling is cans. Besides an aluminum can, there are also other items you can recycle.

• Beverage cans: Soda and beer cans are widely recycled and easy to process.
• Aluminum foil: Clean and dry foil sheets can often be recycled, but avoid food-contaminated pieces.
• Disposable aluminum trays: Baking and food trays, if rinsed, are recyclable in most areas.
• Bottle caps: Check with local facilities, as some accept small caps from drinks and jars.
• Empty aerosol cans: Ensure the can is empty and not punctured before recycling.
• Aluminum cookware: Old pots, pans, and baking sheets can be recycled if they are 100% aluminum.
• Bike frames: Damaged or unwanted bike frames are often accepted at metal recycling centers.
• Aluminum wiring: Stripped or clean wiring can be recycled, though some centers require pre-sorting.
• Aluminum car parts: Wheels, engine components, and other parts can often be recycled as scrap metal.

HINWEIS: These are just some of the main aluminum items you can recycle. There are, of course, more products you can clean, sort, and recycle.

How to Recycle Aluminum: The Proper Aluminum Recycling Process

It’s common knowledge how efficient recycling aluminum is. But how is it really done? Is it simply saved, remade and reprocessed, and then used?

For businesses that need significant amounts of aluminum, you might want to look at recycling them. So, let’s take a deep dive into the world of aluminum recycling and see if it’s a good fit.

Step 1: Gathering and Arranging

Collecting recyclable materials from bins, curbside pickups, or drop-off locations is the first step in the recycling process for aluminum.

After being transferred to recovery plants or garbage disposal stations, these materials are sorted. Non-magnetic aluminum is left behind when ferrous metals are removed from the mixture using magnets.

HINWEIS: This first step is actually ensuring that you’re getting the best and the highest of qualities in your aluminum products

Step 2: Shredding

Once sorted, the aluminum is sent to reprocessing plants, where it is shredded into smaller pieces.

This step reduces the material’s volume, making it easier to handle and transport. The smaller size also allows for faster and more efficient melting in later stages.

They’re actually sized to whatever the standard or regular size the product will be or close to that.

Step 3: Cleaning

After shredding, the aluminum fragments undergo a thorough cleaning process. Mechanical and chemical treatments remove dirt, paint, coatings, and other contaminants from the surface.

This step is crucial to ensure the purity of the recycled material and to prepare it for melting and reprocessing.

Step 4: Melting

High-capacity furnaces that can reach temperatures of over 750 degrees Celsius are filled with the cleaned aluminum.

The aluminum is melted under these harsh circumstances, becoming liquid and ready for additional processing. Although it uses a lot of energy, this step recycles aluminum very effectively.

Step 5: Elimination of Byproducts

Impurities and waste products naturally separate from the molten aluminum during the melting process. These are eliminated mechanically or by adding gases such as nitrogen and chlorine.

This purification process guarantees that the final aluminum satisfies quality requirements.

Step 6: Production of Alloys

Certain metals, like copper, zinc, magnesium, or silicon, are added to the molten mixture to improve the qualities of the recycled aluminum.

The intended use of aluminum, such as producing stronger or more corrosion-resistant materials, determines the aluminum alloy to use.

Step 7: Casting and Compounding

And last but most definitely not least in its steps is compounding. Purified molten aluminum is poured into molds to form ingots or rods.

These solid forms are compact and easy to transport to manufacturing facilities, where they can be repurposed into various new products like cans, car parts, or construction materials.

That’s about it! The process of how you can recycle aluminum – it isn’t as complex as you thought it was, right? It’s a straightforward and highly-efficient process that compounds in advantages as time goes on.

Why Recycle Aluminum?

Recycling aluminum is not only good for the environment, it’s a holistically positive activity that businesses and organizations do for a number of benefits.

Saves Energy and Resources

Aluminum recycling provides  90% to 95% efficiency on the energy needed to produce new aluminum.

It reduces reliance on mining and conserves fossil fuels, helping create a more sustainable future.

Reduces Landfill Waste

Consumers buy about 200 billion aluminum cans yearly. Millions of aluminum cans end up in landfills each year, taking up valuable space for other waste.

Recycling prevents waste buildup, reducing landfill pollution and the need for additional waste management infrastructure.

Minimizes Environmental Damage

Producing aluminum from raw materials harms ecosystems and generates greenhouse gases. Recycling avoids mining and reduces emissions, protecting the environment.

Supports Local Economies and Communities

The aluminum recycling industry generates jobs and pays nearly a billion dollars annually for recycled cans.

This income often supports community programs, schools, and charities through can drives and initiatives.

Limits Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Recycling aluminum drastically lowers emissions compared to production from raw materials. This helps combat climate change and reduces smog-forming pollutants.

Encourages Infinite Reusability

Aluminum can be recycled endlessly without losing quality. This makes it a highly sustainable and valuable material.

All of these and more are the primary reasons why we need to become more serious in recycling aluminum. Of course, there are more reasons and those reasons grow more everyday as we see fit.

Can You Recycle Aluminum Foil?

Quelle: Millennium Alloys CA

Yes, like any other aluminum part or component, you can recycle and reuse aluminum foil. The process is pretty much the same as to how typical aluminum products are recycled.

It’s sorted, cleaned, shredded or scrunched, and then sent to recycling offices and partners.

If you want a more detailed process, Earth911 provides a comprehensive guide on how to properly recycle aluminum foil.

Fun Facts About Recycling Aluminum

We can fill a whole book up just by discussing why it’s important. So, we prepared a few of the best and most interesting facts about recycling aluminum:

• An aluminum can recycled today can return to the shelf as a new can in just 60 days.
• Approximately 75% of all aluminum ever producedis still in use today, thanks to recycling.
• In the United States, nearly 123,097 aluminum cansare recycled every minute.
• The aluminum industry pays nearly $1 billion annuallyfor recycled cans, supporting local economies.
• A ton of aluminum saves about 27,000 miles(in emissions).

HINWEIS: These fun facts help you understand the seriousness of aluminum recycling more. Many people don’t think it’s a major issue, but in actuality, we’re losing a lot than gaining if we don’t recycle aluminum.  

Is Recycling Aluminum Profitable?

For the most part, yes, aluminum recycling can be a profitable venture. It’s currently an area where demand is high, and the process of doing so is cost-effective.

In addition, the cost of making aluminum (extracting from the ore, processing it, and a series of quality assessments) is expensive, not environmentally-friendly, and consumes energy.

Whether you plan on recycling simple-machined aluminum, anodized aluminum or painted aluminum or even complex aluminum parts, they’re all profitable.

Profitable or not, you now know how crucial aluminum recycling is. Not only does it save money, it also saves and conserves a lot of energy, it helps with pollution, and it allows better spaces for landfills.

HDC as China’s #1 Aluminum Manufacturer 

Here at HDC, we don’t just care about our business – we care about the environment and sustainability, too.

Contrary to popular belief, we don’t just manufacture new aluminum, we help out advocates in reusing and recycling aluminum,too.

Equipped with the right tools and technologies, you can count on us if you need top-grade, high-caliber aluminum. Whether you need raw aluminum or aluminum car parts, manufacturing parts, or components for transport, we got you!

Being the best aluminum manufacturer that also puts emphasis on recycling, we can assure you that everything we do is for the benefit of your business, and our world.

Kontaktieren Sie uns noch heute and we’ll give you a free estimate of what you’re looking for! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us! Our dedicated team of customer service experts are ready to help!