Your Guide To The Aluminium Recycling Process
Recycling aluminium uses significantly less energy than making aluminium products from raw materials, and there's no limit to how many times aluminium can be recycled, which makes it extremely wasteful to send aluminium to landfill. When you recycle aluminium instead of continuing to produce products made with new aluminium you're cutting greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide emissions, but some people still aren't sure how to determine if a product is made with aluminium or not.
What Can Be Recycled?
You can use a magnet to test if a product is aluminium, as magnets will not stick to aluminium but will stick to steel. There are also a wide range of products that are almost always made with aluminium and these include drinks cans and aerosols, such as deodorant, shaving foam and air freshener cans. Screw caps found on bottles of spirits, wines and cooking ingredients, such as soy sauce or cider vinegar, also tend to be made of aluminium. You can also recycle wrapping foil and food trays, such as those used for ready meals and takeaways, but you should rinse and wipe them clean before recycling. Some food wrappers are made with aluminium, but some are made with a metallised plastic film, which can't be recycled. To check if a wrapper is aluminium you can scrunch it up into a ball in your hand, and if it remains scrunched up when you let it go it's aluminium.
How Is Aluminium Recycled?
The recycling process only takes a few weeks to complete. When aluminium products are collected and taken to a recycling plant, they are sorted and cleaned before being melted down. During the melting process, the heat removes any coatings or inks to produce a clean product. The aluminium is then allowed to solidify into blocks called ingots, which are transferred to a mill to be rolled out into sheets. The sheets can then be processed into any suitable products, such as new drinks cans.
Aluminium is a strong, flexible material that's invaluable in the manufacturing and production of consumer goods. Recycling aluminium helps keep production costs down in addition to being good for the environment. You can take used aluminium products to your local recycling centre, but there are also recycling companies who will pay you for your old aluminium. Rates can fluctuate depending on market trends, but collecting aluminium can be a fun way to earn a little extra spending money. For more information, contact a metal trader, such as Sydney Metal Traders.
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