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Green Guide Feb. 15, 2013

The document summarizes the aluminum can recycling process from collection to production of new cans. It notes that: 1) Two out of three cans produced in the US begin the recycling process at local centers and are condensed into dense briquettes or bales for shipping to aluminum companies. 2) At aluminum companies, the condensed cans are shredded, stripped of coatings, and melted before being poured into ingots. 3) The ingots are rolled and shipped to can makers to produce new cans that return to shelves in as little as 60 days, going through the recycling process again.

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121 views

Green Guide Feb. 15, 2013

The document summarizes the aluminum can recycling process from collection to production of new cans. It notes that: 1) Two out of three cans produced in the US begin the recycling process at local centers and are condensed into dense briquettes or bales for shipping to aluminum companies. 2) At aluminum companies, the condensed cans are shredded, stripped of coatings, and melted before being poured into ingots. 3) The ingots are rolled and shipped to can makers to produce new cans that return to shelves in as little as 60 days, going through the recycling process again.

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kansasgreenteams
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Kansas Green Guide Your Bi-Weekly Guide to Sustainable Living

Can-to-Can in 60 Days! February 15, 2013

Beverages packaged in aluminum cans are purchased by millions of consumers around the world each day. They pop the top, hear the familiar hiss and down their favorite drink. But, then what? Where does the can go after you toss it into the recycling bin? 1. Two out of every three cans produced in the United States begin the recycling process at local recycling centers, community drop-off sites, charity collection sites, reverse vending machines or curbside pick-up spots. 2. Aluminum cans from these sources are then gathered at large, regional scrap processing companies. There, they condense the cans into dense, 30-pound briquettes or 1,200-pound bales and ship them to aluminum companies for melting. 3. At the aluminum companies, the condensed cans are shredded, crushed and stripped of their inside and outside decorations through a burning process. Then, the potato chip-sized pieces of aluminum are loaded into melting furnaces, where the recycled metal is blended with new, virgin aluminum. 4. The molten aluminum is then poured into 25-foot long ingots that weigh over 30,000 pounds. The ingots are fed into rolling mills that reduce the thickness of the metal from 20 inches to sheets one-hundredth of an inch thick. 5. This metal is then coiled and shipped to can makers, who produce can bodies (the side of a can is the same thickness as a human hair!) and lids. They, in turn, deliver cans to beverage companies for filling. 6. The new cans (stocked with your favorite canned beverages, of course) are ready to return to store shelves in as little as 60 days, only to go through the entire recycling process again! Using recycled aluminum beverage cans to produce new cans rather than virgin raw materials allows the aluminum can industry to make up to 20 times more cans using the same amount of energy.
Dissemination of Kansas Green Guide by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, a governmental agency, is solely for the non-commercial purpose of informing and educating the public. References to specific companies do not constitute a KDHE endorsement. If you have any questions, please contact the Bureau of Waste Management, at [email protected]. Source: Earth 911

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