Aluminum
The Aluminum Recycling Process
- Collection – products, ranging from beverage cans to aircraft components, are collected and transported to a recycling facility
- Sorting and Cleaning – collected aluminum is sorted based on alloy and cleaned
- Melting – cleaned aluminum is melted down using only 5% of the energy needed to produce aluminum from bauxite2
- Reforming – molten aluminum is then shaped into ingots or other forms, ready to be used in the production of new products.
"Infinitely Recyclable" Explained
Aluminum, like all metals, is composed of atoms bonded together and formed in a crystal structure. This makes aluminum exceptionally easy to melt and reform into a solid state without changing its fundamental properties. This means that aluminum can be recycled repeatedly, back into use, with no theoretical limitation. In contrast, plastics are a polymer, a synthetic substance composed of very large molecules, which break down when mechanically recycled. Traditional recycling methods will degrade plastics to the point that they are ultimately no longer recyclable back into new plastic.
All materials lose some volume as part of the melting and recycling process, though in the case of metals the material itself is not degraded. In the case of aluminum, a small amount of metal is typically lost through mill operations or oxidation.
Despite this minimal melt loss, the remaining metal is fundamentally unchanged and can be recycled again and again … unlike plastics. A comprehensive industry mass flow analysis shows that nearly 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today. And that metal is recycled over and over again.
Aluminum for circular and sustainable economy
High value and infinitely recyclable aluminum is a material tailor-made for a more circular and sustainable economy.
- Recycling is a critical part of the modern aluminum business. Making recycled aluminum only takes around 5% of the energy needed to make new aluminum — reducing carbon emissions and saving money for businesses and end consumers.
- As a result, nearly 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today, as shown by comprehensive industry data.
- In many industrial markets like automotive and building, recycling rates for aluminum exceed 90%.
