Celebrating Global Recycling Day by recycling aluminum cans.
March 18 is Global Recycling Day, a day to increase awareness about the benefits of recycling and encourage individuals, governments, and businesses to take action to reduce waste. Recycling is important because it allows materials to be reused multiple times and reduces the use of new raw materials to create new products, which saves money and natural resources.
One of the most recyclable materials is aluminum cans. The aluminum can has existed since 1958 when the Coors company introduced the first aluminum beer can. Today, aluminum cans are used in the food and beverage industry, as well as food products like oil and chemicals.
Aluminum cans are 100% recyclable and can be reprocessed multiple times, making it a very sustainable metal. Moreover, recycling aluminum cans uses 95% less energy than producing them from raw materials.
Unlike plastic, which is difficult to separate and recycle adequately, over 50% of aluminum cans produced will be recycled, while some countries achieve a recovery rate of over 90%. A study by the International Aluminum Institute on recycling aluminum cans has identified that 60 million tonnes of CO2e per year could be saved through effective global recycling of used beverage cans by 2030. They found that South Korea had the highest aluminum can recycling rate, followed by Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Aluminum cans are more valuable than glass or plastic, making municipal recycling programs financially viable and effectively subsidizing the recycling of less valuable materials in the recycling bin. Once an aluminum can has been collected, it will be transformed and back in circulation in as little as 60 days.
Some places associate a deposit to their cans to encourage recycling aluminum cans. Customers will receive the deposit back when the aluminum cans are returned. The materials are transformed at the recycling plant (i.e., the aluminum is smelted for manufacturing ingots or coils). With this deposit program, U.S. states recycle between 75% and 95% of all aluminum cans sold. Meanwhile, states without deposit laws only recycle about 35% of their aluminum cans.
Recycling aluminum cans is one of the most common uses of recycled aluminum, but there are other uses for recycled aluminum as well. Recycled aluminum can be used to produce automotive parts such as engine components, wheels, and body panels. Recycled aluminum is used to make bicycle frames and components.
Recycled aluminum produces various building materials, such as roofing and window frames. We also see recycled aluminum being used in building electronics such as laptops, smartphones, and other devices and creating utensils, pots, and pans. Recycled aluminum is even being used in the aerospace industry to manufacture aircraft and spacecraft components.
Recycling aluminum cans and other recyclable materials is important to reduce waste that goes into the landfill. It also helps to conserve natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals. On Global Recycling Day and every day, there are many things you can do to reduce your impact on the environment. Some ways to celebrate include:
- Setting up a plan to start recycling
- Start recycling aluminum cans.
- Researching what materials can be recycled in your area
- Teaching others about the benefits of recycling.
- Joining a global recycling day event.
- Developing new ways to reuse, recycle, and repurpose what you already own.
- Encouraging your community leaders to implement and support recycling.
While our recycling systems may not be perfect and may vary depending on where you live, it is important that we do what we can to reduce what goes into the landfill and what can be repurposed or reused. Every effort we make counts.
