Posted by Patrick Moreau on June 28, 2020 in Industrial
Aluminum recycling facts from Ablison Energy? All in all, the energy it takes to replace all of the aluminum cans wasted every year in the United States alone is equivalent to 16 million barrels of oil, enough to keep a million cars on the road for a year. If all those discarded cans were recycled every year, the electricity saved could power 1.3 million American homes. If you consider how far that energy could go in powering compact-fluorescent (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, or the new energy-efficient laptops, the costs really start to mount up.
Keep in mind that several food products come with aluminum foil attached. Many yogurt containers have aluminum foil over the lids. K-cups also have aluminum foil lids. If you can recycle sheets of aluminum foil, chances are high you can recycle these items as well. Check with your recycling company to see if they can take other types of clean aluminum food storage products, like pie pans and turkey roasters, too. I reuse my clean aluminum foil whenever possible. Pieces with absolutely no food on them get folded up and put in the fridge until I need them next time. Pieces with food on them stay on my large pan until I am ready to put leftovers on a smaller plate. At that point, the foil can still be used to cover the plate.
What about aluminum pie plates and trays? If your local recycling program accepts aluminum foil, it will most often accept other aluminum food storage products. You’ll want to make sure these items are rinsed first, though. How is aluminum foil recycled? First, aluminum of all types must be separated from steel using an eddy current in a materials recovery facility. The aluminum is crushed and baled, then sent to a metal recycler. At this point, the aluminum is cleaned and melted into sheets of aluminum, where it can be manufactured into aluminum cans or foil products. Discover more details on is aluminum biodegradable.
Aluminum itself is one of the most recyclable — and indeed, one of the most recycled — materials around. According to the Aluminum Association, nearly 75 percent of all the aluminum produced in the US is still in use today, thanks to recycling efforts and the fact that it can be recycled again and again without its quality diminishing. If you’re not ready yet to relegate aluminum foil to the recycling bin or the trash can, you might be able to give clean pieces another life — there are other uses for aluminum foil besides wrapping up leftovers.
Putting lightweight, recycled aluminum into cars makes them lighter and more efficient, as well. In 2002 the average car contained 220 to 265 lbs. of aluminum. As of 2011, cars contain an average of 265 to 330 lbs. of aluminum. (see References 4). Lighter, more efficient cars save fossil fuels. Recycling Aluminum Helps Satisfy an Increasing Demand! Manufacturers are also becoming more efficient in their use of aluminum. Today’s aluminum can weighs .0466 oz., which is more than 15 percent lighter than a can made in 1993. Find even more information on https://www.ablison.com/how-to-recycle-aluminum-foil-and-is-it-biodegradable/.