Many advantages come with recycling aluminum. Together with the excellent quality of aluminum, recycling this metal has become a common practice among many manufacturers that use aluminum in their products. Apart from cost and profit benefits, ordinary households can greatly benefit once they start recycling aluminum cans.
About 65% of aluminum utilized in the United States is recycled. Two out of three cans in the country go straight to recycling centers. Almost 90% of recycled aluminum is used to produce aluminum sheets and new beverage cans. Here are the top reasons why recycling aluminum must be adhered to by homeowners and business owners alike.
Reduces carbon footprint
Increased social responsibility and environmental awareness inspired the recent surge of aluminum recycling in the United States. Aluminum recycling prevents the escape of more than 90 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. Additionally, installing lightweight recycled aluminum into cars can make them more efficient, resulting in significant savings on gas consumption.
Satisfies the increasing demand for aluminum
Recycling aluminum is also inspired by the ever-increasing global demand for aluminum. Thanks to aluminum recycling, manufacturers utilize more than 35% of recovered aluminum and 65% of primary aluminum to meet their production needs. In addition, thanks to technological advancements, aluminum production is now more efficient. In the past three decades, recycled aluminum cans have been more than 15% lighter than those made before 1993.
Fast and cost-efficient recycling process
Given that aluminum is in great demand, processing facilities have made it easy to recycle this metal. Some communities have initiated their pickup systems in coordination with local recycling companies. Consumers may walk in to deliver their aluminum cans and get paid by the pound. While the price of aluminum per pound varies, aluminum is considered one of the most valuable materials on the recyclable market.
Reduces landfills
Every metal that does not go to recycling plants ends up in landfills or the scrapyard. Reusing aluminum by recycling minimizes dumps, which effectively helps in our collective effort to save the environment.
Saves energy
Energy conservation offers long-term environmental protection. A significant amount of energy is lost when metals such as aluminum do not end up in a recycling plant. A considerable amount of power is saved when aluminum products are placed in recycling plants. Every aluminum can recycled translates to the extended use of a single appliance for four hours. Recycling aluminum effectively saves energy on a large scale while putting less strain on the environment.
Benefits the community
Recycling aluminum cans deliver several benefits to communities, non-profits, and charitable organizations. For example, local can drives that involve collecting aluminum cans raise funds for community projects and school improvements. A perfect example of this initiative is the Cans for Habitat program, a nationwide initiative with Habitat for Humanity International. This program’s proceeds from recycled aluminum cans are donated to Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing for low-income families.
Bottom line
The simple activity of dropping off aluminum cans at a recycling plant contributes to a cleaner environment. There are also financial and community benefits that make recycling aluminum an attractive option for households and businesses.