ALUMINUM IS GREEN
Aluminum is a durable and sustainable metal: Two-thirds of the
aluminum ever produced is still in use today.
Recovering aluminum for recycling saves money and dramatically
reduces energy consumption. The aluminum container recycling
process saves 92 percent of the energy needed to produce aluminum
from bauxite ore, according to EPA's Waste Reduction Model (WARM).
Most of the rigid aluminum packaging recovered from the waste
stream is used to manufacture new packaging, making aluminum
packaging a closed loop recycled material.
Of the most common recyclable materials aluminum, glass, paper,
metals, corrugated paperboard and plastics, aluminum is the
only material infinitely recyclable, 100 percent recyclable,
and pays for itself.
Around the U.S., aluminum is recycled 50 percent of the time,
compared to glass and plastic, which are reprocessed less than
25 percent.
Aluminum is significantly lighter than glass; therefore, it
creates a 35 percent reduction in its carbon footprint during
shipping.
Aluminum does not degrade or lose any if its intrinsic physical
properties during the recycling process. Recycled aluminum and
virgin aluminum are inherently the same.
Aluminum beverage containers represent less than 20 percent
of the materials collected in curbside recycling programs, and
they generate up to 70 percent of total scrap value.
Aluminum cans are the most valuable commodity to curbside programs
helping to pay for the collection of containers made from other
materials.
Aluminum is the only recyclable material municipalities can
count on to recoup their recycling costs. According to Earth911.com,
each year the aluminum industry pays $800 million for empty
aluminum cans to the benefit of communities, industry and the
environment.
Aluminum packaging provides a complete, impermeable barrier.
The superior barrier properties, of aluminum packaging, protect
the integrity and improve the shelf life of sensitive products,
in a highly sustainable manner."