Aluminum recycling facts by Ablison Energy? If it is even remotely possible that any man-made item on Earth is more ubiquitous than plastic bags, it would have to be aluminum cans. But unlike plastic bags, which endanger marine life and trash the planet, aluminum cans are actually good for the environment. At least, they are if people like you and me take the time to recycle them. So why recycle aluminum? Well, as a starting point for answering that question, how about this: Aluminum recycling provides many environmental, economic and community benefits; it saves energy, time, money and precious natural resources; and it generates jobs and helps to pay for community services that make life better for millions of people.
The main challenge to recycling aluminum foil is that it is often contaminated with food waste. Grease and oils can damage recycling equipment and create an inferior end product, so food-affected waste has to be thrown away (all that food will also cause the foil to smell really bad, which will make the staff at your local recycling center very unhappy). Some communities accept aluminum foil in their recycling bins as long as it is clean. Others are not willing to take that risk. We have some advice for dedicated recyclers who really want to keep their aluminum foil out of landfills. We also share a couple of ways to decrease your use of aluminum foil.
Find a drop-off location for aluminum foil near you using our Recycling Locator. Aluminum is one of the highest-value materials you can recycle, and it can be reprocessed into new aluminum in just 60 days Nearly 75 percent of aluminum produced in the U.S. is still being used; Americans dispose of enough aluminum foil annually to build an entire aircraft fleet. See more details on can i recycle aluminum foil.
While most recycled aluminum is in the form of cans, aluminum foil is technically recyclable, but there’s a catch: It needs to be clean — that is, free of food residue, as grease or food residue can contaminate the other recyclables during the recycling process. In part because of the issues with contamination, and the reality that most people are unlikely to rinse their aluminum foil before recycling it, some waste haulers will not accept aluminum foil for recycling; the damage soiled aluminum foil does to other recyclables can outweigh the benefit of trying to recycle the aluminum foil.
The global demand for aluminum, however, continues to increase. Manufacturers currently use about 35 percent of recovered aluminum and about 65 percent of primary aluminum to meet their needs. While Americans recycled 57.4 percent of aluminum in 2009, the industry has a self-imposed goal of a 75 percent recycling rate. By working with local communities, authorities and society as a whole, the aluminum industry is hoping to encourage more recycling in order to satisfy increased demand. Read more info on https://www.ablison.com/how-to-recycle-aluminum-foil-and-is-it-biodegradable/.