Aluminum is a versatile metal that is widely used in our daily lives; it’s found in cans, foils, and various packaging. But what happens when we toss these items into the recycling bin? Does the process live up to its promise of sustainability, or is it merely a greenwashing tactic? Let’s unpack aluminum recycling to uncover the truth behind these questions.
What Happens When We Put an Aluminum Can in the Recycling Bin?
First stop for the contents of your recycling bin is a sorting facility. At the sorting facility, the items are sorted by material type. Once separated, aluminum is compacted into bales and transported to recycling plants.
Is Aluminum Really Recycled?
Aluminum recycling is one of the success stories in the circular economy. Aluminum is infinitely recyclable, meaning it can be melted and reshaped without losing quality. In fact, about 75% of the total amount of virgin aluminum that has been produced to date has been recycled.
What’s the Energy Cost of Recycling?
Recycling aluminum uses significantly less energy than is required to produce virgin aluminum. Virgin aluminum is extracted and refine from bauxite ore. The process of creating aluminum from raw materials releases a vast amount of greenhouse gases. In contrast, recycling aluminum consumes less than 10% of the energy required for its primary production, significantly reducing carbon emissions.
There’s more savings associated with recycling aluminum:
- 14,000 kilowatt hours of energy
- 100 million BTUs of energy
- 10 cubic yards of landfill space
- 97% reduction in greenhouse gases (as compared to manufacturing virgin aluminum)
In Conclusion:
The economics of aluminum recycling are undeniably positive making its story a testament to the power of recycling and creating a more sustainable future for generations to come.
P.S. Aluminum is an important component in the WexWindowTM manufacturing process because it controls the insulation gap between your existing window and WexWindow insulation panel. Over 97% (by weight) of WexWindow materials are truly recyclable. In the coming months, we’ll bring you additional articles addressing the recyclability of other materials. In the meantime, feel free to take a deeper dive into aluminum recycling with this article: https://citizensustainable.com/recycling-aluminum/