Aluminum is the smart choice
As a consumer, you make choices every day that can help reduce global warming. Choosing products with higher aluminum content is one of these decisions. Strong, light aluminum that replaces heavier materials like steel in automobiles helps reduce fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions, as everyone knows. And even in products that don't consume fuel directly, like food and beverage containers, appliances, furniture and building materials, aluminum makes a difference. By reducing weight, aluminum reduces the amount of fuel -- and greenhouse gas emissions -- needed to transport these products from the factory to your home.
When you recycle, it gets better and better
These benfits are compounded when you choose to recycle aluminum in the products you buy. Recycled aluminum is identical to smelted aluminum, except for one thing: it takes only 1/20 of the energy to make it. Less energy means reduced greenhouse emissions. And like few other materials in the recycling chain, aluminum recycles over and over again.
Beverage cans: the ultimate recyclable package
When you recycle an aluminum soda can, it does something few other containers can do: it reappears back on the shelf, probably in 60 days or less, as a brand new soda can. That's because the can's aluminum materials are specially engineered for 100% recycling, with no waste and a minimum of energy input. The world uses billions and billions of cans every year. That's why can recycling is such an important part of the greenhouse picture.
Don't forget to recycle that lawn chair
In addition to beverage cans, you can recycle aluminum bottles, pie plates, cookware, building materials like gutters and siding, lawn furniture and more. We're even helping introduce a process for recycling juice boxes made of aluminum, paper and plastic. If it has aluminum in it, chances are it can be recycled.
Recycling resources
- Curbside recycling: a no-brainer. By far the easiest and most efficient way to go, where available
- Office recycling: If your company doesn't have can recycling, they should!
- Charity recycling: In communities without curbside recycling, there are often groups who collect aluminum cans and sell them to scrap dealers, donating the profits to charity. Even if you have curbside recycling, donating your cans to charity is a great way to get extra mileage from recycling. In the US, the aluminum industry sponsors the Cans for Habitat program in partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
- Your friendly neighborhood scrap dealer: If you don't have access to curbside recycling, or if you want to get money for your aluminum, contact a local scrap dealer for information on how to turn your castoffs into cash.
Frequently asked aluminum recycling questions
Can I sell scrap aluminum to Alcoa?
We buy aluminum from scrap dealers and recycling centers worldwide. If you are a consumer and you want to sell aluminum, contact a scrap dealer in your area. (Here's a good resource in the USA). If you are a scrap dealer and want to sell to Alcoa, visit the Alcoa Recycling Company web site for more information.
What if my community doesn't have curbside recycling?
It may take a little extra effort to recycle aluminum if your community doesn't pick it up at the curb. Your best bet is to locate a local scrap dealer or recycling center. The plus side is, you'll get paid for your trouble! Here's a good web site for locating recycling centers.
Can you recycle aluminum foil?
We haven't perfected a process that will clean, purify and melt household foil efficiently... yet.
Can you recycle juice boxes made with foil?
Alcoa's Brazilian affiliate, Alcoa Aluminio, has joined Tetra Pak, Klabin and TSL Ambiental to inaugurate the world's first carton packaging recycling facility located in Piracicaba, Brazil. The project uses innovative plasma technology to recover aluminum (in ingot form) and plastic from aseptic beverage cartons. Click here for more info
Are can tabs better to recycle than cans?
No. Often local charities encourage communities to collect can tabs and donate them for various causes. This is a great way to engage a community, and the tabs are fun and easy to collect. But their value is no different to a recycler than the rest of the can. It's all the same aluminum. For the sake of the environment, when you're collecting tabs, don't forget to recycle the rest of the can!
Where can I find educational resources on recycling?
The aluminum industry sponsors a wealth of resources on aluminum and other recyclables on Earth911. Click here to visit.
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Questions about Recycling?
Visit the New Alcoa Recycling web site for fresh info and contact links.
 alcoa.com/recycling
Alcoa Materials Management Names Top Scrap Suppliers for 2007
June 17, 2007 - Alcoa announced today that its Alcoa Materials Management (AMM) business has selected its annual list of the top ten scrap processors using criteria including: quality; volume; and performance.
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Video: See how aluminum can recycling works and how it helps both the environment and the economy.
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Alcoa Tennessee Operations
Home of one of the world's largest can sheet operations and a major user of recycled aluminum
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Alcoa Warrick Operations
Sister operation to Alcoa Tennessee that produces aluminum sheet for can ends and tabs and a major user of recycled aluminum
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Alcoa Australia Rolled Products
Australia's leading manufacturer of can sheet and a major user of recycled aluminium
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Can Man
Alcoa's official recycling mascot in Australia
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Alcoa European Mill Products
Makers of can sheet and end stock for Europe and the Middle East
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How Alcoa makes can sheet
Illustrated process from Alcoa Rigid Packaging
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