How are cans recycled?
Last year in the UK we recycled around 4.5 billion aluminum cans - that is enough to stretch around the world over 13 times…
Here's how we do it:
1. Food tins and drink cans assorted from other materials either by hand or by machine.
2. Magnets are used to separate steel from aluminum and the separated cans are bailed.
3. At the aluminum recycling plant, bales of cans are shredded into smaller pieces.
4. The shreds are heated so that the decoration can be removed by blown air.
5. These small pieces of aluminum are fed into a furnace which is heated to 750° degrees Celsius.
6. The molted metal is then poured and continuously cooled by water.
7. As it cools a block or in gut is formed.
8. Aluminum ingots are rolled into very thin sheets as a rolling mill.
9. Ready to made back into more cans which can be back on sale in just eight weeks.
10. For more information on recycling visit recyclenow.com
