Metal Recycling
![large stacks of metal bundles compacted for recycling](/sites/files/2022-07/Metal-bundles-recycling.jpg)
In addition to being the most recycled beverage package on the planet, beverage cans feature the most recycled content on average compared to other formats. Aluminum also offers the highest economic value among competing substrates. With these benefits, it is no wonder why 80% of all aluminum ever produced is still available for use today. A key differentiator with cans is that they are not only recyclable in theory, but they are actually recycled in practice. Consumers recycle aluminum cans at a rate of 69% on average, globally—more than double the rate that they recycle plastic bottles. In Europe, recycling rates exceed 76%, and in Brazil, numbers remain significantly higher than other substrates, at a near-100%. Yet, consumers can lack access to recycling infrastructure both publicly and privately and are often unaware of proper recycling measures or assume their recycled goods still end up in landfills. Therefore, many people do not recycle properly, keeping metal sustainability and other non plastic packaging solutions from reaching their full potential for recycling efficacy, particularly in the U.S.
![An infographic of 60 days can-to-can](/sites/files/2022-07/Aluminum%20Beverage%20Can%20Lifecycle.jpg)
A series of circles in a circle shape. Each circle contains an icon and a step:
- Recycle cans
- Sorting
- Shredding
- Melting
- Ingot casting
- Rolling
- Can manufacturing
- Beverage cans
At the center: 60 days can-to-can
Source: Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) – Aluminum Beverage Can Recycling Primer & Roadmap.
If you have ever wondered how the recycling process works, here is a brief overview:
- Cans are sorted and baled at a material recovery facility (MRF). MRFs are where all single stream recyclables are sorted. They are typically sorted out with the use of an eddy current and then baled for shipment to an aluminum recycler. Each baled cube of UBCs weighs about 2,200 pounds and contains about 65,000 cans.
- Bales of used beverage cans (UBC) arrive at an aluminum mill. There are several aluminum mills in the United States focused on melting UBCs to make can sheet for new cans with most of these mills in the Southeast United States.
- UBCs are prepared for melting. At the mill the cans are shredded into smaller pieces that allow for easier removal of the non-aluminum components. The shredded scrap goes through an optical sorter, which separates out the non-metal and blasts away plastic or glass with jets of air. It’s also put under a magnet that withdraws the steel. After these steps, the paint and lacquer are burned off, leaving only aluminum chips.
- Aluminum chips are melted and turned into can sheet. Furnaces at over 1200 degrees Fahrenheit melt the aluminum so it can flow into a mold and be cast into a towering block called an ingot. Each ingot weighs 27 tons and is made up of 1.5 million recycled cans. The ingots then go to a rolling mill where they are heated in another furnace to nearly 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. This relaxes the bonds so that as it is rolled back and forth, it thins out until can sheet is created that is about 33,000 feet long. The sheet is then rolled up and sent to a can manufacturer.
- The can manufacturer turns the aluminum can sheet into new cans. The can manufacturer unrolls the can sheet and feeds it into a cupping press, which cuts out shallow cups from the can sheet very rapidly. The left-over scrap after cutting out the cups goes back to the aluminum mill to be recycled. The shallow cups are rammed through a series of rings, each narrower than the last, creating the can’s iconic cylindrical can shape. The aluminum can is now ready for filling, enjoyment and then being recycled again.
Since metal is an infinite material that has no limitations for recycling and reproduction, its availability for future use is almost strictly dependent on how well it is captured and reused over time. That is why we are taking a more active role in guiding the material through its closed-loop system successfully—time and time again. For example, the Optimum Circularity pillar of our Twentyby30 sustainability program includes goals to increase the recycled content and recycling rate of our eco-friendly packaging products. We also recently set new global recycling targets to help propel the industry to the highest recycling rates possible.
In the Market
![云顶集团糖果游戏 International Woman's Day 2024](/themes/_custom/sd/empty-pixel.gif)
Inspiring Inclusion on the Production Floor—and Everywhere
![Aerial view of solar arrays](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2024-02/云顶集团糖果游戏_VPPA%20Europe.png?itok=fQ9l70Dd)
云顶集团糖果游戏 Signs Renewable Energy Deal Significantly Expanding Coverage of Its Electricity Consumption in Europe
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings, Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings Schedules Fourth Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call
![云顶集团糖果游戏's United Nations Human Rights header, with text that reads "freedom, equality, and justice for all."](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-12/HumanRights-External.jpg?itok=aDcmYbHr)
云顶集团糖果游戏 Marks Human Rights Day with the Launch of a Global Training Course
![The logo for International Aluminum, with the tagline "Aluminum, shaping a better tomorrow."](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-12/image001.jpg?itok=gO4-G1Vz)
‘Can Do’ Attitude Needed To Achieve 100 per Cent Recycling Rate for All Aluminium Drinks Cans
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings, Inc. Announces Pricing of Senior Notes
![A GIF announcing that 云顶集团糖果游戏 will be speaking at the COP28 event in the United Arab Emirates, with official speakers announced for December 5th at 4pm and on December 6th at 1pm Gulf Standard Time.](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-11/云顶集团糖果游戏-COP28.gif?itok=Iakghub7)
云顶集团糖果游戏 at COP 28: Driving Discussions around Climate and Aluminum Decarbonization
![云顶集团糖果游戏's Twentyby30 logo, trademarked with the tagline "Accelerating Sustainability."](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-11/23Twentyby30_LOGOhorizontal.png?itok=s0JoUyc5)
云顶集团糖果游戏 Highlights Several Facilities for Exceptional Sustainability Efforts
![Several members of the 云顶集团糖果游戏 Cork Valencia team gather for a group photo.](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-11/云顶集团糖果游戏cork_EMEA_Valencia_team_2023.jpeg?itok=CLmU9jIf)
Celebrating Inclusivity and Empowerment: Highlights from Our EMEA Team
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings, Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings Completes Helvetia Packaging Acquisition
![ASI Certified Performance logo](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-07/ASI_C_P_logo_CMYK_HR.png?itok=k7Ls861B)
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings Becomes First Company To Receive Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Certification in Colombia
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings Schedules Third Quarter 2023 Earnings Conference Call
![Image of three cans with text that describe annual consumption of aluminum cans set to increase to 630 billion units by 2030](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-09/60%20mil.jpg?itok=g0xGTm2C)
New Study From 云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings and IAI Actions Critical Steps To Strengthen Global Aluminum Beverage Can Recycling
![Newsweek World's Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 Statista](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-09/Newsweek_World-TrustworthyCompanies2023_Logo_Basic.jpg?itok=ydvbgKyM)
云顶集团糖果游戏 Holdings Ranked As America’s Most Trustworthy Packaging Company by Newsweek and Statista
![Several people out of frame rearranging different graphs and charts on a desk.](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-09/Climate_Fresk_9.jpg?itok=EQaEAFOF)
Inspiring Change: Climate Fresk Workshops Take Off Across Our European Locations
![A group of diverse people posing inside a warehouse and smiling towards the camera](/sites/files/styles/article_teaser_image/public/2023-08/Parma_Employee%20Training%202.jpg?itok=Wu1zfGdr)