6 Facts about Aluminum

Recycling can be an energy saver. On the surface you may not see a cost savings. It's not as if you will get much money back by recycling aluminum. Most places that will pay for aluminum wants large amounts for a small price. The savings comes from the cost savings from production of the cans.

Here are 6 facts about Aluminum.

1. 100% of the beverage cans are made from Aluminum. The Aluminum can made its first appearance in the United States in 1953. Prior to this most cans were made from tin or steel. Steel cans were first used in the 1800’s.

2. On average each person will use about 390 cans per year.

3. Aluminum cans typically have a recycled aluminum content of about 55%. 63.5 % of aluminum cans are recycled annually. The number of cans recycled are 62.8 billion.

4. Recycling aluminum saves about 95% of the energy it would take to produce aluminum from its original source, bauxite. Recycling 1 can would save enough electricity to run a TV for three hours.

5. The Aluminum recycling process is so efficient that it can take as few as 60 days for a can to be collected, melted down and made into a new can sitting on a grocery store shelf.

6. Anything that is made from aluminum can be made from recycled aluminum.