Why Are Cans Such A Valuable Recyclable?

Aluminium cans are one of the most widely recycled products on the planet. They are used for so many applications in many industries, and both domestic and commercial settings are used to popping these cans into their recycling equipment. Tin cans are so easy to recycle, and also bring many benefits to both the environment and businesses that recycle them. In fact, aluminium is one of the most valuable recyclables available today. In this article, we are looking into why it is so important to put cans into recycling machines. 

Recycled Aluminium Is In High Demand

Despite there being so many aluminium cans out in the world, the material is still in high demand from manufacturers. Unlike other metals, such as silver, gold, and copper, pure aluminium cannot be found in nature. This is because it bonds very easily with other elements, and a chemical extraction is needed to get the alumina compound. This alumina compound then needs to go through the Hall-Heroult process which is a specific technique that uses a huge amount of electricity. Producing just one metric tonne of aluminium can use the same amount of electricity as the average home uses in one year. 

The humble aluminium can is already crafted from pure aluminium, and so they are always in a very high demand. Recycling aluminium saves up to 95% of the energy it takes to produce the metal in the first place. The other important thing to know is that aluminium can be remanufactured indefinitely and will never degrade in quality. This means cans, wire, and casings can be recycled over and over again, and will always be extremely valuable to manufacturers.

Pandemic Can Shortages

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every industry in one way or another, and recycling is no exception. When everyone was forced to stay at home, the market for at home beverages and food went into overdrive. Everyone wanted their favourite beers, tinned foods, and soft drinks in the comfort of their own home, as bars and restaurants were shut for the foreseeable future. With more aluminium flying off the shelves than ever before, it left a shortage of metal for the producers.

Many huge metal container producers bought up as much available stock as they could as soon as they realised the shortage, leaving many small businesses with nothing. This sent the price of aluminium through the roof, and manufacturers were scrambling to get their hands on recycled cans. This combination of high prices and low supply is still ongoing today, and some are expecting it to last well into 2023. 

If your business is not recycling aluminium, or hasn’t perfected the process for this, you could be missing out. Many companies can sell their aluminium waste on for a nice profit, and having the right recycling machinery will help you achieve this. At WRT, we can help with complete can processing plants and other recycling equipment for metals. For more information, contact us today.