Aluminium is an essential element in our lives today; it may be present in different products, welded on infrastructures, or used in different types of transportations. With its abundance, comes the problem of its disposal. Most of it end up in thrash mountains or dump sites which pose danger to people near the location, as wells as to the environment; metals mixed up together could form dangerous fumes and when mixed up with air, could pose serious danger to our health.
A big solution for this problem is aluminum recycling. This is the process of repurposing used aluminum to renewed, quality aluminum products once again. It is melted and used again by different companies that require this metal, mainly for beverage packing, infrastructure, manufacture and construction.
This is great for the environment because it lessens mining in different parts of the world. Mining, particularly in the third world countries, could pose serious danger both for the miners and for the environment. Dangerous chemicals are involved as byproducts of the mining process and when not disposed properly, could cause multiple damages to man, and the environment.
Aluminum recycling rose to its foundations when it was discovered that melting and reshaping the metal does not affect its future strength or integrity. It was a practical process that started during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s. However, it was in the 1900s that started the massive recycling of aluminum; mostly involving manufactured products related to war and food industries. Moreover, the1960s lead the way, by means of environmental consciousness, to the aluminum recycling as the world’s most successful and well established metal recycling practice.
Listed here are the facts that surround the aluminum recycling industry:
- Aluminum is 100% recyclable; it can be used and processed unlimitedly without losing its strength.
- It takes about for centuries before it will naturally decompose. Lastly,
- In the United States alone, more than 100 millions of cans a day are disposed on landfills.
Scrap Metal Sydney, a leader in the scrap metal industry supports aluminum recycling. Our practices are aimed to support general sustainability by providing jobs, as well as environmental preservation by recycling what you don’t need any more. So the next time you finish a can of beer, see a used aluminum foil, or about to throw your old gutters, think of where your trash goes. One’s trash could be another’s treasure.