Every time you drop an aluminium can into your recycling bin, you’re beginning one of the most remarkable transformation stories in the waste management world. At Evolve Waste Solutions, we witness this incredible journey daily, and we’re excited to take you behind the scenes to discover how your empty drink can becomes something entirely new.
The Collection: Where It All Begins
Your aluminium can’s journey starts the moment you place it in your recycling bin. Our collection teams gather these materials from businesses across the London and Home Counties, ensuring they’re transported efficiently to a sorting facility. Unlike many other materials, aluminium cans are particularly valuable in the recycling stream – they’re lightweight, stackable and highly sought after by manufacturers.
Sorting and Preparation: The First Transformation
Once at the facility, your can joins thousands of others in a sophisticated sorting process. Advanced magnetic separators and eddy current systems work together to identify and separate aluminium from other materials. The cans are then cleaned to remove labels, adhesives and any remaining contents. This cleaning process is crucial for maintaining the quality of the recycled material.
The Shredding Process: Breaking Down to Build Up
Clean aluminium cans are fed into powerful shredders that break them down into small flakes. These flakes are approximately the size of a postage stamp, making them easier to handle and process in the next stages. The shredded aluminium is then passed through additional cleaning processes to remove any remaining contaminants, including paint, lacquers and other coatings.
Melting and Purification: The Great Transformation
The aluminium flakes are transported to remelting facilities where they’re heated to approximately 750°C (1,382°F). At this temperature, the aluminium melts completely while impurities float to the surface and are removed. The molten aluminium is then tested for quality and composition to ensure it meets industry standards.
Creating New Ingots: The Foundation for Tomorrow
The purified molten aluminium is poured into moulds to create large blocks called ingots. These ingots can weigh several tonnes and serve as the raw material for manufacturing new products. Each ingot contains the equivalent of thousands of recycled cans, representing countless individual recycling decisions made by consumers like you.
Manufacturing New Products: The Circle Completes
Aluminium ingots are sold to manufacturers who roll them into thin sheets or shape them into new products. Remarkably, your recycled can could become a new beverage can within just 60 days of being recycled. However, aluminium’s versatility means it might also become part of a car door, aircraft wing, window frame, or even a bicycle.
The Environmental Impact: Why This Journey Matters
The recycling journey of aluminium cans represents one of the most energy-efficient processes in the recycling industry. Creating new aluminium from recycled material uses 95% less energy than producing it from raw bauxite ore. This energy saving is equivalent to powering a television for three hours from the energy saved by recycling just one can.
Additionally, aluminium can be recycled indefinitely without losing its properties. Unlike plastic or paper, which degrade with each recycling cycle, aluminium maintains its strength and quality forever. This means the can you recycle today could still be in use hundreds of years from now, cycling through countless transformations.
Your Role in the Journey
Every aluminium can recycled prevents the need to mine new bauxite ore, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and conserves natural resources. By choosing to recycle, you’re not just disposing of waste responsibly – you’re actively participating in a circular economy that benefits everyone.
At Evolve Waste Solutions, we’re proud to facilitate this remarkable journey from waste to resource. We encourage everyone to continue recycling their aluminium cans and to share this story with others. Understanding the process helps us all appreciate the true value of our recycling efforts.
Looking Forward
The aluminium recycling industry continues to evolve with new technologies and improved processes. Advanced sorting systems, more efficient transportation methods and innovative manufacturing techniques are making the journey from can to can even more sustainable.
Your simple act of recycling an aluminium can sets in motion this incredible transformation. Together, we’re not just managing waste – we’re turning waste into resource, one can at a time.
At Evolve Waste Solutions, we’re committed to making recycling accessible, efficient, and impactful. Contact us to learn more about our comprehensive waste management services and how we can help your business or community participate in these remarkable recycling journeys
sales@evolvewaste.co.uk / 03330 477 077
