Recycling aluminium is part of the normal lifecycle of the metal, and the process has been available in the UK since the early twentieth century. The early reasons for recycling were commercial as well as environmental, since the 95% energy savings  -  coupled with local production of the metal through recycling  -  make sound economic sense.

With today’s technology, aluminium and its alloys can be melted and re-cast time and time again, producing metal with the same properties as primary aluminium.   This is why recycled aluminium retains a high scrap value, which drives collection for further recycling.

Virtually 100% of the scrap arising from the manufacture and production of aluminium products is recycled, and 75% of all the aluminium ever made is still in use.

Aluminium can be recycled either in a closed loop, or an open loop:

Closed loop recycling is where scrap is pre-sorted into alloy type so that, for example, drinks cans are recycled into ingot which can be made into new drinks cans.   In these processes the input material is shredded, and then de-coated to remove paints and oils, before being melted and cast. Click here for more information.

Open loop recycling is where a wider range of alloy types are recycled together, with the resulting molten aluminium then re-alloyed to a wide range of specific end-market uses.   In these processes feedstock is simply fed into the furnace and melted through heat and stirring in a low oxygen environment, before casting into ingot.

Novelis has a closed loop drinks can recycling plant at Warrington www.thinkcans.co.uk and there are several other secondary aluminium producers in the UK which operate an open loop system, as well as companies which export scrap metal overseas.

For more information on Alupro reprocessor members please click here.