How Aluminum Can Recycling Started
Overview
Metal cans were originally developed to store food for soldiers to carry into the field. In 1795, the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could invent an effective means of preserving food, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute, the trade association of the metal can manufacturing industry. Nicholas Appert, who won the prize, packaged partially cooked food in air-tight glass bottles sealed with corks. Early cans were made of tin, which corrodes when exposed to the acids found in soft drinks.
Identification
Aluminum, which was discovered in the 1820s, is the most abundant metal on Earth, according to the environmental group Earth 911. Aluminum is made by mining deposits of bauxite ore and refining it into aluminum metal using electricity, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or U.S. EPA.
Features
Aluminum is a durable metal that can be used over and over. Earth 911 reports that 50 percent of all aluminum cans are recycled. Aluminum cans are portable, lightweight containers that keep beverages cold. Their rigid structure keeps the cans from being broken or crushed during shipping. According to the Can Manufacturers Institute, manufacturers constantly change the shapes and sizes of aluminum containers. The EPA estimates that 99 percent of beer containers and about 97 percent of soda cans are aluminum.
History
During the 1940s, manufacturers began exploring how to adapt tin cans to package carbonated soft drinks. They began using aluminum cans as beverage containers in 1965. The success of the aluminum can results primarily from its recycling value, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute. The aluminum can recycling infrastructure developed after the first Earth Day in 1970. By the 1990s, recycling aluminum cans became a way of life for many people.
Benefits
The benefits of recycling aluminum cans include saving money and reducing energy consumption. The EPA estimates that recycling cans saves about 92 percent of the energy needed to produce aluminum from bauxite. According to the Can Manufacturers Institute, recycling cans minimizes consumer and production waste. Recycled aluminum cans can be back on store shelves as new beverage containers in about 60 days, according to Earth 911.
Considerations
Aluminum beverage containers are the largest source of aluminum in the municipal solid waste stream, according to the EPA. People can recycle aluminum to raise money. An empty aluminum can is worth about 1 cent. Earth 911 reports that the aluminum industry pays out about $800 million dollars for empty aluminum cans each year (Reference 5). Aluminum recycling allows charitable organizations to fund local projects, such as school improvements. The Cans for Habitat program, a joint partnership between the Aluminum Association and Habitat for Humanity International, supports a network of drop-off locations to recycle aluminum cans to help raise money to build affordable housing for low-income families around the country, according to Earth 911.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/197840-how-aluminum-can-recycling-started/#ixzz1KIn2eHl9
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