Recycling your metal is a great way for you to help the environment through energy and natural resource conservation. As a bonus, you can even earn a little cash by doing it. Lots of industries depend on metal, including the construction, aerospace, automotive, ship building, and more. However, the amount of metal in the earth is finite, and it takes a lot of energy to mine ore. When you consider that metal can be recycled over and over again, it just makes sense to do it.
One of the best metals you can recycle is aluminum, so we have provided a list of three interesting facts about aluminum recycling:
- Aluminum won’t lose its quality after recycling. Some recycled materials, like plastic and glass, have to be downcycled into things like fleece and carpeting because they lose their quality and functionality the more they are recycled. In contrast, aluminum can be recycled virtually forever without losing its quality, so aluminum recycling is very profitable and beneficial.
- Aluminum recycling saves an enormous amount of energy. According to The Aluminum Association, aluminum recycling saves about 95% of the energy it would take to mine and process new aluminum, so it is an incredibly sustainable solution.
- An aluminum product is often recycled back into itself. While recycled aluminum can be made into a variety of new products, it is often recycled into the same product it was before. For example, aluminum cans will usually be recycled to make new aluminum cans.