Steel & aluminium

Steel Cans
Putting steel cans into your recycling bin/bag/bring bank is a great way to save valuable natural resources. What happens to your steel cans when they are recycled?
• They are collected from the kerbside or bring bank and taken to your local civic amenity site for processing.

Did you know? Recycled Steel has a very high resale value which is a big incentive not to throw it away

Did you know? Steel cans be recycled time and time again, without any loss of quality

• After you have rinsed the can and taken it to your local can recycling bank or in your recycling box/bag/wheelie bin for collection they are separated from the other recyclables and taken to the local recycling centre and sorted.

Did you know you can recycle more than just your food and drinks cans? Why don’t you put all your steel packaging containers out for recycling?  Items like old air freshener, deodorant containers jam jar lids and biscuit tins are all acceptable.

• Your steel containers are magnetic and therefore easily separated from the other recyclables when they go to the recycling centre for sorting. All the different types of steel packaging are then crushed and baled, and transported to the steel plant.

• In the steel plant, the bales are put into the furnace with other recyclable steel. Molten iron is added and oxygen is blasted into the furnace which heats up to around 1700 DegC.

• The molten steel, which includes your can, is formed into big slabs which are then rolled into coils. Afterwards, these coils are used for all sorts of steel products.

• Now your food or drink cans could end up in one of thousands of steel products such as bikes, cars, bridges, paper clips, railway tracks, ship hulls or even another food or drink can.

Aluminium cans

Once your aluminium has been collected and sorted here’s what happens to it when it is recycled.

• The cans are shredded and any coloured coating removed
• The shreds of aluminium are melted down in giant furnaces
• The molten metal is poured into ingot casts and chilled to set
• The aluminium is ready to be used again

Do you know the difference between aluminium and steel cans? If you are unsure, hold a magnet next it. If the magnet sticks to the can, its steel and if doesn’t, it is made from aluminium. Aluminium cans are also softer than steel and easier crush.

At bring banks, steel and aluminium are collected separately so remember to put them in the correct container.

Source: http://www.scrib.org/recycling_steel/steel_lifecycle.asp

Websites
http://www.scrib.org/index.asp
alupro site