A Global Study Shows Aluminum Can Has the Highest Recycling Rate

The study analyzed aluminum cans, glass bottles and plastic bottles in the five major markets of Brazil, China, Japan, the United States and Europe, including collection, sorting, reprocessing and heat treatment, including scrap treatment losses and closed cycle systems, and found that the recycling rate of aluminum cans reached 71%, which is equivalent to two out of every three aluminum cans are recycled and made into new products. Of these, one was re-made into aluminum cans within 60 days, and the other was made into other products. The recycling rate of plastic and glass bottles is only 40% and 34%.

Details of Recycling Aluminum Cans

Aluminum cans outperform glass and plastic bottles at all stages of the recycling value chain. At the end of their useful lives, the collection rate of aluminum cans is as high as 79%, and that of glass bottles and plastic bottles is only 51% and 61%, meaning that more glass bottles and plastic bottles are landfilled; Once collected into the recycling system, the sorting, reprocessing and remelting efficiency of aluminum cans is as high as 90%, and that of glass bottles and plastic bottles is only 67% and 66%, that is, the loss of glass bottles and plastic bottles in the recycling system is more than three times that of aluminum cans.

Aluminum Will Greatly Promote the Reducing Energy Consumption

At present, no beverage container material is completely recycled, and it is suggested that the loss rate of aluminum can be further reduced by implementing a “deposit return system”. “Environmental protection deposit system” means that consumers need to pay a deposit when purchasing drinks, and return the bottle and can after drinking the drink to redeem the deposit. This system is intended to promote the construction of beverage container material collection system. Emilio Braghi, Executive Vice President and President of Europe at Novelis, said: “Building collection and sorting systems is essential to improve recycling and unlock the full potential of unlimited recyclable materials. We need a policy framework that incentivizes genuine recycling and recycling systems, so that beverage containers can be recycled again and again at the end of their life without a loss of quality. Aluminum is well suited for repeated recycling. “We need to shift our thinking to treat waste as a valuable resource and reuse existing materials to produce new packaging, thereby saving valuable natural resources and reducing energy consumption and emissions.”