What is aluminum scrap?
Aluminum scrap is a material that is formed out of recycled aluminum. Any aluminum product be it the beverage can or the container, the bottle closure, aluminum foil, plates and pie molds, window frames, garden furniture, automotive components etc. which when used are discarded by consumers. This discarded aluminum products are melted down to form aluminum scraps, which can further be used to make the same products. Used aluminum cans can be recycled to make new aluminum cans, used aluminum frames can be formed into frames and so on. In other words, anything made of aluminum can be recycled repeatedly.

The Aluminum Recycling Process
Any aluminum used beverage containers (UBCs) at a material recovery facility (MRF), are separated from other food and beverage containers. Since most of the UBCs recovered are processed into new cans, it is necessary that processors generate high-quality aluminum scrap only. The recovered aluminum cans or containers or other aluminum products must be free from lead, steel, ferrous materials, glass, wood, plastics, dirt, trash, grease etc. The discarded products when heated melt releasing some energy, which when cooled can be separated from the bottom ash. This is the scrap and it can be sold by the MRF or a scrap dealer to brokers and can sheet manufacturers. Aluminum manufacturers typically have arrangements to refine the scrap and melt it into ingots. The melted ingots can further be given different shapes and produce different aluminum products.

Types of aluminum scrap

• New Aluminum Scrap : This is formed out of the surplus available after fabrication and manufacturing of aluminum alloys. New aluminum scraps are in the form of sheet edge trims, extrusion discards, millings, turnings, and drosses.
  
  
• Old Aluminum Scrap : This is formed from discarded aluminum products . It is recovered for recycling. Old aluminum scraps are formed from used aluminum a car cylinder head, beverage can, electrical conductor cable, window frames etc.

Aluminum scrap as a packaging material
Aluminum is considered as the only packaging material that covers the cost of its own collection and processing at recycling centers. Of all the aluminum products that are recycled, the aluminum can or the container is the most valuable packaging material to recycle. The aluminum beverage can is 100% recyclable into new beverage cans. One basic reason for easy recyclability is due to the fact there there are no labels or covers to be removed from aluminum cans. Aluminum cans are worth 6 to 20 times more than any other used packaging material. The aluminum scrap besides making beverage can can also be used to make other aluminum packaging products like pouch, bags, sheets, rolls etc.