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.