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Frequently Asked Questions

All Your Recycling Answers

What to Recycle?

There are many aluminum products that can be recycled. These include cans, foil, and pie plates. Outside the kitchen, even more aluminum can be found for recycling. You can recycle brass, copper, and steel products as well.

Why Recycle Aluminum? 

Aluminum is 100% recyclable.

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Aluminum recycling is a big energy saver. Recycling saves 95% of the energy needed to make new aluminum from ore. Recycling conserves natural resources. Every pound of aluminum recycled, eliminates the need to mine and process four pounds of bauxite ore.

 

Recycling saves landfill space. And, the collection of cans reduces litter tremendously.

 

Every three months, the U.S. throws away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial airline fleet.

Recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than making new aluminum from bauxite ore.

 

We throw away enough iron and steel to continuously supply all of America's auto makers.

 

Metal is melted down and reformed into new products such as cans, automobile parts, siding, appliances, and building materials.

How many aluminum cans make up a pound? 

At present there are nearly 32 - 12 ounce beverage cans in a pound. This is up from the original 23 per pound because the cans have gotten thinner as technology improved.

What are my metal recyclables worth? 

The prices for non-ferrous metals (aluminum, copper, brass, zinc, etc.) vary greatly depending on the commodity price for demand for new metal. The best way to check a price is to call us and ask for our current prices. 

Why buy recycled products?

Purchasing recycled products creates markets for the recovered materials used in these products. This action fosters sustainability and conserves natural resources and energy. In addition, purchasing recycled products promotes the continued manufacturing of these products, this completing the recycling loop.

Steel Facts and Figures

  • Each year, North America recycles more steel than plastic combined.

  • Americans use 100 million steel cans every day.

  • The steel industry has been recycling for over 150 years.

  • The steel industry's largest source of raw material is scrap metal, which is commonly collected by recycling steel.

  • Recycling steel saves 75 percent of the energy that would be used to create steel from raw materials, enough to power 18 million homes.

  • Over 65 percent of the steel produced in the U.S. is recycled into new steel every year.

  • One ton of recycled steel saves 2500 pounds of iron ore, 1400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone.

  • A steel frame for a 2000 square-foot, two-story house is equivalent to the material of about six recycled cars; a comparable wooden frame would take over 40 trees to produce.

  • A typical household appliance (also known as a "white good") is produced using approximately 65 percent steel.

  • Steel cans contain at least 25 percent recycled steel, with many nearly reaching 100 percent recycled content.

Every ton of steel packaging recycled makes the following environmental savings: 

  • 1.5 tons of iron ore

  • 0.5 tons of coal

  • 40% of the water required in production

  • 75% of the energy needed to make steel from virgin material

  • 1.28 tons of solid waste Reduction of air emissions by 86%

  • Reduction of water pollution by 76%

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